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This article offers a guide to safety encounters with ants in southeastern U.S. If agitated, most ants are capable of bites and/or stings. The fire any, though, deserves special mention for its speedy aggression, notorious stings, and relentless advance throughout the southern portions of the U.S. Fire ants look very much like ordinary house or garden ants. Reaction to fire ant stings is similar to reaction to the stings of bees, wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets. The overwhelming majority of fire ant stings are medically uncomplicated.

This article offers a guide to safety encounters with mosquitoes. Mosquitoes mainline potentially deadly disease: malaria, yellow fever, dengue and encephalitis. Mosquitoes are found everywhere, almost all the time. As carriers of disease, or vectors, mosquitoes are the global champs. Of all insects, mosquitoes are probably the most harmful to humans because of what they transmit. The mosquito problem is perpetual. All mosquitoes require water to reach adulthood, so the best single thing one can do to reduce mosquitoes around his or her home is to make sure there is no standing water in which they can reproduce.a

This article offers a guide to safety encounters with lice. There are two kinds of lice: the biters and the suckers. The least harmful louse lives in pubic hair, where it can hang on to a single hair for virtually its whole life by its relatively substantial claws. Head lice are insects found on the heads of people. Having head lice is very common. Head lice are found on the scalp behind the ears and near the neckline at the back of the neck. By far, the most potentially dangerous lice are body lice. These are parasitic insects that live on the body.

This article offers a guide to safety encounters with several sphecid wasp varieties in southeastern U.S. Among the varieties described in this article are the black-and-yellow mud dauber, the cicada killer and the Florida hunting wasp. The mud dauber's sting is potentially lethal for those highly allergic and prone to anaphylactic shock. The mud dauber's body is non-metallic black with yellow markings. The cicada killer is also potentially lethal. The cicada killer reportedly has of one of the most severe insect stings.

This article offers a guide to safety encounters with musk and mud turtles in southeastern U.S. The musk and mud family members are distinguished by small, carapaces, or upper shells, that are oval and smooth. Musk varieties have a smaller plastron, a single hinge, and squarish versus triangular pectoral scutes. Male stinkpots are aggressive biters if handled. Stinkpots are abundant throughout the southeastern U.S. The mud turtle may bite if threatened and can release a strong defensive musk secretion.

This article provides information on dangerous insects and arachnids in southeastern U.S. According to the author, only a tiny handful of insects and arachnids are dangerous to humans. Estimates say that in the U.S., about 50 to 100 people die each year from insect stings and arachnid bites. Creatures from the Insecta and Arachnida classes are all arthropods, meaning they belong to the phylum of creatures that have jointed legs and a hard exoskeleton that protects their organs and give their bodies shape.

This article offers a guide to safety encounters with toads and frogs in southeastern U.S. With a few minor exceptions, toads and frogs are generally not harmful to humans. Toads have an enlarged pair of parotid glands situated on various locations on their cranial crests. These glands secret a poison, viscous and white, which is released into the mouths of predators. It is true that toads and frogs do secret fluids form their skins, and some people are allergic to these secretions. This article describes several toad and frog species that are known for their great abundance and/or noted toxicity.

This article offers a guide to safety encounters with bees and wasps in southeastern U.S. In the scientific world, these creatures are grouped in the order Hymenoptera. Ants are in this group. The insects in this group are considered to be eusocial. Eusocial insects exhibit both cooperation in division of labor and reproduction expressed within overlapping generations. But not all Hymenoptera are eusocial. At the other end of the spectrum are the solitary species such as carpenter bees. Bees and ants are not aggressive by nature.

This article offers a guide to safety encounters with crocodilians in southeastern U.S. There are three species of crocodilians in the U.S.: the American crocodile, the caiman, and the American alligator. All crocodilians are carnivorous. As part of their body temperature regulations, alligators generally sun during the day and become most active at dusk, night, and dawn. The American alligator is potentially lethal to domestic animals, especially dogs, and humans. Caimans are also potentially lethal to domestic animals.

