Atrax Robustus: The Deadly Sydney Funnel Web Spider
The funnel web is known as one of the deadliest animals in the world.
Sydney funnel web spider
Notoriously known as one of the deadliest spiders in the world with a fierce reputation for being aggressive and creating fear among people afraid of spiders. They are primarily found in Sydney, Australia.
Habitat
The Sydney funnel web spiders are found around 160km from the center of Sydney. They are notorious for hiding in garages and inside clothing, sheds and pools. The funnel web is often drawn to water and can stay submerged for several hours. They will often play dead after being taken out of a pool to give there prey a false sense of security.
Appearance
The Sydney funnel web average length is about 7cm long. They are darkly colored and main brown to black. The male funnel web has spur on the second leg that is from the front. This is a important part because without it they would not be able to protect themselves from the female in mating time.
Behaviour
The Sydney funnel web is extremely aggressive and if you approach it there is a very high chance that you will be bitten. The female funnel webs spend most of there time in there burrow which is lined with silk like web. The males tend to roam during summer looking for a female. They are always ready to bite anything that threatens it, so if you see one of these spiders don’t try anything stupid!
Venom
The funnel web bites can be deadly in around 40 minutes if it is not treated. Its fangs are large and it strikes its prey after leaning back and striking it. An anti venom is available throughout Sydney if a bite has occurred. Around 9 – 10 minutes after a person has been bitten the symptoms will start. the order that symptoms start to occur is generally this; Numbness around the mouth, heart rate increase, nausea and vomiting, sweating and salivation and breathing difficulty. By this time the victim may have fallen into a coma.
When applying first aid you should; Stay calm and get someone to apply bandages or apply your own if your alone. Keep the bitten area still to avoid the venom spreading faster. Seek medical attention as as soon as possible. Also you should try collect the spider if you can.
Hope this helped you!
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20 Responses to “Atrax Robustus: The Deadly Sydney Funnel Web Spider”
On February 14, 2009 at 4:57 am
Your usual quality Denus, that’s why you sit near the top ! I’m a nature buff too, so added enjoyment for me out of this one.
Keep ‘em coming….
Aldrin
On February 14, 2009 at 5:33 am
Handy valuable information…..!!! Well done.
On February 14, 2009 at 6:03 am
I’m not sure collecting the spider would be that far up my to-do list, but I’ll try to remember!
Maybe another Viral article?
On February 14, 2009 at 7:38 am
thanks for the info,
On February 14, 2009 at 8:10 am
Cool, and scary! Spiders are so facinating, thanks for the info!
…did you know that they have blue blood?
http://www.scienceray.com/Biology/Zoology/Spiders-Have-Blue-Blood.453711
On February 14, 2009 at 8:16 am
Great article! We have something similar here in the US called a Brown Recluse spider.
On February 14, 2009 at 11:32 am
Informative. I hate spiders!
On February 14, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Sorry, Denus, I’m acrophobic. I couldn’t even read the story, but wanted to give you the view anyway….
On February 14, 2009 at 3:28 pm
deadly! like the author… joke
On February 14, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Thanks. Now I’m going to have nightmares
! lol!
On February 14, 2009 at 8:14 pm
I like watching spiders at their work but I think I will pass this one on by.
On February 15, 2009 at 12:32 am
Hello Denus,
As always juicy information! This spider is quite cleaver. It knows how to play dead. It’s a good thing they are largely isolated to Sidney. Collect the spider hah! So it can bite me again! How about go straight to the hospital;)
On February 15, 2009 at 12:49 am
Good job again!
On February 15, 2009 at 1:02 am
Very deadly spider. We need to be careful in Sydney.
Why did you say that we should try collecting the spider before going to hospital? That sounds funny.
On February 15, 2009 at 2:28 am
i was cringing all the way while this page was loading. thanks to my super slow server, the suspense really made me more nervous.. i am afraid of spiders. but this is a good article and thanks for sharing.
On February 15, 2009 at 11:30 am
Ive come face to face with a tiger snake and a few redbacks in WA but never the deadly funnel web. Great article.
On February 16, 2009 at 4:41 am
I had liked this article, because I like learning new things.
On February 16, 2009 at 4:54 am
Nice
On February 18, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Oh gross. These things are so fascinating, and yet so nasty!
Good article!
On February 23, 2009 at 5:25 pm
we found one at school this morning, in the bubbler trough! this has scared me to the core.
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