They are wonderful crawling creature looking lovely but not lovable at all. They are real(not animated in studios) and can be found in your toilet, garage, garden, bed rooms and some times get in to your folded cloths, towels and shoes even, so beware of these two Australian spiders- The Red back and Sydney funnel web spider. These two are considered as world’s most dangerous spiders due to their deadliest venom. Their bites may prove lethal if not treated properly and timely. Here we go! Get to know these two nasty animals that can cause panic if encountered suddenly-                                                                                                 

Red Back Spider

Red back spiders are one of the most dangerous Australian spiders that must be avoided. Their bites are not only painful; causing sweating, muscular weakness, nausea and vomiting but sometimes proving lethal causing death. Their neurotoxic venom acting directly on the nerves, results in release and subsequent depletion of neurotransmitters. Although they thrive in populated areas, these spiders are less aggressive and like to remain in their webs most time. They generally give bite when someone accidentally touches them or put the hand directly in to the web. Here the most noticeable fact is that only female Red back spiders bite’s is dangerous for human beings. Most of the Red back bites cases occur in summer months because they are not adaptable to cold and become less active in winter months.   

Red back spiders belong to the genus Latrodectus or widow family of spiders which are found world wide. They prefer to build their webs in dry and sheltered places such as gaps in rocks, shrubs, and in toilets. Male Red backs do not produce a web but during summer (which is the mating season) they try to remain close, particularly on the fringe of female’s web in order to please the female Red backs.                                             

Appearance- With their round body and long slender legs, female Red back spiders are little larger (1c.m) than the male (3 to 4 millimeters) Red back spiders. The females are easily recognizable by it’s deep black body (occasionally brownish) with prominently containing red to orange stripe on the abdomens. The male Red backs are often light brown in colored with white marks on upper side of the abdomen and pale on the under side. Maturity period for a female Red back is of about four months with a life span of 2 to 3 years, while the male matures in about 90 days and lives only for about 6 to 7 months. Food habits- Usually they feed on insects but some times comparatively large animals such as male Trapdoor spiders, King Crickets and small lizards become entangled in the webs and fall prey to them. Some times large female Red backs steal the food items stored in other webs. Some comparative large spiders such as Daddy long-legs spider and White-tailed spiders are known to catch and kill the Red back spiders.                                                                                                                                        

Mating, Reproduction and their habits-During the summer season male Red back can be found around female’s web. They act seductively and make prelude to the females in order to get them ready to mate. Some times it proves fatal for the male when female mistakes him for prey. More interestingly the Red back spiders are one of few animals which display sexual cannibalism while mating. The male Red back spider begins somersaulting to please his counterpart and by standing on his head, offers her his abdomen. The male inserts palps while the female is engaged in spraying digestive juice on male’s abdomen and by this she begins to digest his abdomens and the process continues till male spider’s death. After mating, female Red back stores sperm and can use it over a period of up to two years to lay several batches of eggs.

Sydney Funnel Web Spider (Bionomical name-Atrax Robustus)

Sydney funnel web spiders are very aggressive and are counted as one of the deadliest spiders in the world. They are more dangerous to human beings than the Red backs. As the name shows Sydney funnel web spiders are found primarily around Sydney, Australia. Apart from Sydney, they are also found in Northern New South Wales, the Queens land, Hinterland, south to Sholhaven River, Lithgow, Tasmania and North Queensland.                                                                                                            

Appearance- They are little larger with a varying body size of 2c.m. to 7c.m. Their color ranges from blue-black to brown or dark plum and have a smooth and glossy body look due to the absence of hair on their carapace. Although they are mostly terrestrial spiders hebetating in moist sand and clay, they are attracted to water, that’s why one can encounter them in ponds, swimming pools and in other water bodies. They wander around these places and fall in to water accidentally. Sydney funnel can survive in water for several hours and proves dangerous when some one tries to remove or accidentally touches it. During mating season (summer) they wonder in search of females and can be found in garages, yards and even in houses. Some times they enter in folded cloths, towels and even in shoes. These spiders build webs with a funnel like entrance from which irregular trip lines radiate out over the ground.                                                                                                 

Sydney funnel web spiders are highly aggressive if threatened or frightened. But unlike the Red back spiders female Sydney funnel web don not poses any serious threat to human beings, only male Sydney funnel web spiders are dangerous  because the dangerous components of the venom that affects the nervous system is present only these males. Their bites may be lethal if not treated with proper anti-venom. It affects the neuromuscular junction between human motor neurons and muscle cells. It disables the body’s ability to re polarize cell interiors.                                                                                

Anti-venoms are available, so one must consult a doctor immediately in case of their bite.