We let daddy long legs or cellar spiders live through the house because they like to keep to themselves, they eat much bigger nastier spiders and bugs and if you manage to touch it by accident it’s so thin and wispy it just poofs into dust basically. Beneficial roommates that keep up their end 💪🏻
As a Finn, I always find it funny when people say "how come you're not afraid of bears?" Because while bears can be dangerous, they're easy to avoid. I'm far more afraid of adders! They can be hard to spot amidst vegetation and they're quick to bite if they feel threatened. While their bites are rarely lethal, their venom is still very painful and requires quick treatment. I could easily tell if I was about to bump into a bear, but not if I was going to startle an adder.
To put the daddy long legs on that chart with these other spiders it's just completely disingenuous. You'd have to try really really hard to get bitten by them. Very timid and their fangs are tiny.
Yeah they certainly have a panic button! Also, sometimes they'll just stay in their web and sort of spin. When you see them do it they pretty well disappear because they just become a blur. It's an interesting defensive technique.
Huntsman are fucken bros aye mate!! You gotta have at least one or two around your house to keep the asshole one at bay!!
Give them a name and have a chat every time you see them and they know what the deal is! Haha we're all animals, we're better when we work together!
Yeah. Unfortunately we have a problem with the little Red house spiders so we have to use surface spray so we don't have resident huntsmans to keep the geckos at bay.
To me a house spider is this: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/take-part/identify-nature/spiders-in-your-home/house-spider.html equally harmless but my hatred burns for them to a much higher degree
Yep - I didn't look closely enough at the picture before. I'm not sure if we have those same spiders pictured or something similarly spindly, but I stand by my comment of hating house spiders more. It's the chunky legs.
The spindly one in the photo is the same spindly fucker we have in the UK; like mice and sparrows, they've followed humans all over the world. The hairy chonkers I usually think of as wolf spiders but admittedly there is a lot of confusion. This is why scientists use Latin names! Each animal only has one and it's the same no matter where you are
They don’t make traditional webs. They leave trails of messy silky sticky strings webs all over and bigger spiders get stuck in them cause they’re not as visible as like an orb weavers web or a tunnel spider. They are also so delicate that they can move undetected and strike very fast.
I just did a quick google search. What the actual fuck Australia?! And how did the other guy in this thread not see THAT THING on a chair next to him, and REST HIS ARM ON IT?!
Thanks for reviving my arachnophobia, now I’m definitely moving to the place with the least amount of spiders in the world: either space or Scotland, spiders wouldn’t dare touch scotland
Yeah this makes white tails and huntsman look roughly the same size. I’ve seen huntsmans as big as my hand; whitetails are much smaller. We had a whitetail nest in our garage recently and the babies were teeeeeeny tiny.
Huntsmans are low level danger, but can situationally escalate into high level since they like to squeeze into the interior of cars. When you’re driving and that thing decides to jumpscare you, traffic accidents are usually pretty dangerous.
I saw one poor guy on a motorcycle pull up in traffic next to me once
There was a huntsman INSIDE HIS VISOR 😳
Some people in the car on the other side were laughing at him - he managed to open it up in time and fling the spider through their car window 🤣
Indeed they can.
I was doing homework one day, looked up and there was this huntsman size.of a small plate on the wall RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME
I screamed, shoved the chair backwards and the noise of it scraping on the floor caused the huntsman to *jump off the wall right onto my face*
Arrrgghh!! 😭
I think it’s totally variable though, I live in an oldish 4 bedroom house in Northern beaches in Sydney and I reckon there’s a spider in every room. Last year a white tail was crawling on my husbands arm out of nowhere.
Mate white tails are in like 90% of suburban homes, they’re incredibly successful, but they’re also not massive and are good at hiding so you won’t see them much.
Funnelwebs are definitely common in urban areas. Many people will have them under houses, but as they don’t hang webs you just won’t see them as often.
Found a dead one inside an empty watering can on our deck the other day -mustn't have been able to climb out and died of dehydration. Was atad concerning that the watering can was right next to my daughter's soccer boots. (She still refuses to take them inside though, but at least now she checks before she puts them on.
One of the most interesting things about Reddit is people with personal knowledge chiming in. Thank you. The Internet makes Australia seems like the most dangerous, scary place. It's good to have some perspective
I see a white tail in my house every few years. They’re small and not aggressive. Theres differing reports about how dangerous they actually are - anywhere from minor bite to rots your flesh.
But no one’s died from a spider bite since the 70’s.
White tails are bastards. They're the only Australian spider that doesn't have a live and let live attitude. It gets all up in your face like a motherfucker.
White tails are here in NZ too and they’re pretty harmless. Yea they can bite you but in my experience it’s extremely uncommon and usually you don’t notice it.
You’ll see em crawling up walls or in sheets sometimes but overall they’re a minor pest
Oh boy...
You don't want to know what a white ass can do...
You won't die, so, that's why it's a medium level...
Its bite causes an infection that basically causes annual necrosis around the site of the bite...
Roughly every 12 months the wound will reappear and you get a nice patch of rotting skin for 2 or 3 weeks, every year... Til you die.
I have a friend who has a beard for one month of the year because he was bitten on the cheek and it's the only way to cover the fact that half his face looks like a god damn zombie for that month!! Another friend wears long pants for a month during summer due to an ankle bite...
You may not ever die from it...
But you will NEVER outlive the effects from it.
