1 Terry: Well, I'm glad we cleared that up, Jane. We'll be on our way. {in the background, Steve is lying motionless on the ground with the snake on him}
2 Terry: Steve? {Steve is motionless} Steve! Oh no! {the snake crawls away}
3 Terry: That's a red mamba! The 301st most venomous snake in the world! {Steve still hasn't moved}
4 Jane Goodall: 301st? That can't be too bad then.
4 Terry: The top 300 all live in Australia.
4 Jane Goodall: Oh.

In reality, that's not quite true. Only 9 of the top 10 most venomous snakes in the world live in Australia.

Of course, 9 of the top 9 most venomous snakes in the world live in Australia.

Being an Australian, one reaction I often get from non-Australians is amazement that anyone can live in a country so full of deadly wildlife. But really, as long as you knock your shoes out every morning, and don't go poking in holes in the ground, and wear long pants with thick socks and heavy boots, and don't swim north of the Tropic of Capricorn in the wet season, and don't swim at all in the Northern Territory, and keep a forked stick handy, and an antivenine kit, and stay within a 10 minute helicopter flight of a hospital, you're perfectly safe. Most of the time.

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2014-07-23 Rerun commentary: Seriously though, saying you're not going to visit Australia because of the dangerous wildlife is like me saying I'm not going to visit the USA because of the dangerous earthquakes.

In reality, of course, I'm much, much, much more likely to get mugged in the USA than be injured in an earthquake. It's the same in Australia with "in an earthquake" replaced by "by wildlife".

See, you have absolutely nothing to worry about!!