Sharks kill three swimmers in less than a year.
A tiger snake's repeated bites prove fatal. Nine of the world's 10 most poisonous snakes are Australian, and the world's deadliest spider, the Sydney funnelweb, is often shaken out of shoes in suburban homes. In northern Australia, saltwater crocodiles that reportedly can grow up to 26 feet in length, lurk in creeks and pools and have been known to attack humans. Northern beaches are closed for half the year because jellyfish whose stings can kill children drift close to the shore, and three of the ten fatal shark attacks worldwide last year occurred off Australian beaches. The opportunity to see dingoes up close is one of the island's main attractions.