Spiders

Fear of these eight-legged, eight-eyed, mostly venomous creatures is understandable, but their importance to the environment should not be underestimated. Spiders prey on a huge variety of insect pests and the role they play in maintaining the balance of nature is vital. Although Australia is home to some of the world's most dangerous spiders, fewer than 50 species are considered dangerous to humans. Web-weaving spiders that live above the ground are generally harmless, though they may be capable of inflicting a painful bite.

Victorian Funnel-Web Spider

While the Sydney funnel-web is famous as Australia's most deadly spider, it is just one of 16 known species of funnel-weaving arachnids living throughout South-Eastern Australia, of which perhaps 5 are considered dangerous to humans.

They are generally ground-dwellers living in silk-lined burrows, although some species prefer to live in trees. During the the summer mating season, males in particular may enter houses in search of breeding females.

The Victorian funnel-web spider is far less dangerous than its Sydney-based relative, and few if any fatalities or serious injuries from its bite have been reported. The symptoms of a Victorian funnel-web spider bite are relatively mild and involve mainly headaches and nausea.

Redback Spider

Second only to the funnel-web spider for notoriety, in actual fact the Redback is a far greater threat. Very common with an continent-wide distribution, for the spider's size its venom is in fact more toxic than that of any other spider in Australia.

Up to 200 Redback spider bites are reported each year. Fortunately an anti-venom became available in 1956, and no deaths due to Redback bite have been reported since then.

Redback spiders are attracted to disturbed areas such as rubbish dumps and building sites, and are uncommon in less densely settled areas. Because of their preference for urban environments it is thought that these spiders, closely related to the famous Black Widow, may not have been originally native to Australia. They were first described in 1870, and one theory is that they arrived here as accidental passengers on ships docking at ports in Western Australia.

White-tailed Spider

Occurring in all parts of Australia, White-tailed spiders are distinguished by a white spot on the end of the abdomen, and are frequent visitors to domestic dwellings. They prefer to hide in dark places, and may take refuge under clothing left on floors or in drawers.

While many myths surround these creatures, it is certainly true that they can inflict a very nasty bite, frequently causing severe pain , swelling and nausea.

The bite of the White-tailed spider has notoriously been implicated in some cases of gangrene-like ulceration known as necrotizing arachnidism. While this remains controversial, it is thought that a species of bacteria carried by these spiders may be responsible. In any case, like all spiders they should always be treated with caution.

Huntsman

In spite of its fearsome appearance and large size (up to 45 mm or more) the Huntsman is a surprisingly benign creature - which is fortunate as they are quite common inside houses. Living in diverse habitats Australia-wide, they are ground-dwelling nocturnal hunters and do not build webs.

Huntsmen are shy creatures and tend to run away when disturbed, and are unusual in being one of the few spider species where the female does not attack the male after mating.

They are rarely reported to inflict bites, and their venom is usually harmless to humans, though it may cause severe illness in some individuals. Huntsmen spiders like to live under rocks or foliage, and famously have been known to stow away in cars, giving the unfortunate driver a nasty surprise!

Daddy Long-legs

The charmingly-named Daddy-Long-legs is perhaps the most common spider to be found in homes - in fact there are probably no dwellings in Australia without them.

In spite of urban folklore to the contrary, these spiders are completely harmless to humans, their main offence being the construction of the irregular webs so often seen gathering dust near the ceiling in houses.

Like the Redback, this spider is thought to have been introduced to Australia from elsewhere in recent times. They are useful predators of insect pests such as silverfish, so their presence in a home is not altogether a bad thing!

Black House Spider

Black House Spiders seek out cracks and crevices in wood, stone walls and tree trunks, and are often found hiding in the gaps between the boards and window frames of weatherboard homes.

They build silky, finely-woven funnel-shaped webs which are often mistaken for those of Funnel-web spiders, but these spiders are in fact relatively harmless and very shy.

Hiding at the end of its tube-like home, the black house spider only ventures out to retrieve prey insects ensnared in its web, ducking back with lightning speed. Due to their timid nature these creatures rarely bite humans, and although their venom may cause unpleasant symptoms such as swelling and nausea, it is not fatal.