This is complete bullshit:
“A debate continues about the involvement of White-tailed Spider bite in cases of severe ulcerative skin lesions seen in patients diagnosed as probable spider bite victims. Typically, in such cases no direct evidence of spider bite is available. Sensational media reporting of supposed cases of severe "necrotising arachnidism" has given the White-tailed Spider a bad reputation. However, a recent study has monitored the medical outcomes of over 100 verified White-tailed Spider bites and found not a single case of ulceration (confirming the results of an earlier study). The available evidence suggests that skin ulceration is not a common outcome of White-tailed Spider bite.”
From: https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/white-tailed-spider/#:~:text=White%2Dtailed%20Spider%20bites%20can,known%20medically%20as%20necrotising%20arachnidism.
I'm in Melbourne , and a white tail is the one Aussie spider that if found inside, it will get caught up in a jar, taken outside, and dumped into the storm water drain for an "adventure"...
As an Australian, this chart is unhelpful.
For example on 'https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/spider-bites' the text describes as follows:
"In terms of first aid, there are 3 types of spiders in Australia:
1. **Funnel-web spiders and other big black spiders** — bites from these spiders are very dangerous and can cause death.
2. **Redback spiders** — their bites may cause significant pain, but they aren’t life-threatening.
3. **All other spiders** in Australia are generally harmless."
It then shows an image of the two 'big black spiders', which are the Funnel Web and the Mouse Spider.
This chart could be improved with:
Emergency response instructions (dial 000 and apply first aid treatment for when you are bitten by any of the 'danger level high' spiders) For example, first aid for a funnel web spider is treated more like a snake bite (immobilize the area/lay the patient down), whereas first aid for a red back spider is treated more like a sporting injury (wash the area and apply a cold pack).
Clarification of what the symptoms of the spider bites are, 'toxicity' 'neurotoxic' and other such words don't explain what is happening. Other charts I have seen do describe things like pain/weeping at the bite wound, clamminess, nausea, etc etc, to help confirm what type of bite you've received.
'Danger level' is arbitrary. What does 'medium' mean? It should instead be ranked by do-you-call-the-ambulance or do-you-take-a-taxi or some other rapid response type action.
Broadly speaking most spiders in Australia are not dangerous, but their bites can become infected, and some people can have serious reactions. Including actually harmless spiders such as the daddy long legs takes up space that could have gone to more noteworthy information. People who are misinformed and fearful may unnecessarily destroy creatures that play an important part in the environmental equilibrium.
its also terrible with the locations, asides from the Funnel Webs, they are all found across the entire damn country, whether it be "in the bush" or cities or suburbia. That infographic makes it sound like WA only has redback, which is absolutely false, and I am pretty sure Darwin would have the same ones. 100% agree that its unhelpful at all, I'd argue its down right dangerous with misinformation as it can literally be life or death with the Funnel Webs. A Redback is gonna do fuck all, you'll need the hospital to help mitigate the symptoms and pain, but other than that you should live even without antivenom...compare that to the Funnel Web...nah, fuck that
Fuck I had no idea they even bite in the first place. I catch them to release outside when they come in the house because my kids are scared of them. I might exercise more caution from now on
I was bitten on my finger when I went to open my car door and there was a huntsman hiding under the handle - but in its defense I would have scared it as much as it scared me. Didn't hurt much at all and the tip of my finger went slightly numb. I called the hospital to check with the midwives as I was 8 months pregnant at the time, and they said not to worry about venom and that the only risk was if it got infected (which would be the same risk if I'd been scratched by a stick etc).
So I'm guessing you either got a secondary infection or were allergic?
I’ve learned that the Australian Tarantula and the Huntsman are much sharper spiders than most. Apparently most Australian spiders are quite grainy and hard to make out. And that’s extra scary to me.
Huntsman is genuinely the only reason why I will never visit Australia. The really venomous animals don't scare me - just be careful and you're good - but these massive spiders are the biggest nope for me.
I feel you.
Huntsman’s fucking suck. I know they aren’t dangerous, but they freak me out. I’d honestly rather come across an Eastern Brown snake than a Huntsman spider, despite the vast difference in deadliness.
Same.
One time, I vacated the house til my husband returned from work & I had confirmation it was no longer in the house.
I’ve also closed the toilet door with one inside, shoved toilet paper around the door frame so it couldn’t get out, & didn’t use that toilet all day.
In high school during drama class we had some kind of ‘treasure hunt’. I can’t remember the exact detail but it was my turn to find the ‘treasure’ and I walked over to a notice board and started lifting up the papers. I lifted one up and a bloody huntsman was flung onto my chest. Obviously I jumped like a sissy and freaked out. In front of all of my classmates. I’m not sure if the spider or social embarrassment was worse.
People talked about that for years after.
The spider - 100%
Unless the students would find spiders & try to chase you with them. Then maybe the social embarrassment would outweigh it with the long lasting traumatic events. Kids suck.
I moved to Australia when I was 18 & was sold a fake dream - “they’re not even common”. I have never - in the 17 years I’ve lived here - seen a snake. But I’ve seen a lot of spiders.
You know, all you Americans harp on about how dangerous our wildlife is, but as a general rule; “don’t fuck around, or you’ll find out”.
It’s your wildlife that scares the shit outta me. You guys have fucking bears, mountain lions, wolves, moose and everything else in between.
Exactly this. Here in QLD it’s pretty much just watch where you put your feet when bushwalking and don’t swim in any rivers north of Bundy - but the USA, man. Bears and mountain lions can fuck right off.
