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What Lurks Beneath the Murray River


Timmo

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On an earlier post re: our houseboat trip up the Murray River there was a query from John I about what sort of wildlife lurks beneath the mirrored waters of the Murray. Try as I might though I can't seem to insert an attachment on a reply to his query, maybe finger trouble, maybe something has changed with the new site version? Anyway have attached a couple of pictures of 2 Emus we saw swimming across the river during our trip. You don't see this very often but it does happen. Why did the Emu cross the river, who knows, especially not them as they are one of the more intellectually challenged animals to inhabit the planet. Big body, very small brain. I have also seen kangaroos swimming, but again only rarely.

The only other worries are the occasional brown snake and tiger snake that goes for a swim, both highly venomous but rarely seen and very scared of skiers and ski boats!!

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Hey Timmo.

Great photos mate,  you're right don't see this very often ...roos yes but Emu's....:shocked:

I had an encounter with a big brown snake this summer at Moama (NSW) as I was in the water waiting for the boat to back come around.

Everyone in the boat yelling "Snake...Snake.." but being a brown they are very hard to see at water level until i saw its head and he was a ski length away.

A good push of water moved him along nicely

Here's a photo of a brown for our Northern Hemisphere friends.

Fact for today: The Eastern brown snake is responsible for the most snake related deaths in Australia.

I know we’ve got snakes, spiders, sharks, crocodiles, killer jellyfish and a whole host of other venomous critters, but look on the bright side. At least we don’t get Grizzlies.

Come on down under guys !!!!! the water is beautiful :thumbup:

 

 

Brown snake in Murray River.jpg

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2 hours ago, Jusmud said:

Hey Timmo.

Great photos mate,  you're right don't see this very often ...roos yes but Emu's....:shocked:

I had an encounter with a big brown snake this summer at Moama (NSW) as I was in the water waiting for the boat to back come around.

Everyone in the boat yelling "Snake...Snake.." but being a brown they are very hard to see at water level until i saw its head and he was a ski length away.

A good push of water moved him along nicely

Here's a photo of a brown for our Northern Hemisphere friends.

Fact for today: The Eastern brown snake is responsible for the most snake related deaths in Australia.

I know we’ve got snakes, spiders, sharks, crocodiles, killer jellyfish and a whole host of other venomous critters, but look on the bright side. At least we don’t get Grizzlies.

Come on down under guys !!!!! the water is beautiful :thumbup:

 

 

Brown snake in Murray River.jpg

 

O_o

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I like my Maine water. No venomous snakes (saw too many of those in TX), no venomous spiders, no ggrizzlies, and clean clear seasonally hard water.

its warming up too!I I watched about 100 feet of ice brake up in the wind this weekend !

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4 hours ago, Jusmud said:

Hey Timmo.

Great photos mate,  you're right don't see this very often ...roos yes but Emu's....:shocked:

I had an encounter with a big brown snake this summer at Moama (NSW) as I was in the water waiting for the boat to back come around.

Everyone in the boat yelling "Snake...Snake.." but being a brown they are very hard to see at water level until i saw its head and he was a ski length away.

A good push of water moved him along nicely

Here's a photo of a brown for our Northern Hemisphere friends.

Fact for today: The Eastern brown snake is responsible for the most snake related deaths in Australia.

I know we’ve got snakes, spiders, sharks, crocodiles, killer jellyfish and a whole host of other venomous critters, but look on the bright side. At least we don’t get Grizzlies.

Come on down under guys !!!!! the water is beautiful :thumbup:

 

 

Brown snake in Murray River.jpg

There it is!  I just knew there had to be something more menacing than Murray cod and the occasional emu. 

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11 hours ago, Jusmud said:

Hey Timmo.

Great photos mate,  you're right don't see this very often ...roos yes but Emu's....:shocked:

I had an encounter with a big brown snake this summer at Moama (NSW) as I was in the water waiting for the boat to back come around.

Everyone in the boat yelling "Snake...Snake.." but being a brown they are very hard to see at water level until i saw its head and he was a ski length away.

A good push of water moved him along nicely

Here's a photo of a brown for our Northern Hemisphere friends.

Fact for today: The Eastern brown snake is responsible for the most snake related deaths in Australia.

I know we’ve got snakes, spiders, sharks, crocodiles, killer jellyfish and a whole host of other venomous critters, but look on the bright side. At least we don’t get Grizzlies.

Come on down under guys !!!!! the water is beautiful :thumbup:

 

 

Brown snake in Murray River.jpg

Is there anything in Australia besides the Kangaroo that isn't venomous?  Every time I'm watching NGC or the like and they start talking about deadly creatures, it always starts with, "And here in the outback of Australia..."

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Falko. 

Don’t let NGC scare you,

Australia is definitely the “lucky country”.............. there are a lot of critters here that won’t hurt you. 

It’s the one’s they don’t talk about that you have to worry about. 

One of the most famous Australian creatures you really have to be careful of down here is the Bunyip, it’s a creature that lives in or near bodies of water such as creeks , rivers, pools, and swamps.  