This article offers a guide to safety encounters with snakes in southeastern U.S. belonging to the Moccasin family. Copperheads and cottonmouths are of the genus Agkistrodon. These snakes were the likely progenitors of the other cortalids on the North American continent. Copperheads are potentially lethal, especially to a small child, but highly unlikely to produce death due to several factors. Cottonmouths are potentially lethal, but the mortality rate in the U.S. is less than one person per year.

Presents an index of terms and phrases mentioned in the book "Dangerous Wildlife in the Mid-Atlantic."

Presents a bibliography and resources mentioned in the book "Dangerous Wildlife in the Mid-Atlantic."

Presents an index of photographs and illustrations featured in the book "Dangerous Wildlife in the Mid-Atlantic."

This article presents information on poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac. Poison ivy grows around lakes and streams in the eastern U.S., but also favors mixed forest grounds and forest edges. Poison oak is found in the eastern U.S. as a low shrub, generally in well-drained, upland sites. In the west (along the Pacific coast), this plant may grow as a vine but usually is a shrub. Poison sumac is found in the eastern U.S. and grows in boggy areas; also found in bay swamps and the margins of ponds. One can get contact dermatitis from poison ivy only by coming in contact with the urushiol (sap) that is released when the plant is bruised or crushed.

This article presents information on toxic flowers. Poinsettias are widely reported to be highly toxic, the common variety sold widely at Christmas time is not poisonous to people or animals. The confusion stems from the fact that this red flowering beauty is a branch member of the African milk plant family, which does have some extremely lethal specimens. Mistletoe, however, is another package altogether. All parts of mistletoe are considered potentially toxic, but the berries are especially to be avoided as they have caused death in humans. Oleander (Nerim oleander) is a prime example of the toxic potential lurking even in suburban yards.

This article provides information on true or vespid wasps primarily found in the mid-Atlantic and their stings. Wasp stings are potentially lethal for those highly allergic and prone to anaphylactic shock. Other reactions vary according to the number of stings, location of stings, ratio of venom to body weight and individual sensitivity. The baldfaced hornet is very commonly found on flowers. They nest in woodlands edges, suburban yards and meadows. Also called giant hornets, the European hornet will defend their nest but otherwise they avoid confrontations. Paper wasps, long-legged and brown-reddish brown to black, have painful stings. The potter wasp is primarily black with yellow on the face, across the front and on the rear thorax.

The article deals with collisions between animals and automobiles. According to a Maryland study, the number of deer collisions is estimated to be 726,000 per year for the entire U.S. at a cost of $2 billion each year. That is an average of about 2,000 accidents per day, and the problem is multiplying. Between 60-75 percent of all deer collisions occur between six in the evening to six in the morning. Deer are most active at dawn and dusk. October to January is the breeding season, and May to June is when yearlings are seeking new territories. To reduce the number of deer-vehicle collisions, several manufacturers have developed deer whistles to mount on the front bumper of an automobile. Researchers at the University of Georgia and Texas A&M University, however, doubt the usefulness of these devices given the lack of information on deer hearing capabilities.

The article presents information on porcupines. They can grow up to well over a yard in length including their tail, and they weigh in at up to 40 pounds. Its quills can reach four inches in length. They are actually modified hairs attached loosely to the animal, and they are mostly hollow along the shaft. When the animal is relaxed, the hair and quills lie flat and point backwards. When threatened, the porcupine draws up the skin of the back to expose quills facing all directions, and then it turns around to present its menacing, bristling back to its attacker. The quills are so tough to remove that the field treatment recommendation is to use pliers or surgical hemostats. Left untreated, the quills can, in the right circumstances, actually work their way farther into the body, possibly eventually puncturing vital organs. The good news is that porcupines are nocturnal, solitary, nonaggressive animals, and they would rather retreat up a tree than fight. In the eastern U.S., porcupines are found in Pennsylvania and New York and then north into New England. They can be found in coniferous, deciduous, or mixed forests, in desert territory, it favors scrubby areas with some trees.