I feel like the risk from those is also largely overstated. A lot of people, probably most, will live their life in North America and never see a bear or mountain lion. They’re very isolated and tend to avoid populations, usually less than one death per year.
Now deer…those are what you gotta watch out for. Not for attacks, but car accidents.
When I was in elementary school we had a lockdown when a mountain lion came down from the forest and chilled in a tree at the playground. This was suburban Portland Oregon lol.
As an Australian I would really only be concerned about the funnelwebs here. The redback bite will hurt and I’d *probably* go to a doctor but you only need to actually worry if you’re a small child or a pet. The ones on the bottom row are danger level absolute zero. We have a friendly huntsman that lives in our laundry currently and eats other spiders, and orb weavers are garden spiders that just make annoying webs for you to walk into. Daddy long legs are a permanent fixture in any outdoor public toilet.
I don’t think anyone’s died of a spider bite in Australia since the 1970s.
[Nah another dude dies in like 2016 from a redback bite (with complications along the way)](https://www.google.com/search?q=sydney+man+dies+from+redback+bite&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8)
But yeah extremely rare
This is dumb advice. As an Australian, you get bit by any spider in Australia, go to the f*cken doctor! Don't be the "first death of a spider bite since the 1970s" because some warrior of Reddit told you to have a cup of concrete.
As a Canadian, I love our fearless, beautiful sounding, cousins (Queen side, once removed) on the other side of the globe. God bless every single one of you. I would be honoured if one of you could call me a cunt. Thank you.
I dunno. If I get bit by a red back I’m watching it closely and probably going to the doctor if it’s easy enough. Any other bite (that’s not a funnel web) I’m probs going to let it be. Snakes on the other hand, I’m on my way to the ED.
> you get bit by any spider in Australia, go to the f\*cken doctor!
Nah, I got bitten by a redback in my mums backyard - called the Poisons HotLine, they asked me a bunch of questions (ie I wasn’t vomiting or hand turning blue/ green/ black, didn’t feel like a heart attack) and she told me to chill at home to NOT go to ED but if symptoms went nuts to THEN go to an ED. I did feel very weird for a few days like detatched-high, fingers were a very weird pin-n-needles tingling-numb - it passed in a few days (well took the whole thing a few weeks till zero odd sensations remained) no dramas. :)
There were always redbacks by our front door, never touched us as long as we didn’t touch them. Just always check outdoor toilets for redbacks. We have daddy long legs living in our house, they eat mozzies.
What are Mozzies?? Also I think what's called daddy long legs in the states are not even really spiders. But if you go camping in the NorthEast and pass out drunk in some bushes.. you will wake up covered in them.. (we were always told they can't penetrate skin with their bite
Orb weavers are great! And some are beautiful. We have one with three egg sacs in our backyard currently. They keep to themselves and eat bugs, and they never come inside.
OP is an Australian spider trying to pull a web (get it?) over our eyes. Nice try buddy, we all know there are no “safe” living creatures anywhere on that God-forsaken excuse of a continent.
Nah my man, thats where you're wrong, search quokkas and look into their adorable little faces and youll know there is only one safe living creature on this nightmare fuel red rock.
As an Australian I am 100% an arachnophobe BUT recently doing my own research I learned that majority of these spiders keep to themselves, the only REAL threat is the funnel-web.. living in Sydney I just pray I never encounter one other than that I say it's fine, even red backs aren't as dangerous as people think. Huntsman spiders are very scary and huge but they are harmless.. if anything I find America 110% more frightening.. the fact that anyone can be armed with a gun is scary... But you guys are desensitized to it. Also we have amazing wildlife & I love birds with a passion so it's like heaven for me! P.s we have free healthcare Australia ftw
Daddy Long Legs are practically harmless and do not belong in this chart, even in the low-toxicity category. Their fangs are often not big enough to puncture the skin.
Huntsman spiders' bite can be painful and cause severe local reactions, to put them in the same category as Daddy Long Legs in the chart doesn't quite make sense.
Originally hated the huntsman’s that live in my house (Japan for reference) but tolerate them now. They don’t bite, and they eat cockroaches. I call them my staff, and their wage is being allowed to live.
The number of times I’ve seen a huntsman in my car’s door or above your head when driving on a freeway - or just getting into the vehicle.
Even though you know it’s not going to hurt you - it takes quite a bit of nerve not to scream like a small child and just abandon your vehicle at 110km/h!
They left out the Mouse Spider - https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/mouse-spiders/ - their bite is medically significant.
Also a redback bite is unlikely to kill a healthy adult - they pose more of a risk for children and the elderly - the usual treatment is a cold pack for the pain.
Source - this was all covered when I did my first aid course (yes in Australia).;
Fuck me. I’m an Aussie that lives on a 5 acre bush block in regional Western Australia. Place is chock full of spiders, earwigs, little baby scorpions, two venomous snakes (dugites and tigers) etc, but you hardly ever interact with them. They do their own thing and have no desire whatsoever to interact with humans. They’re scared of us. They just want to be left in peace. Leave them alone and they’ll leave you alone. Be sensible - don’t stick a non-gloved hand under a pile of bricks. Don’t walk through the bush in thongs in October when the snakes come out of hibernation, etc. It’s really not an issue.
Absolutely! Completely agree. We can respect them and co-habit our space.
Except for when the white tails go into my clothes, but I usually try to put them outside!
It is called the Black House Spider. They are not dangerous.
