Instructions
Identifying Australian Spiders
Notice the aggressive nature of the spider. If the spider is black with a purplish abdomen along with reddish hairs then beware of this spider. It is the Funnel spider. They can be very deadly. They like to travel at night and can be found in damp places such as the pool or in bathrooms in homes. They live in the eastern coastal areas of Australia usually nesting in burrows in the ground. They will attack and bite.
Look for spiders hiding in gardens. There are a few that do prefer the gardens soft ground and moisture. You may find the White-Tail Spider which is between 12 to 20mm in length and has a grey and black color with a white mark at the end of the tail. Orb Weaving spiders tend to also live in gardens, but they also enjoy spinning large webs of at least 2 meters usually found between buildings or shrubs. They range from 20-30mm long and are dark or light brown with a purplish bulbous abdomen that has fine hairs attached. White-Tail can cause sickness from their bite while the Orb-weaving seldom bite at all. Can be found anywhere in Australia.
Avoid spiders that have the stinging bite that can cause severe illness. The Mouse Spider is about 35mm long and are black with some of them having a bright red head. They typically burrow in the ground and stay in dark places. Black House Spiders are about 15mm long and are a blackish brown color with an appearance of a velvet texture. They are found in dark hard to find areas and they spin lacy, messy webs. Wolf Spiders are ground dwellers that are grayish brown and have a union jack design on their backs. The Wolf Spider has a venomous bite but they can't kill you and they hardly ever bite unless they feel threatened. They can be found anywhere in Australia.
Look out for webs. The St. Andrews Cross Spiders enjoy living on their perfected webs and can also be found in gardens. They are not deadly and typically don't bite but they are very unusual spiders. They are 5 to 15mm long and are yellow and brown with an abdomen that is striped. When they sit in their webs they usually stay upside down appearing like a cross. They can be found anywhere in Australia.
Look for two more spiders that tend to sting if they bite, but they are not aggressive. The Huntsman spider has extended fangs and can hurt if they bite you. They are 20mm long and have very long legs. Their two front legs are much bigger than their two back legs. The Huntsman spider is beige and brown with dark patches and very hairy. It has a unique way of moving sideways with extremely fast speed. They can be found under flat rocks, trees, etc. The Red-Black Spider causes extreme pain when they bite, but they are hard to find. They are black and sometimes may have a red marking. Their abdomen is the biggest part of their body. They can be found in trash cans, outhouses, mailboxes, and anywhere that is a dark place. They can be found anywhere in Australia.
How to Identify Spiders of Australia
There are a number spiders in Australia that are venomous while others only have a painful bite. Many spiders usually avoid biting unless provoked. Spiders in Australia do have distinctions and it is best to know which spiders could be harmful if living or traveling to Australia.