The article presents information on elk. This majestic animal that once commonly ranged throughout most of the U.S. stands up to 5.5 feet tall at the shoulder, stretches to eight feet in length, weighs up to 1,000 pounds, and can sport a rack of antlers spanning five to six feet. Elk have a remarkable ability to learn the situations in which humans will harm them. The most serious elk and human conflicts occur, however, when elk and autos clash and when people get too close to them. In situations of conflict, elk retain a weak tendency to bite, but most commonly they will use their front hooves, or in the case of bulls, antlers that can sufficiently gore another elk or a (much smaller) human. Its mating season extends from August to November and is busiest in October and November. Elks are found in meadows, forest edges near water, and valleys.

This article presents information on true bugs or Hemiptera. True bugs have forewings called hemelytra, leathery thick in the front, and transparent and membranous in the back. Another way to identify true bugs is by the way they fold their wings flat over their bodies, making an X-shape. They have sucking beaks to slurp juices, but most feed on plants. Another common trait is that most true bugs also have glands that dispatch a foul odor. Examples of true bugs include bed bug, backswimmer, and the giant water bug.

This section presents information on different true wasps. The baldfaced hornets are very commonly found on flowers. Its sting is potentially lethal for those highly allergic and prone to anaphylactic shock. Meanwhile, yellow jackets often appear at picnics in search of food, but do not generally sting at picnics unless accidentally contacted on food. Highly protective of their nests, yellow jackets will sting repeatedly with only slight provocation. On the other hand, paper wasps are not as easily riled as yellow jackets and hornets, nevertheless it has a painful sting.

This section presents information on Gila monsters. These lizards are venomous rather than poisonous, meaning they will inject venom when biting. The Gila monster bite is legendary. The reptiles are known for their unrelenting grip, lasting for up to a record 15 minutes, which can be accompanied by a side-to-side motion of the lower jaw so to tear the flesh for the venom to enter. The bite of a Gila monster will not be fatal unless there are complications such as with alcohol, diabetes, etc. Although death is an extremely rare result, the bite of a Gila monster is potentially fatal, especially in combination with other compromising medical factors.

This article provides information on feral pigs. Feral pigs, also known as wild boar or feral hogs, do exhibit many of the same behavioral characteristics as domestic pigs, such as wallowing in mud to protect themselves from the heat and from the sun's harmful rays. In contrast, wild boar are primarily active during twilight and during the dark hours of the day. Although much larger groups often exist, the social structure of wild populations usually consists of herds of about 20 sows, called drifts or sounders. Wild boar are potentially dangerous because of their size which is up to six feet long, three feet high and, up to 440 pounds, though the vast majority are smaller. They are found in swamps, mountain forests, ridges, and in scrub bush.

This article provides information on elk. An elk is a very large member of the deer family. It has a broad neck, slender legs and brown to tan upper body with darker underbelly. Rump and tail are whitish-yellow. Males have large antlers to five feet in diameter with many times. Elk are not common in the southeast but can be found in parts of Arkansas. Small populations were reintroduced in Tennessee and Kentucky in the late 1990s to early 2000s. Elk are not particularly aggressive and do not have the moose reputation of contentiousness, but males in particular can inflict damage when aroused through crowding, especially during the mating season. Elk are primary nocturnal, and they are particularly active at dawn and dusk. They are known as Wapiti, a Native American word for white, in reference to the elk's light-colored rump and tail.

This article offers a guide to safe encounters with true bugs in southeastern U.S. True bugs have forewings called hemelytra, leathery thick in the front, and transparent and membranous in the back. Most true bugs have glands that dispatch a foul odor. Most are terrestrial, but some are aquatic and can literally walk on water. True bugs in the assassin bug family will bite humans in defense or in search of a blood meal, and the conenose or kissing bug is a vector for Chagas disease in South America.

