Thanks all for the info and links. I'm fascinated by their variety, specialities and range of toxicity. You've given me more to go on.

My other great fascination is sharks, but like snakes, I'm never likely to attempt to go near them personally ! I'm a scaredy-cat !

Anyone with personal snake or shark stories ?

My only encounter with sharks close up was last year in the Philippines and under controlled circumstances ! We were at the new aquarium in Manila and I was watching the sharks in their large viewing tank. At the top floor level of the aquarium building, the shark tank is open and you can lean over the 1.0m high wall to look down inside. The water surface was about 300mm below the top of the wall. Some black-tipped reef sharks were at the surface, cutting the water with their fins, just as in the movies. There was a sign prohibiting putting you hand in the water or trying to touch the sharks as they were potentially dangerous. I don’t know why, but my fascination at their grace of movement and streamlined beauty got the better of me, As one big dorsal fin came slicing through the water in my direction, I leaned over and stroked its front edge. It swam on. Just then a security guard came over and gave me a row. I said sorry but it would be the only chance in my life to ever touch a shark ! He let me off with a finger-wag ! They have a toe-pool nearby where kids can interact with small fish in the pool. I asked if I could dip my toes in the shark tank but was refused (I was half-joking). When we went to Subic a few days later, they had various performance shows etc with sealions and dolphins (yawn !) but also had a display shark-feeding session. I asked the attendant if I could feed one but sadly was refused, the shark-feeding could not be done by the public. Where’s the fun in that ?

One thing for sure, I will never go shark-fishing or eat or use shark products. The rate of sharks being killed, often for their fins, is driving sharks slowly but surely toward extinction. Even Peter Benchley admitted to feeling somewhat guilty at what effect his book Jaws unleashed on human views on sharks.