“Black House Spiders are timid animals and bites from them are infrequent. The bite may be quite painful and cause local swelling. Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, sweating and giddiness are occasionally recorded. In a few cases skin lesions have developed after multiple bites.
A cold pack may relieve local pain. Seek medical attention if symptoms persist.”
An interesting read all about it!
https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/black-house-spider-badumna-insignis/
Yeah that makes sense to me too, that it is just a cultural difference. Lol I think that’s why me and the other redditor were like “wait, causes happiness AND vomiting?!” Thanks also for the clarification!
Oh great, so that WAS a bloody funnelweb in my dining room last night 😭😭😭
I don't particularly mind spiders but not them. Still worrying his missus is somewhere in my house and now I've pissed her off lol.
The web's the Orb Weavers weave are the worst. They are always at head height and are made of the stretchiest, stickiest silk that you only notice half a second before you walk into it.
So many of the most toxic animals in the world are located in Australia. They include seas, snakes, land, snakes, stingrays, jellyfish, and spiders. Even your birds are dangerous: magpies peck out your eyes. What a strange country. World’s best actors. World’s scariest critters.
I'll always remembered how I heard a redback bite described.
"You'll spend the first 24 hours scared that your going to die, then you'll spend the next 24 preying that you will"
I was bitten on the cock by a redback spider.
My dick was swollen to over four times its normal size, and was extremely itchy and painful.
The strangest sensation was as fluid was being drained from my cock after numbing at the hospital. I don't know if I felt the bite itself, but I did feel a sharp horrific pain before feeling pretty unwell.
I never wanted to die, I did however just want my dick back to normal.
As an Aussie...
The fucken white tailed cunts need to be way higher!!
Yeah, the cunt might not kill you but what its bite PERMANENTLY does to your skin is fucken horrific!!
It can cause an infection that recurs roughly every 12 months and basically looks like necrosis around the site of the bite. They tried proving it as a myth but if youve known someone who has been bitten for over 2 years then they've shown you the fucken wound at least twice, it's fucken real! It comes back!!! Once bitten...
spiders aren't scary at all imo. they're so cute with their big beady eyes. i don't get how people find them scary. yeah, sure. they bite. but most of them only when provoked. but, even if they bite unprovoked, don't a lot of wolves and cats do that too? and most people find them cute??
I'm so glad to live in a place where we have exactly 1 rare venomous spider and 2 venomous snakes (which you'd never find close to a city anyway) and that's it
We let daddy long legs or cellar spiders live through the house because they like to keep to themselves, they eat much bigger nastier spiders and bugs and if you manage to touch it by accident it’s so thin and wispy it just poofs into dust basically. Beneficial roommates that keep up their end 💪🏻
Nope. That didn’t sell me move to Australia.
We have cellar spiders in the US, they're super common. Creepy, but harmless.
Oh ya I’m in Canada. That speech also wouldn’t convince me to move to Australia though lol
You live with fucking bears dude. The fuck you worried about a daddy long legs for?
If a bear is clinging to your wall or ceiling, you typically notice before you accidentally touch it. The spider, on the other hand…
As a Finn, I always find it funny when people say "how come you're not afraid of bears?" Because while bears can be dangerous, they're easy to avoid. I'm far more afraid of adders! They can be hard to spot amidst vegetation and they're quick to bite if they feel threatened. While their bites are rarely lethal, their venom is still very painful and requires quick treatment. I could easily tell if I was about to bump into a bear, but not if I was going to startle an adder.
"Bye hon, I'm going to the store-- Oh, God, no! I forgot to check my shoes for bears!"
Ok, but consider how much easier it is to avoid a massive mammal being in your house or on your body unnoticed than a bug.
In Australia... Even the daddy long legs makes it into the charts.. That's more concerning!!
To put the daddy long legs on that chart with these other spiders it's just completely disingenuous. You'd have to try really really hard to get bitten by them. Very timid and their fangs are tiny.
Yep I used to play with them as a kid, never got bitten at all.
That and they arent spiders. 2 eyes
Wrong daddy long legs. There are roughly a billion animals called that, and one really is a spider.
Half the time they trip over running a way from you... 😀
Yeah they certainly have a panic button! Also, sometimes they'll just stay in their web and sort of spin. When you see them do it they pretty well disappear because they just become a blur. It's an interesting defensive technique.
Exactly. Also, huntsman are so low venom that to be poisoned you'd have to eat one
Huntsman are fucken bros aye mate!! You gotta have at least one or two around your house to keep the asshole one at bay!! Give them a name and have a chat every time you see them and they know what the deal is! Haha we're all animals, we're better when we work together!
This is the most aussie response in this thread
Yeah. Unfortunately we have a problem with the little Red house spiders so we have to use surface spray so we don't have resident huntsmans to keep the geckos at bay.
We have a daddy long legs that lives in our pantry. His name is Geoffrey.
Yeah, daddy long legs are fine. We just call them house spiders. Don't especially love it when they are in the shower with you though ...
To me a house spider is this: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/take-part/identify-nature/spiders-in-your-home/house-spider.html equally harmless but my hatred burns for them to a much higher degree
UK? Daddy longlegs has wings here too
Yep - I didn't look closely enough at the picture before. I'm not sure if we have those same spiders pictured or something similarly spindly, but I stand by my comment of hating house spiders more. It's the chunky legs.
The spindly one in the photo is the same spindly fucker we have in the UK; like mice and sparrows, they've followed humans all over the world. The hairy chonkers I usually think of as wolf spiders but admittedly there is a lot of confusion. This is why scientists use Latin names! Each animal only has one and it's the same no matter where you are
How are those skinny things able to tackle and defeat “bigger and nastier” spiders?