This article offers a guide to safety encounters with coral snakes in southeastern U.S. Coral snakes are potentially lethal. The coral's poison is neurotoxic. Bites are painful and should be attended too quickly. It is a myth that coral snakes and their relatively small mouths are limited to biting small, bite-sized areas. Coral snakes mature at 20 to 30 inches. In general, coral snakes reside in open fields and woodlands, including suburban backyards. They prefer to hide under fallen trees and litter or dense vegetation. A coral snake's unpredictable temperament is shaped by several factors.

The article focuses on tularemia or rabbit fever. It is caused by a bacteria, Francisella tularensis. The rabbit is the species most often involved in disease outbreaks, but the bacteria can also be found in ticks and deer flies. Tularemia is a sporadic disease that occurs endemically, that is, outbreaks generally are restricted to a particular area or region. Hunters, trappers, or others who spend a great deal of time outdoors are at a greater risk of exposure to tularemia than people with other occupational or recreational interests. Patients who recover from tularemia will develop a degree of immunity, but re-infection is possible. Symptoms develop within one to 14 days, usually within three to five days. Tularemia is usually recognized by the presence of a skin lesion and swollen glands, sometimes at the point of infection. These may be accompanied by the sudden onset of high fever. Without therapy, fatality rates are five percent to 30 percent. The mortality rate is about six percent, or fewer than 20 people per year.

This article provides information on vinegaroons. Vinegaroons are whipscorpions, and they do resemble stinging scorpions. Instead of a telson, however, vinegaroons have a thin, whip-like tail that can be two to three inches long. Unlike scorpions, whipscorpions have no venom glands and are therefore never harmful to people. There are two reasons to give them a wide berth, though: they have pincer-styled pedipalps that can pinch painfully, and when disturbed, they emit a vinegary secretion, which is how the creature got its name.

This article presents information on sea urchins. The purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) can be a hazard all along the California coast. Juveniles have a green cast. They are especially common along rocky shores out to 525 feet from shore, where the surf is moderately strong. They sometimes live in depressions in these barren coastal rocks. Urchins have three kinds of projecting appendages: spines, tube feet, and pedicellariae (pincers). All of the sea urchins appendages are sensitive, touching the urchin's body with a sharp object causes all the spines to point toward that area of its body.

Introduces a series of articles on aquatic organisms and animals in California.

This article focuses on different reptiles and amphibians found in California and Nevada. There are other dangerous reptiles and amphibians in the U.S., aside from snakes, such as the Gila monster, a venomous lizard found in California and Nevada. Others who are less deadly include a couple of toads that cause skin eruptions or allergic reactions. By and large, however, the creatures that wreak the most havoc in California and Nevada are venomous snakes. Although the statistical probability of being killed by a snake is less than that of being struck by lightning, it is prudent to understand these formidable predators if they reside where we live or enjoy recreation.

This section presents information on black flies. Also known as buffalo gnats and turkey gnats, black flies are small, bloodsucking insects slightly less than 0.25 inch long with a stout-bodied and hump-backed appearance. Legendary for their bite, black flies have bladelike mouthparts similar to those of horseflies. Black fly bites are bigger than mosquito bites, they sometimes bleed due to anti-coagulants in the insects' saliva, and these bites itch longer and more persistently. Their biting season occurs in spring and early summer just as the weather tempts humans outside.

This article introduces the book Dangerous Wildlife in California & Nevada: A Guide to Safe Encounters at Home and in the Wild. This book is about dangerous animals. However, in a significant way, it is also about us. All of us, at one time or another, have been inhibited by fear of the natural world. Fear derives primarily from lack of information. Because learning dispels anxiety and fear, the objective of this book is to educated us, to help build a foundation of knowledge that will enable us to enjoy and appreciate the natural world.

