Australia-wide there are only about 2-4 deaths a year as a long-term average over the past 30 years for all snakebites. DISTRIBUTION: There have been sightings in northern NSW and in northern SA so the true range is unknown. HOW AND WHERE IT'LL STRIKE: You're unlikely to encounter it, unless you're a desert dweller. But if you do, and it bites, you're in strife. NUMBER OF DEATHS: A  All recorded bites to date have been to snake handlers and no deaths have been documented. DID YOU KNOW? A  If the situation is handled calmly, it can take hours before a serious paralysing effect presents in an adult bitten by a taipan or other venomous Australian snake. Using immobilisation and bandage pressure, you can buy yourself hours, if not days to get assistance. It is better to stay put and send for a chopper than try to walk out of the bush when bitten. SALTWATER CROCODILE ( Crocodylus porosus ) Regarded as one of nature's most effective killing machines, you don't stand a chance if a hungry saltie takes a liking to you. The salty has reason to look so smug as it eyes you off from the riverbank: it is the world's largest reptile and regarded as one of nature's most effective killing machines. Most salty attacks occur between late September and January when crocodiles are hungry after the dry season and are preparing to breed. On land they are fast (faster than a horse over short distances) and in