Australia is a country with one of the widest a range of spider species several of which are poisonous. As part of your immigration planning, knowing which spiders are most prevalent in a certain area and which of those are poisonous can help make your stay a tad bit safer. Here is a brief description of a few.
The Red Back spider is one of the most widespread. So much so that there is an Australian beer named after it. It is a frequent sighting in densely populated areas and prefers the warmth of storage yards, sheds and some industrial plants. The male Red Back is smaller than the female. The Red Back mainly eats insects but may at times attack tiny birds.
This spider species is closely related to the Black Widow with the main physical difference between them being the red distinctive dorsal stripe on the Red Back. However, unlike its deadlier cousin, the venom from the bite of a Red Back spider is slow acting and most people do not actually develop any serious other than an intense itch.
If you do get bitten, place an ice pack on the bite area then start to seek medical help. Only the female’s bite is toxic – males are too small to bite. The Red Backs will not ordinarily attack humans and will only do so if her web is disrupted or destroyed.
In case you are considering settling in the cool south eastern parts of the country, you are likely to encounter the Sydney Funnel Web spider. It is a large spider with a body that can reach up to 4.5 cm in length. The Sydney Funnel web spider is just one of 36 species of funnel web spiders found in Australia. It is black, has powerful fangs and is one of the more aggressive spiders.
Unlike most spiders, it is the male Sydney Funnel Web spider that is responsible for a poisonous bite. Most bites occur during the summer and autumn when the males wander into houses looking for females. They may hide in footwear, clothing and even inside swimming pools (they can survive underwater for several days). If you ever happen to be bitten by a big black spider around Sydney, it is likely to be a Sydney Funnel Web.
The Huntsman spider is a harmless spider but one that has a frightening disposition. It is large, hairy and can move very fast. It is grey in color and has legs that grow up to 15cm long. While a large Huntsman spider can deliver a painful bite, its venom is very low on toxicity.
The Australian Tarantula has even longer fangs and a bigger body than the Huntsman spider. The Tarantula is also known as the Whistling spider because of sound it produces when it senses danger. It is not aggressive unless provoked and mainly feeds on lizards and frogs.
Other spiders found in Australia include the Golden Orb Weaver spider and the White Tailed spider.
Back to the Australian animals overview
References:
http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/australian_spiders.html
http://www.spiders.com.au/
