Who’s Tassie’s little star now?
IT’S the humble ant that can kill, according to world renowned naturalist David Attenborough.
The jack jumper has been a hot topic of conversation on social media since David Attenborough’s Tasmania premiered across the country on ABCTV on Sunday night.
The 50-minute program showcased the state’s wild places and extraordinary wildlife and described life in Tasmania as very different from the mainland and introduced viewers to “animal inhabitants [that] are every bit as extraordinary as they are bizarre” including Tassie devils, albino wallabies and the ant that can kill — the humble jack jumper.
Jack jumper bites are a rite of passage for most Tasmanians, but have managed to raise the blood pressure of interstate watchers.
“You just freaked my freak, Mr Attenborough ... whoever heard of a human being killed by one of these? ... One of the most dangerous species in Australia!! Who knew??” said Lyndy Lous on Facebook.
“Definitely did not realise that jack jumpers were so concentrated in Tassie... what the hell. Thank you, Sir Attenborough, for causing even more terror of them,” said Sarah Morrisby.
“I seriously had never heard of them when we moved there, and everyone was so frightened and I was like “WHAT ARE YOU ALL TALKING ABOUT?” said Brigette Smith.
The bad news is that yes, jack jumpers are venomous. The good news is that the Royal Hobart Hospital is developing a blood test to discover if treating allergic reactions to jack jumper bites is effective.
Jack jumper bites can cause life-threatening anaphylactic shock and about 3 per cent of Tasmanians are severely allergic to the insect’s poison.
Troy Wanandy and his team at the Royal Hobart Hospital in partnership with researchers in Adelaide are developing a blood scan called the basophil activation test. This test will help ascertain whether the treatment for allergic reactions to bites is effective and properly predicts the chance of allergic side-effects. The development of the blood test is expected to take three years.