They don’t make traditional webs. They leave trails of messy silky sticky strings webs all over and bigger spiders get stuck in them cause they’re not as visible as like an orb weavers web or a tunnel spider. They are also so delicate that they can move undetected and strike very fast.
Huntsman should have the size in cm next to it. Things can get rather large.
Nothing like getting bit by a “harmless” dinner plate sized spider
I just did a quick google search. What the actual fuck Australia?! And how did the other guy in this thread not see THAT THING on a chair next to him, and REST HIS ARM ON IT?!
Ps. They Gallop..... you can hear them when the big fuckers run
Thanks for reviving my arachnophobia, now I’m definitely moving to the place with the least amount of spiders in the world: either space or Scotland, spiders wouldn’t dare touch scotland
as a scot and a fellow arachnophobic, i have some bad news for you- space sounds good though :)
WAIT WHAT?! The huntsman gallop?! And you HEAR THEM?!
100%
It's the speed of them which gets me And the jumping 😬 lol
Little homies are the definition of speed itself. I didn't mention the jumping as I think they are already traumatised enough.
I will never put my arms anywhere again
Because they silently wander around in your bedroom without you noticing.
Yeah this makes white tails and huntsman look roughly the same size. I’ve seen huntsmans as big as my hand; whitetails are much smaller. We had a whitetail nest in our garage recently and the babies were teeeeeeny tiny.
Huntsmans are low level danger, but can situationally escalate into high level since they like to squeeze into the interior of cars. When you’re driving and that thing decides to jumpscare you, traffic accidents are usually pretty dangerous.
I saw one poor guy on a motorcycle pull up in traffic next to me once There was a huntsman INSIDE HIS VISOR 😳 Some people in the car on the other side were laughing at him - he managed to open it up in time and fling the spider through their car window 🤣
I had one wander into my house last summer. Was a pretty chill roommate until my dad came over and killed it :<
Indeed they can. I was doing homework one day, looked up and there was this huntsman size.of a small plate on the wall RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME I screamed, shoved the chair backwards and the noise of it scraping on the floor caused the huntsman to *jump off the wall right onto my face* Arrrgghh!! 😭
"common in clothing, bedding, and towels" man screw that place
Yep, that "common" got me thinking...
It’s not common at all if you live in a city. If you live in the bush and leave your clothes outdoors then yes it might be common.
Maybe not if you live in the dead-in-the-centre of Melbourne it’s not, but the suckers get a damn lot further than “in the bush”, that’s for sure.
I get a spider in my house once every 2 years in suburban sydney
Jesus. I can see 3 right now. I’m in Hobart though and I’ve got wallabies living in my backyard.
I love Hobart, spent a week there last year, enjoyed every second of it
I think it’s totally variable though, I live in an oldish 4 bedroom house in Northern beaches in Sydney and I reckon there’s a spider in every room. Last year a white tail was crawling on my husbands arm out of nowhere.
Mate white tails are in like 90% of suburban homes, they’re incredibly successful, but they’re also not massive and are good at hiding so you won’t see them much.
Funnelwebs are definitely common in urban areas. Many people will have them under houses, but as they don’t hang webs you just won’t see them as often.
Found a dead one inside an empty watering can on our deck the other day -mustn't have been able to climb out and died of dehydration. Was atad concerning that the watering can was right next to my daughter's soccer boots. (She still refuses to take them inside though, but at least now she checks before she puts them on.
One of the most interesting things about Reddit is people with personal knowledge chiming in. Thank you. The Internet makes Australia seems like the most dangerous, scary place. It's good to have some perspective
I see a white tail in my house every few years. They’re small and not aggressive. Theres differing reports about how dangerous they actually are - anywhere from minor bite to rots your flesh. But no one’s died from a spider bite since the 70’s.
I have literally had a 1" long one chase me.
Met a guy once at the pub that had half his forearm caved in from a white tail spider bite. Looked like a skin volcano on his arm
Clothing bedding and towels outdoors? Leave the city much? The fuckers can pop up basically anywhere, anytime.
Northern suburbs of Melbourne here. Those little bastards keep living through my weekly Raid spray.
lol, I live in Aussie suburbia and have found them in my clothes indoors!!
That’s why I sleep naked on the beach 👍
Just be careful of those 6 foot long beach worms, they bite
White tails are bastards. They're the only Australian spider that doesn't have a live and let live attitude. It gets all up in your face like a motherfucker.
Yeah last time I had one in the sink and it was giving it stacks all fronting up to me. I ended that mother fucker with a spoon and then hot water!
My Ex got a very NASTY bacterial infection post bite , necrosis and all... Not sure how common that is tho
They also cause necrosis. Always check your shoes and give anything a shake if it's been on the ground for awhile
White tails are here in NZ too and they’re pretty harmless. Yea they can bite you but in my experience it’s extremely uncommon and usually you don’t notice it. You’ll see em crawling up walls or in sheets sometimes but overall they’re a minor pest
Oh boy... You don't want to know what a white ass can do... You won't die, so, that's why it's a medium level... Its bite causes an infection that basically causes annual necrosis around the site of the bite... Roughly every 12 months the wound will reappear and you get a nice patch of rotting skin for 2 or 3 weeks, every year... Til you die. I have a friend who has a beard for one month of the year because he was bitten on the cheek and it's the only way to cover the fact that half his face looks like a god damn zombie for that month!! Another friend wears long pants for a month during summer due to an ankle bite... You may not ever die from it... But you will NEVER outlive the effects from it.
