VENOM TOXICITY - Australian tarantulas are non-aggressive, but if provoked it can inflict a painful bite. An adult's fangs can be 1cm long. Severe illness may result with nausea and vomiting for 6 to 8 hours have been reported from bites. Seek medical attention if symptoms persist.
Australian tarantulas are large spiders and can be much more aggressive than their South American relatives. If disturbed, individuals may 'rear up' and appear rather menacing. The bite is painful, as the fangs are large and can grow up to one centimetre long.
Sydney Funnel Web Spider
Found nearly exclusively in Sydney, this spider is often considered the most deadly in the world. With fangs that can pierce through fingernails, and one specimen reaching 10cm stretched out, this spider is serious business. A single bite can kill a human in 15 minutes.
Sydney funnel-web (Atrax robustus)
With highly toxic venom produced in large amounts and large fangs to inject it, the Sydney funnel-web is without a doubt the deadliest spider in Australia, and possibly the world.
Species Background
Whether you are arachnophobic or have a fascination with spiders an Australian tarantula could very well be a perfect pet, be it ornamental or somewhat interactive is dependent on the individual person.
In Australia, there are technically over 2400 different species of arachnids. And, while nearly all spiders can bite, an encounter with one is rare and death from a spider is even rarer. In fact, you have more chance of death from an allergic reaction to bee stings than a spider bite!
Tarantula toxicity is a rare occurrence. There are over 900 species of tarantula, and they are popular as pets. While tarantulas do possess venom, the vast majority of tarantula-related injuries occur as a result of urticating hairs.
Even pet tarantulas should not be handled if at all possible, although fans of spiders as pets often handle them anyway. A tarantula does not recognize its handler and often considers people as threats, so the chance of having hairs flung into your face or a bite delivered will always be there.
“They can break them off by kicking them off the rear end of their abdomen, and the hairs float through the air. If you breathe them in, or get them in your eyes or between your fingers, they itch like crazy.”
Spiders in the family Uloboridae are the only truly non-venomous spiders in Australia. This is one of them – the Grey House Spider (Zosis geniculatus) . Most spiders have mild venom that can kill their prey, but has little effect on humans.
Garden spiders, Eriophora transmarina, are common across Australia, and can reach 20–24mm in length. They are famed for their large orb (wheel) shaped webs we see in the home garden.
You can be prepared without making it scary. There are all kinds of dangerous things in Australia. Spiders are only part of it: we have stingers, blue-ringed octopus, stonefish, sharks, snakes…but fear of wildlife isn't a reason not to move here. Just remember, your home country likely has dangerous creatures too.
What is the biggest spider in Australia? Australia's biggest spiders belong to the same family as the Goliath Spider. They are the whistling spiders. The northern species Selenocosmia crassipes can grow to 6 cm in body length with a leg span of 16 cm.
Generally, tarantulas respond to daily handling. They crawl freely when placed on an arm or shoulder, but they definitely are not a pet that an owner can cuddle. Tarantulas are very timid and bite only when provoked.
TRUE OR FALSE? Tarantulas are aggressive and deadly to humans. False: With more than 800 species across the world,3 tarantulas vary in aggression, but they're normally slow-moving, docile creatures. A tarantula's bite will hurt, but its venom is milder than a typical bee sting.
The Sydney funnel-web spider is the second most venomous spider in the world — and Australia's number one. It's extremely fast-acting venom makes it the world's most deadly spider; believed to kill in 15 minutes, it has 13 deaths recorded to it. The specimen pictured was handed in to the Australian Reptile Park.
In Australia they are only found in the southeastern part of the country, from South Australia to Queensland via Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. You won't find them in the dry and arid zones. On the other hand, huntsman and wolf-spiders are found all over the country.
Sydney funnel-web spider. According to the Guinness World Records, the Sydney funnel-web spider, Atrax robustus, is the most dangerous spider to humans in the world. Native to Australia, this poisonous spider is found in moist habitats such as under logs or in gardens.
The top 5 deadliest spiders in Australia are the Sydney funnel-web spider, the northern tree funnel-web spider, the smaller southern tree funnel web spider, the Redback spider, and the recluse spider.
Despite their relatively harmless appearance, Daddy-Long-Legs spiders are well known for attacking species of spiders that are dangerous to humans. As much, they are an excellent housemate – they leave us be while stopping other, more undesirable spiders from seeking shelter in our homes.
Wash the area with soap and water. Place ice (wrapped in a clean cloth or other covering) on the site of the sting for 10 minutes and then off for 10 minutes. Repeat this process. If the person has blood flow problems, reduce the time the ice is used to prevent possible skin damage.
How dangerous is a redback spider? The bad news is that, as mentioned above, the female redback is one of the world's most venomous spiders and one of the few spiders known to have killed humans with a bite. Its venom is highly neurotoxic – meaning it attacks the nervous system.
A bite from this spider can be life-threatening. A bite will usually cause severe pain, sweating, vomiting, difficulty breathing and muscle twitching.
While it can sound like something out of a horror movie, in Australia the transition from late summer to fall can trigger what is known to the locals as spider season.
While the theory is unproven, it is likely that spiders can detect human fear. However, there are only few studies about this topic and it is not yet known for certain. Different animals have sensory organs that are able to identify different stimuli.