Australia encompasses some of the most dangerous species of Spider which can prove to be very harmful to human life. Not only these species can cause damage to the human being in fact, but they can also be death causing too. There are more than 43000 species of spiders found in this world, of which some are very dangerous and produces venom that can lead to serious problems. So, Here is the list of 10 most dangerous Australian Spiders
Australian Spiders
1. Sydney Funnel-web Spider
The Sydney funnel-web spider is a species of mygalomorph spider which is native to eastern Australia. It is one of the most dangerous spiders that is capable of causing serious illness or death in humans if left untreated. It is generally medium to large in size, with glossy and darkly coloured skin, ranging from blue-black to dark-plum coloured. The Sydney funnel-web spiders are mostly terrestrial spiders, favouring their habitats with moist sand and clays.
The species can grow upto 3.5 cm long, however, females are much larger than the males. They lovee to live in the small burrows in the ground and usually line their burrows with silk that also lies outside and helps them to move when their prey goes past. The spider species love to eat insects but also seen eating small lizards and frogs. The venom of the spider is strong enough to kill a human. It is mostly seen in the New South Wales and mostly in backyards that makes them one of the dangerous Australian spiders.
Related: 10 Biggest Spiders In The World
Image Source: Wikimedia
2. Australian Funnel-Web Spiders
The Australian funnel-web spiders, are also a member of the mygalomorph spiders and are native to Australia. They are also known as Atracidae and consists of three genera i.e. Atrax, Hadronyche, and Illawarra, which comprises 35 species in total. All these species are very dangerous to humans and bites by these spiders have caused severe injuries to victims.
Talking about the appearance, the head and thorax of the spider species are hairless and a glossy blue-black. The abdomen can be brown in colour but it is covered in velvety hair. The female species is much larger than male and body length of the spider measures approximately 25mm (1 inch) and 35mm (1.4 inches) respectively. The lifespan of the female funnel web spiders can be upto 8 years or more, however, males live quite shorter.
Image Source: Wikimedia
3. Mouse Spider
Mouse Spider or the Missulena spider is a genus of Australian spiders belonging to the mygalomorph family. As of 2016, there are 17 well-known species in this genus, all but one of which are indigenous to Australia. The name of this species has been derived from an old belief, that the spiders dig deep burrows similar to those of mice. They are medium-to-large in size and have high broadheads. Also, some evidence shows that the bite of a mouse spider is potentially as serious as that of an Australasian funnel-web spider.
Talking about the appearance, Mouse Spiders have longer legs and long palps mostly elongated and segmented found near the mouth in invertebrates and mostly used for locomotion, sensation and feeding. The spider species is either black or brown in colour with short, stocky, thick legs. The species live in burrows in soil covered with a hinged top known as the trapdoor. These burrows can goto upto a depth of 30 centimetres (12 inches).
Image Source: Jean and Fred (Flickr)
4. Redback Spider
The redback spider is one of the most dangerous species of Australian spiders believed to have been originating in the Southern Australia or adjacent Western Australian deserts. But today, they are now found throughout Australia, Southeast Asia and New Zealand. It is a member of the cosmopolitan genus Latrodectus, the widow spiders. The female spider generally has a spherical black body with a prominent red stripe on the upper side of her abdomen through which they can be easily recognized. Also, they have a medium to large size body with males somehow longer than female.
Talking about the appearance, the species have a black body with shades of red. The females are much larger than the males. Also, they have around body and legs are usually slender. There is a stripe that can be orange or red. They love to live in the hot regions, however, if there is a plenty of food and shelter they can even survive in harsh conditions.
Related: 18 New Species Of Spider-Eating Spiders Discovered
Image Source: Wikimedia
5. White-Tailed Spider
White-tailed spiders, one of the most dangerous Australian spiders in the world are native to southern and eastern Australia. They are named so because of the whitish tips present at the end of their abdomens. Also, White-tailed Spiders have a dark reddish to grey, cigar-shaped body and dark orange-brown banded legs. They are most active at night when they wander about hunting for their preferred food i.e. the other spiders.
Scientifically known as Lampona murina and belongs to Lamponidae family. The female species is little larger than male species with a size of 16 mm, however, male size is approximately 12 mm in length. Their habitat includes houses usually in crevices and sheds and loves to eat other spiders, however, black house spider is the favourite.
Image Source: Wikimedia
6. Trap Door Spider
Trapdoor spider belongs to the family of mygalomorph spiders that construct their burrows with a cork-like trapdoor made up of soil, vegetation and silk. They are a medium sized spider with 50 known species to be found on the Earth. They are mainly native to Europe, Asia and South Africa where they live burrows rather than webs.
The spider species is carnivores or meat eaters who love to eat insects and other prey. It leaves strands of sticky silk outside their burrows and when insects walk over it and suddenly it catches its prey. It can feel the vibrations when insects walk over it and pop out to catch its prey for dinner.
Image Source: Greg Gilbert (Flickr)
7. Australian Tarantula
The Australian tarantulas belong to the family of Theraphosidae. They generally have a large, heavy body, and it is the only species that has long hairs on the rear legs, making it easily identifiable. Also, they vary in colour ranging from dark chocolate-brown to pale fawn and often have a silvery sheen. They are most commonly found in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.
Talking about the appearance, the species has a large heavy body and colour varies from dark chocolate-brown to pale fawn, however, mostly it appears with a silvery sheen. They prefer to live in web-lined burrows in the ground and loves to eat birds, despite often being called ‘bird-eating spiders’. The main diet includes insects, lizards, frogs, and other spiders.
Related: Top 10 Scariest Spiders in the World
Image Source: Wikimedia
8. Australian Garden Orb Weaver Spider
The Australian garden orb weaver spider is a very common species of spider found in Australian subcontinent. However, they generally vary in size, shape, and colour across the coastal regions of Australia. Also, they have very large abdomens and exhibit a tremendous colour ranging from off-white brown to almost black. They possess a leaf-shaped pattern on the top of their abdomen and also have several whitish spots stripes on their body.
Talking about the appearance, the species are mostly reddish-brown and grey in colour with a leaf-shaped pattern on their fat abdomens, however, some of them have a dorsal stripe that can be white in colour. They are mostly seen in eastern and southern Australia and loves to eat flying insects such as flies, beetles and bugs.
Image Source: Wikimedia
9. Huntsman Spider
Huntsman spiders are ned so because of their speed and mode of hunting. Sometimes, they are also called giant crab spiders because of their large size and appearance. This species mostly prefer to live in woody places such as forests, mine shafts, woodpiles, wooden shacks. Also, these species occur in most warm temperate to tropical regions of the world, including much of Australia, Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean Basin, and America.
10. Wolf Spider
Wolf spider, also called ground spider or hunting spider, are named for the wolf-like habit of chasing and pouncing upon prey. They are mostly small to medium in size and has a body and legs of about the same length. Wolf spiders are noted for their running speed and can be easily identified by the number and arrangement of the eyes i.e. four small eyes in the lowest row, two very large eyes in the top row with prominent and strong jaws.
Talking about the appearance, the species have 8 eyes that are placed in rows and eyes in each row vary in sizes. It has a good sense of touch that helps them to coordinate and work together all senses. The colour of the spider species varies as per the habitat they are living in. It is one of the most dangerous Australian Spiders.
These are the 10 most dangerous Australian spiders in the world. Do post your comments.