This section presents a list of information resources mentioned in the book Dangerous Wildlife in the Southeast: A Guide to Safe Encounters at Home and in the Wild by F. Lynne Bachleda.

This article provides an overview of tularemia. Tularemia, also known as rabbit fever, is a disease that can affect both animals and humans. It is caused by a bacteria, Francisella tularensis. The highest incidence of tularemia occurs in the Midwest during the summer months and east of the Mississippi during the winter. Hunters, trappers, or others who spend a great deal of time outdoors are at a greater risk of exposure to tularemia than people with other occupational or recreational interests. Tularemia cannot be spread from one person to another. Patients who recover from tularemia will develop a degree of immunity, but re-infection is possible.

This article offers a brief guide to safe encounters with seashells in southeastern U.S. It is not the shell that might be dangerous, but the gastropod that may still be using the seashell as home. There is only one group, the cones, to be somewhat concerned about. All of these have a flexible tongue or radula equipped with detachable teeth laden with venom. Cones use this dart mechanism to harpoon and subdue prey. The darts are only mildly painful to humans, but can become an irritant.

This article provides information on the danger posed by mammals to humans. The unique danger these animals pose is their tendency to charge when threatened or crowded, especially at certain times of the year when females protect their young or during the rutting season when the males' aggression is at its peak. Even tame and/or captive white-tailed deer bucks can become aggressive during the rut when they have been known to view their human friends as rivals and attack them. Large ungulate females can use their hooves to kick and stomp on a victim, while bulls sometimes lower their heads and use their antlers as an offensive weapon. Hunters, of course should be wary of animals they falsely presume to be dead.

This section introduces a series of articles on dangerous seashore wildlife in southeastern U.S.

This article offers a guide to safe encounters with black flies in southeastern U.S. Also known as buffalo gnats and turkey gnats, black flies are small, bloodsucking insects. Their biting season occurs in spring and early summer just as the weather tempts humans outside. Although there are cases of black fly bites inducing anaphylactic shock, the vast majority of bites are mere aggravating, and in the U.S. back flies are not known to transmit diseases to humans. This article offers tips on how to determine signs of black fly bites and how to avoid them.

This section introduces a series of articles on dangerous reptiles and amphibians in southeastern U.S.

This article presents information on porcupines. Linguistically speaking, porcupines meander through Middle English, Middle French and Old Italian, originating with the Latin for "pig prickle". They are not pigs, however; they are rodents, and they take the red ribbon for being the second largest rodent on the North American continent. Procupines can grow up to well over a yard in length including their tail, and they weigh in at up to 40 pounds. It is not the size of the porcupine that makes it a worthy opponent. It is the 30,000 barbed quills that each animals packs. These quills can reach four inches in length. They are actually modified hairs attached loosely to the animal, and they are mostly hollow along the shaft.

The article focuses on scent-spraying mammals. Everybody thinks of skunks first when they think of an odoriferous encounter, and certainly they are the species most likely to let their love linger on humans or on pets. There are other mammals of the same Mustedlidae family that humans are much less likely to encounter who can also let it fly, such as badgers, wolverines, minks, and weasels. For some of these species, the scent release is a form of marking and sexual attraction rather than defense, but a skunk's spray speaks clearly, saying, stay away!

This article presents information on dangerous mammals. Moose and other ungulates (hoofed mammals) such as deer, elk, bison, and wild boar can pose a significant danger. The unique danger these animals pose is their tendency to charge when threatened or crowded, especially at certain times of the year when females protect their young or during the rutting season when the males' aggression is at its peak. As reported by the Associated Press in April 2000, in Yellowstone National Park visitors are twice as likely to be injured by bison as they are by grizzly bears. When provoked, bison can charge in a fast burst of about 20 miles per hour. Feral pigs, who can also muster a healthy charge, are found in the southeastern and western U.S., the peccaries or javelinas, inhabit southern Texas and Arizona.