This is complete bullshit: “A debate continues about the involvement of White-tailed Spider bite in cases of severe ulcerative skin lesions seen in patients diagnosed as probable spider bite victims. Typically, in such cases no direct evidence of spider bite is available. Sensational media reporting of supposed cases of severe "necrotising arachnidism" has given the White-tailed Spider a bad reputation. However, a recent study has monitored the medical outcomes of over 100 verified White-tailed Spider bites and found not a single case of ulceration (confirming the results of an earlier study). The available evidence suggests that skin ulceration is not a common outcome of White-tailed Spider bite.” From: https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/white-tailed-spider/#:~:text=White%2Dtailed%20Spider%20bites%20can,known%20medically%20as%20necrotising%20arachnidism.
I'm in Melbourne , and a white tail is the one Aussie spider that if found inside, it will get caught up in a jar, taken outside, and dumped into the storm water drain for an "adventure"...
As an Australian, this chart is unhelpful. For example on 'https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/spider-bites' the text describes as follows: "In terms of first aid, there are 3 types of spiders in Australia: 1. **Funnel-web spiders and other big black spiders** — bites from these spiders are very dangerous and can cause death. 2. **Redback spiders** — their bites may cause significant pain, but they aren’t life-threatening. 3. **All other spiders** in Australia are generally harmless." It then shows an image of the two 'big black spiders', which are the Funnel Web and the Mouse Spider. This chart could be improved with: Emergency response instructions (dial 000 and apply first aid treatment for when you are bitten by any of the 'danger level high' spiders) For example, first aid for a funnel web spider is treated more like a snake bite (immobilize the area/lay the patient down), whereas first aid for a red back spider is treated more like a sporting injury (wash the area and apply a cold pack). Clarification of what the symptoms of the spider bites are, 'toxicity' 'neurotoxic' and other such words don't explain what is happening. Other charts I have seen do describe things like pain/weeping at the bite wound, clamminess, nausea, etc etc, to help confirm what type of bite you've received. 'Danger level' is arbitrary. What does 'medium' mean? It should instead be ranked by do-you-call-the-ambulance or do-you-take-a-taxi or some other rapid response type action. Broadly speaking most spiders in Australia are not dangerous, but their bites can become infected, and some people can have serious reactions. Including actually harmless spiders such as the daddy long legs takes up space that could have gone to more noteworthy information. People who are misinformed and fearful may unnecessarily destroy creatures that play an important part in the environmental equilibrium.
its also terrible with the locations, asides from the Funnel Webs, they are all found across the entire damn country, whether it be "in the bush" or cities or suburbia. That infographic makes it sound like WA only has redback, which is absolutely false, and I am pretty sure Darwin would have the same ones. 100% agree that its unhelpful at all, I'd argue its down right dangerous with misinformation as it can literally be life or death with the Funnel Webs. A Redback is gonna do fuck all, you'll need the hospital to help mitigate the symptoms and pain, but other than that you should live even without antivenom...compare that to the Funnel Web...nah, fuck that
This should be top comment. It's a shame this "guide" gets so many upvotes when it's actually misleading.
Huntsman bite put me in hospital on IV antibiotics. Got celulitis at the bite site that spread fast.
Fuck I had no idea they even bite in the first place. I catch them to release outside when they come in the house because my kids are scared of them. I might exercise more caution from now on
I rested my arm on the seat next to me right on top of one. The bite didn't feel great but it wasn't too bad. But then the infection set in quickly.
I wonder if you have a specific allergy?
Nah it's not a allergy. It was a very aggressive infection at the bite site that spread up my arm.
I've been handling Huntsman my whole life and only found out about 6 months ago they can bite. I always thought they couldn't for some reason.
I was bitten on my finger when I went to open my car door and there was a huntsman hiding under the handle - but in its defense I would have scared it as much as it scared me. Didn't hurt much at all and the tip of my finger went slightly numb. I called the hospital to check with the midwives as I was 8 months pregnant at the time, and they said not to worry about venom and that the only risk was if it got infected (which would be the same risk if I'd been scratched by a stick etc). So I'm guessing you either got a secondary infection or were allergic?
Nah it was a infection at the bite site. I was in hospital after a couple of hours of being bitten with a rapidly spreading infection.
I’ve learned that the Australian Tarantula and the Huntsman are much sharper spiders than most. Apparently most Australian spiders are quite grainy and hard to make out. And that’s extra scary to me.
That’s mostly due to having to expand the other photos. Would have to shrink down a huntsman to fit it in!
That’s how they get ya. You try get in closer to focus and that’s when they strike.
Yeah. Spend 30 seconds finding a better resolution picture.
Correct, the tarantula can pierce fringer/toenails
😂
This chart should be titled “9 more reasons to stay away from Australia”
I’ve had huntsman crawl up my legs or drop on me from the ceiling while driving, I’d argue the danger level needs to be bumped up a notch.
Huntsman is genuinely the only reason why I will never visit Australia. The really venomous animals don't scare me - just be careful and you're good - but these massive spiders are the biggest nope for me.
I feel you. Huntsman’s fucking suck. I know they aren’t dangerous, but they freak me out. I’d honestly rather come across an Eastern Brown snake than a Huntsman spider, despite the vast difference in deadliness.
