Flower spiders sit within flowerheads with their back legs anchored to the petals and their front pairs of legs open, awaiting passing prey. When a fly, bee or even wasp lands on the flower, the spider grabs it and quickly bites it in the back of the neck, immediately immobilising it.
The Red-back Spider is one of the best known spiders in Australia. It has made its way into songs, stories and verses and has become an important part of the Australian culture.
Wold spiders are vagrant hunters, foraging for prey on the ground or amongst low foliage. The pounce on any ground-dwelling invertebrates, particularly insects, but also hunt prey larger than themselves. Prey is consumed on the spot before the spider resumes hunting. There are about 140 species of wolf spiders in Australia and more than 2300 worldwide.
This is one of the most feared spiders in Australia and is the cause of some hysteria. But while many people believe White-tailed Spiders venom to be very toxic, there is little evidence to support this and reactions to bites range from no reaction at all to local blistering.
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