Funnel Web

Funnel web spiders can be among the most poisonous in the world. They are found in Australia including Tasmania and in forest regions near the gulf coasts.

There are about thirty species of the spiders identified.

Funnel web spiders are so named due to the shape of the web they weave.

Funnel web spiders live in moist cooler places such as under rocks and inside of logs which have rotted. They prefer rocky garden and crevices as well as dense underbrush.

Funnel Web

They are only very rarely seen in the open areas such as lawns and gardens unless the day would be overcast and humid due to their aversion to dry air.

The outward sign that shows the most often that there is a funnel web in the area is a small trip line that the spider sets out that will alert them to danger, possible mates or prey animals. This is placed near their burrow and radiates from the entrance of most kinds of spiders.

The burrows of funnel webs will often flood and the places where the funnel web hides which cause them to be out in the open more frequently in rainy weather.

Funnel webs dry out very rapidly so the more humidity that is present the better the spiders like it and they will in this instance also be seen in the open, rather than on drier sunny days.

Most funnel webs are primarily nocturnal insects and funnel webs do not hibernate or otherwise go dormant in the winter months so they may be seen while digging in the dirt, as in when gardening or cleaning, at any time of the year, be it winter or summer.

Funnel Web Spider

Funnel webs are not all poisonous; however they are among those spiders in Australia which contain the most poisonous members.

There have been reportedly 13 deaths accorded to the funnel web in Australia and literally hundreds more who have been taken seriously ill by the bite.

There have been no deaths since the advent of the antivenin in the mid 1980’s.

Find out more about the Funnel web spider over at Wikipedia »