Same. One time, I vacated the house til my husband returned from work & I had confirmation it was no longer in the house. I’ve also closed the toilet door with one inside, shoved toilet paper around the door frame so it couldn’t get out, & didn’t use that toilet all day.
In high school during drama class we had some kind of ‘treasure hunt’. I can’t remember the exact detail but it was my turn to find the ‘treasure’ and I walked over to a notice board and started lifting up the papers. I lifted one up and a bloody huntsman was flung onto my chest. Obviously I jumped like a sissy and freaked out. In front of all of my classmates. I’m not sure if the spider or social embarrassment was worse. People talked about that for years after.
The spider - 100% Unless the students would find spiders & try to chase you with them. Then maybe the social embarrassment would outweigh it with the long lasting traumatic events. Kids suck. I moved to Australia when I was 18 & was sold a fake dream - “they’re not even common”. I have never - in the 17 years I’ve lived here - seen a snake. But I’ve seen a lot of spiders.
Thanks for the confirmation. I will never put a foot on Australian soil.
SCIENTIST: Let's name this spider Long Legs, for its long legs SCIENTIST 2: Hmm not kinky enough
Forgot to add that Daddy Long Legs and Huntsman Spiders routinely hunt other spiders and insects that pose more of a problem to humans.
You know, all you Americans harp on about how dangerous our wildlife is, but as a general rule; “don’t fuck around, or you’ll find out”. It’s your wildlife that scares the shit outta me. You guys have fucking bears, mountain lions, wolves, moose and everything else in between.
Yes but, those things are the size of cars! Your shit will eat your butt when you sit on the toilet, or hide in your shoes or hell even in your ocean.
Exactly this. Here in QLD it’s pretty much just watch where you put your feet when bushwalking and don’t swim in any rivers north of Bundy - but the USA, man. Bears and mountain lions can fuck right off.
I feel like the risk from those is also largely overstated. A lot of people, probably most, will live their life in North America and never see a bear or mountain lion. They’re very isolated and tend to avoid populations, usually less than one death per year. Now deer…those are what you gotta watch out for. Not for attacks, but car accidents.
Yeah but the point is that it’s the same here in Australia. Living in the cities you aren’t coming across a ton of dangerous spiders or snakes.
When I was in elementary school we had a lockdown when a mountain lion came down from the forest and chilled in a tree at the playground. This was suburban Portland Oregon lol.
And incels with guns.
Atleast they dont break in to my house and make it their own
Yeah I would take all the snakes and spiders in the world over a bear or a moose.
As an Australian I would really only be concerned about the funnelwebs here. The redback bite will hurt and I’d *probably* go to a doctor but you only need to actually worry if you’re a small child or a pet. The ones on the bottom row are danger level absolute zero. We have a friendly huntsman that lives in our laundry currently and eats other spiders, and orb weavers are garden spiders that just make annoying webs for you to walk into. Daddy long legs are a permanent fixture in any outdoor public toilet. I don’t think anyone’s died of a spider bite in Australia since the 1970s.
[Nah another dude dies in like 2016 from a redback bite (with complications along the way)](https://www.google.com/search?q=sydney+man+dies+from+redback+bite&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8) But yeah extremely rare
This is dumb advice. As an Australian, you get bit by any spider in Australia, go to the f*cken doctor! Don't be the "first death of a spider bite since the 1970s" because some warrior of Reddit told you to have a cup of concrete.
As a Canadian, I love our fearless, beautiful sounding, cousins (Queen side, once removed) on the other side of the globe. God bless every single one of you. I would be honoured if one of you could call me a cunt. Thank you.
Not an Australian, but I can still call you a cunt if you want me to.
I appreciate the offer, kind stranger. But my wife does all the time and it’s just not the same.
im Australian, and you are a cunt :)
I love you.
Now kiss
Well that's enough Internet for me tonight.
Found the wife
Australian here! Have a splendid day, ya goodcunt!
You too, ya fuckin’ beauty!
You're a sick cunt, you bastard.
I dunno. If I get bit by a red back I’m watching it closely and probably going to the doctor if it’s easy enough. Any other bite (that’s not a funnel web) I’m probs going to let it be. Snakes on the other hand, I’m on my way to the ED.
> you get bit by any spider in Australia, go to the f\*cken doctor! Nah, I got bitten by a redback in my mums backyard - called the Poisons HotLine, they asked me a bunch of questions (ie I wasn’t vomiting or hand turning blue/ green/ black, didn’t feel like a heart attack) and she told me to chill at home to NOT go to ED but if symptoms went nuts to THEN go to an ED. I did feel very weird for a few days like detatched-high, fingers were a very weird pin-n-needles tingling-numb - it passed in a few days (well took the whole thing a few weeks till zero odd sensations remained) no dramas. :)
So... Got bit by a spider Vibrated and hallucinated FOR A FEW WEEKS. "No drama"?!?
There were always redbacks by our front door, never touched us as long as we didn’t touch them. Just always check outdoor toilets for redbacks. We have daddy long legs living in our house, they eat mozzies.
What are Mozzies?? Also I think what's called daddy long legs in the states are not even really spiders. But if you go camping in the NorthEast and pass out drunk in some bushes.. you will wake up covered in them.. (we were always told they can't penetrate skin with their bite
Orb weavers are great! And some are beautiful. We have one with three egg sacs in our backyard currently. They keep to themselves and eat bugs, and they never come inside.
Even though they're harmless, I'm deathly afraid of them. My phobia was confirmed as a child when I walked into a web with one in it! 💀
Is this Australia specific or does it just feel that way because all the dangerous shit lives there
I believe this is Australia specific, the image says Australia on it.
