How to Identify Sydney Funnel-web Spiders

Australia is a common habitat of the funnel-web spiders. One of the most common funnel-web spiders found in Australia is the Sydney funnel-web spiders. These spiders along with the northern tree funnel-web spiders are said to have inflicted fatal bites to the humans. One of the most incredible spiders on earth, the Sydney funnel-web spiders is known to be very aggressive when provoked. Sydney funnel-web spiders belong to the family of Hexathelidae and are the only specie in the genus Atraz.

Habitat of the spiders

The Sydney funnel-web spiders are mainly distributed to the South of the Hunter River to the Illawarra region and west to the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. These spiders are also found as far as Canberra which is 250 kilometres from Sydney.

Physical features

Sydney funnel-web spiders range from twenty-five to thirty-five millimetres in length. These nocturnal insects live up to the age of eight years. The male Sydney funnel-web spiders are smaller in size than its female counterparts – the males can be recognized by a small-spur on its second leg and the finely pointed feelers. The venom of the male Sydney funnel-web spider is more fatal than the females. The males are known to have cause more deaths than the females. Though the venom is toxic to man and primates, animals like dogs, cats and rabbits feel no effect of the venom.

Symptoms of the venom

The Sydney funnel-web spiders are known to have one of the most toxic known venoms in the world. The symptoms of a Sydney funnel-web spider bite are present in two stages. While in the first stage, the symptoms include pain and swelling around the bitten area with sweat, increased heart rate numbness, nausea, vomiting and involuntary tongue twitching and loss of higher mental capacity, in the second stage, those bitten will have a cessation of breathing, dilation of pupils and loss of consciousness.

Identify to avoid

Known for its ferocity, these spiders are extremely venomous and you must know how to identify it for avoiding it.

You must search for the Sydney funnel-web spiders with a plan of action in case of a bite. These spiders have two sharp fangs which can penetrate most clothing. If you get near or threaten this spider, you will notice that it has risen up on its hind legs, making the fangs visible and ready to strike.

In case you do not know which specie the spiders are, all large black spiders in Australia must be avoided. The Sydney funnel web spider is usually found in a 160-kilometre radius from Sydney in Australia and is quite large by most standards. While the females are the largest at around 35 mm in length, the males are usually smaller in size. The males are however more dangerous.

Knowing about their webs can also be helpful. These spiders generally stay in burrows which remain lined with a sock of opaque white silk strands that radiate from the entrance. In order to check the sex of the Sydney funnel-web spiders, you must check the legs.