There are supposedly as many as nine regional variations of bunyips scattered throughout Aboriginal Australia. 

I haven’t seen one yet but you have to be on the lookout just in case. 

Same as the drop bears that live in the tops of eucalyptus and gum trees and hunt by dropping from trees onto the heads of their victims, knocking them unconscious, and then devouring them.

They are equipped with sharp teeth and razor-like claws.  It is said that they prefer to hunt at night and are not afraid of attacking creatures that are much larger than them.

  • Like 2
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On 3/2/2016 at 5:29 PM, Jusmud said:

Hey Timmo.

Great photos mate,  you're right don't see this very often ...roos yes but Emu's....:shocked:

I had an encounter with a big brown snake this summer at Moama (NSW) as I was in the water waiting for the boat to back come around.

Everyone in the boat yelling "Snake...Snake.." but being a brown they are very hard to see at water level until i saw its head and he was a ski length away.

A good push of water moved him along nicely

Here's a photo of a brown for our Northern Hemisphere friends.

Fact for today: The Eastern brown snake is responsible for the most snake related deaths in Australia.

I know we’ve got snakes, spiders, sharks, crocodiles, killer jellyfish and a whole host of other venomous critters, but look on the bright side. At least we don’t get Grizzlies.

Come on down under guys !!!!! the water is beautiful :thumbup:

 

 

Brown snake in Murray River.jpg

I would of ---- my shorts. In fact I'm feeling sick just thinking about it. 

I could see that little fella being the welcoming party in the ski boat when you and your buddies go hit the water in the morning. 

 

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On ‎02‎/‎03‎/‎2016 at 5:29 PM, Jusmud said:

Hey Timmo.

Great photos mate,  you're right don't see this very often ...roos yes but Emu's....:shocked:

I had an encounter with a big brown snake this summer at Moama (NSW) as I was in the water waiting for the boat to back come around.

Everyone in the boat yelling "Snake...Snake.." but being a brown they are very hard to see at water level until i saw its head and he was a ski length away.

A good push of water moved him along nicely

Here's a photo of a brown for our Northern Hemisphere friends.

Fact for today: The Eastern brown snake is responsible for the most snake related deaths in Australia.

I know we’ve got snakes, spiders, sharks, crocodiles, killer jellyfish and a whole host of other venomous critters, but look on the bright side. At least we don’t get Grizzlies.

Come on down under guys !!!!! the water is beautiful :thumbup:

 

 

Brown snake in Murray River.jpg

That makes me want to vomit.  I much prefer only worrying about hypothermia when in our lakes.

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9 hours ago, Bill_AirJunky said:

Come on. We run into rattlesnakes in WA & CA. I can't remember what the thing was that we saw in Dale Hollow.... black, red & yellow?

Come on back here Bill and we will go look for it so you can get a pic. You know no pic it didn't happen.

  • Like 1
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13 hours ago, Bill_AirJunky said:

Come on. We run into rattlesnakes in WA & CA. I can't remember what the thing was that we saw in Dale Hollow.... black, red & yellow?

At least with a rattler you've got a chance...!

On a Kayak trip to the Owahee river (middle section) we drove an 18 mile dirt road into 3 forks....counted 18 dead rattlers on the way in....then one crawled in my friends kayak before we shoved off on day 1.  Needless to say we were so paranoid the rest of the trip :lol:

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On 2/3/2016 at 11:59 AM, Jusmud said:

Hey Timmo.

Great photos mate,  you're right don't see this very often ...roos yes but Emu's....:shocked:

I had an encounter with a big brown snake this summer at Moama (NSW) as I was in the water waiting for the boat to back come around.

Everyone in the boat yelling "Snake...Snake.." but being a brown they are very hard to see at water level until i saw its head and he was a ski length away.

A good push of water moved him along nicely

Here's a photo of a brown for our Northern Hemisphere friends.

Fact for today: The Eastern brown snake is responsible for the most snake related deaths in Australia.

I know we’ve got snakes, spiders, sharks, crocodiles, killer jellyfish and a whole host of other venomous critters, but look on the bright side. At least we don’t get Grizzlies.

Come on down under guys !!!!! the water is beautiful :thumbup:

 

 

Brown snake in Murray River.jpg

Nice Photo. Have seen a couple of browns in the river around Renmark but only at a distance. It's not something you really think about until you see one close by. I have been told by people that it's very hard for these snakes to strike whilst in the water as they can get no purchase, don't know if that's true or not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On 6/3/2016 at 9:57 AM, Timmo said:

Nice Photo. Have seen a couple of browns in the river around Renmark but only at a distance. It's not something you really think about until you see one close by. I have been told by people that it's very hard for these snakes to strike whilst in the water as they can get no purchase, don't know if that's true or not.

 

Nope.   I too once believed that furphy .   They're actually more likely to strike as they are vulnerable in the water.   If you're really unlucky they'll even swim up to you and climb up onto your platform for a bit of a rest as they try to swim to the other side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Over the years 30+ that i have been skiing the Murray i can honestly say its only happened to me 4 times and the last times was the closest encounter. 

I am a big believer that leave them alone & they will leave you alone 

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