This week in Nature Weekly, one reader from Australia,

Sheila Douglas, answers our questions about the

animals in her country.

What’s the most dangerous animal in your country?

In the UK, people often ask me this question. It’s difficult

to say which is the most dangerous animal. In Australia,

we have a lot of dangerous animals and insects. There

are snakes, crocodiles, spiders, sharks, jellyfish, and so

on. You have to remember that animals can sometimes

become aggressive if they get scared. So if you treat wild

animals with respect, you should stay safe.

Are you afraid of any animals or insects?

I’m actually terrified of snakes! As a child, I lived in

Northern Australia with my parents. In my opinion, the

most dangerous snake there is the King Brown, which is

common. It can be three metres long and is very

poisonous.

So, what would you do if a poisonous snake like that bit

you on the leg?

If I got bitten, I wouldn’t wash the bite or suck the poison

out. I’d tie something round my leg and keep completely

still. It’s important not to move if you’ve been bitten. Then

I’d call for help as quickly as possible.

What’s your favourite animal?

I think it would be the koala, Australia’s most popular

animal. Koalas have a soft, grey coat and people think

they look very cute. They are not very active animals —

they only move around for about two hours a day. And

they eat and sleep the rest of the time.

If you could be an animal, which one would it be?

That’s easy. It’s not exactly an animal, but I’d be a Cairns

Birdwing. It’s Australia’s biggest butterfly. It lives in the

rainforest and flies high up in the tops of the trees. It’s a

beautiful green and gold colour. And if I were a female Birdwing, I’d be 20 centimetres wide — that’s about 7

centimetres wider than the male
Sobre o texto acima, marque a informação falsa.

A) No Reino Unido existem diversos animais perigosos.

B) A cobra mais perigosa que existe é a King Brown.

C) Os animais nunca se tornam agressivos se ficarem

assustados.

D) Se Sheila Douglas pudesse ser um animal, queria ser

um coala​