GENERAL RED BACK SPIDER
One Spider to watch out for in Western Australia is the Red Back. The pictures below where taken in my back garden in Perth, Western Australia.
Above is a female Red Back Spider and her eggs
The
Redback Spider
(Latrodectus Hasselti) is a close relative of the Black Widow found in the US and is found in Western Australia and throughout Australia.
The redback spider is not a large spider the body being about the size of my thumb nail. The female red back Spider is distincitve by the red stripe on her back while the mail is black all over.
You can spot a Red Back web (which is only woven by the female) as it is messy funnel-like web.
They can be found often in sheds, letter boxes, undersides of seats, and rubbish, such as empty cans. Oh and always check under the seat of a public toilet as this too can be a favourite hiding place for them.
THE WOLF SPIDER
The
wolf spider
is a garden spider which preys on the red back
The Common "Wolf" Spider
HUNTSMAN SPIDER
Huntsman spiders are large, long-legged spiders, measuring up to 15 cm
across the legs.
To you the
huntsman
may perhaps look like a tarantula but they are relatively harmless and are in fact good to have around as they prey on red backs.
THE WHITE-TAIL SPIDER
The white-tail spider
is only small but can give a very painful bite leaving venom behind that will rot your flesh.
However, don't be alarmed, there is an ongoing debate about cases of severe ulcerative skin lesions seen in patients diagnosed as probable White Tail spider bite victims. In general, there is no direct evidence of spider bite available. The White-tailed Spider has gotten it's bad reputation from the media reporting of such cases of severe "necrotising arachnidism". In a recent study monitoring medical outcomes of over 100 verified White-tailed Spider bites it was found there was not a single case of ulceration. The available evidence suggests that skin ulceration is not a common outcome of White-tailed Spider bite.
DADDY LONG-LEGS SPIDER
Over in Australia they also have a spider called the daddy long-legs. It is similar in looks to the species found in the UK only it has no wings. Although the most poisonous spider in Western Australia
(or it could be a myth)
the daddy long-legs is not a threat to humans as its fangs are not strong enough to pierce human skin. They are a good spider to leave about the house as they help to keep other spiders away.
The Daddy long-legs
can be found living indoors often in cornices and coving.
Do you Have a Dangerous Animal Story to Tell?
Have you had a close encounter with a snake or spider in Western Australia or perhaps you have seen a Shark? Please share your dangerous animal story with us?
What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Can anybody tell me what type of spider this is???
I live in Phoenix, Arizona (USA) and I've seen TWO of these spiders in a 12 hour period! I don't know what it is as I've never seen anything like it! Can ...
Spider at Carterton College UK
When I returned to the UK after some years teaching in Aus.I brought back many artefacs thinking to use them as aids.Among them was a didgeridoo. It had ...
Utter twaddle
As far as the redback and the huntsman, and to a degree (perhaps) the white tail, your information is relaible. But the stuff about the daddy-long-legs ...
Sydney Funnel Web
Not in Western Australia but Sydney, the locality of one of the worlds most deadly spider, the Sydney Funnel web,this arvo I was sitting in my garden when ...
Australia isn't a dangerous place to live
We are a Willetton, Perth family living in the UK for a few years.
The most common reaction we get from people here when we tell them we're Aussies ...
Mrs M Luck - Spider Bite
Hi can you help?
My daughter is living in Perth since May and last week found that she had a bite on her leg but did not know what had bitten her. As ...
Red Back
Not rated yet
This Red Back spider was a freak .............Just ridiculously huge, about 4 to 5 times the normal expected size of a red back. They are not always tiny,...
Daddy long legs
Not rated yet
what we know as daddy longlegs in the uk are actually called crane flies:
Crane flies (Tipulidae) are a family of insects resembling giant mosquitoes....
Red Back got me!
Not rated yet
It was a lovely spring day, the grass was looking a bit long and it had not rained for a few days, as I had been away driving trucks for the last week,...
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