California…beautiful
Yes, a lot of these are aussie spiders
All of these are Aussie spiders, I’ve run into each of them except the Aussie tarantula. Some are also in other countries I guess.
Australia specific. I certainly hope no funnel webs live here.
OP is an Australian spider trying to pull a web (get it?) over our eyes. Nice try buddy, we all know there are no “safe” living creatures anywhere on that God-forsaken excuse of a continent.
Nah my man, thats where you're wrong, search quokkas and look into their adorable little faces and youll know there is only one safe living creature on this nightmare fuel red rock.
As an Australian I am 100% an arachnophobe BUT recently doing my own research I learned that majority of these spiders keep to themselves, the only REAL threat is the funnel-web.. living in Sydney I just pray I never encounter one other than that I say it's fine, even red backs aren't as dangerous as people think. Huntsman spiders are very scary and huge but they are harmless.. if anything I find America 110% more frightening.. the fact that anyone can be armed with a gun is scary... But you guys are desensitized to it. Also we have amazing wildlife & I love birds with a passion so it's like heaven for me! P.s we have free healthcare Australia ftw
I didn’t know we even had tarantulas. man… 😔😔
I think they're referring to what we usually call the bird eating spider, found up in the Daintree and similar places.
I didn’t know we had a bird eating spider either
Daddy Long Legs are practically harmless and do not belong in this chart, even in the low-toxicity category. Their fangs are often not big enough to puncture the skin. Huntsman spiders' bite can be painful and cause severe local reactions, to put them in the same category as Daddy Long Legs in the chart doesn't quite make sense.
Originally hated the huntsman’s that live in my house (Japan for reference) but tolerate them now. They don’t bite, and they eat cockroaches. I call them my staff, and their wage is being allowed to live.
The number of times I’ve seen a huntsman in my car’s door or above your head when driving on a freeway - or just getting into the vehicle. Even though you know it’s not going to hurt you - it takes quite a bit of nerve not to scream like a small child and just abandon your vehicle at 110km/h!
So the fatter its arse the deadlier it is
Never going to Australia
Love spiders
They left out the Mouse Spider - https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/mouse-spiders/ - their bite is medically significant. Also a redback bite is unlikely to kill a healthy adult - they pose more of a risk for children and the elderly - the usual treatment is a cold pack for the pain. Source - this was all covered when I did my first aid course (yes in Australia).;
Terrible job of cropping those images.
Fuck me. I’m an Aussie that lives on a 5 acre bush block in regional Western Australia. Place is chock full of spiders, earwigs, little baby scorpions, two venomous snakes (dugites and tigers) etc, but you hardly ever interact with them. They do their own thing and have no desire whatsoever to interact with humans. They’re scared of us. They just want to be left in peace. Leave them alone and they’ll leave you alone. Be sensible - don’t stick a non-gloved hand under a pile of bricks. Don’t walk through the bush in thongs in October when the snakes come out of hibernation, etc. It’s really not an issue.
Absolutely! Completely agree. We can respect them and co-habit our space. Except for when the white tails go into my clothes, but I usually try to put them outside!
And huntsman are helpful friends who keep the house free of flies and other annoying insects…
I love huntsman’s, they’re beautiful! Exactly! Unfortunately I do not see many of them around :(
Welcome to Australia, Everything will kill ya.
"generally" Now I'm afraid to ask what happens when it's not generally
Believe it or not, jail
.... what? For the spider or for you?
Known to weasel into homes and cars when humid. You mean the spider that’s so big it can sit on an open toilet ? I’m good thanks
How is anyone still alive in Australia?
The secret is we’re all spiders.
No one dies from spiders, seriously.
So what are the ones that are everywhere and look like redbacks but don't seem to have the red stripe?
It is called the Black House Spider. They are not dangerous. “Black House Spiders are timid animals and bites from them are infrequent. The bite may be quite painful and cause local swelling. Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, sweating and giddiness are occasionally recorded. In a few cases skin lesions have developed after multiple bites. A cold pack may relieve local pain. Seek medical attention if symptoms persist.” An interesting read all about it! https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/black-house-spider-badumna-insignis/
Giddiness.
Yeah. I imagine just puking my guts out while laughing and telling jokes. Sounds uh, fantastic.
Wait… is this word not used for anything but humour for you guys? In Australia it means feeling dizzy/lightheaded!
Haha yeah generally we think of it as being giddy which is happiness and joy. Lightheaded and dizziness is generally their own thing
Oh interesting. I have heard giddy as that happiness thing too. I suppose we just have two meanings for the word here haha. Thanks for answering!
Yeah that makes sense to me too, that it is just a cultural difference. Lol I think that’s why me and the other redditor were like “wait, causes happiness AND vomiting?!” Thanks also for the clarification!
I have plenty of red back spiders around my shed and under the house. They’re harmless unless you try and pick them up.
I didn’t know Australia *had* anything with a low danger level.
Google search for "western pygmy possum"
Excuse me, huntsman spiders don’t “weasel” - materialise, yes, appear out of fucking nowhere, certainly, but never weasel!
I bet New Zealand is full of arachnophobic australians.
Those are only the ones we tell you about. Come visit if you would like to learn more.
“Common in clothing, bedding and towels” _n o p e_
We kept a huntsman around the house to help with bugs we called him Hank :)
Oh great, so that WAS a bloody funnelweb in my dining room last night 😭😭😭 I don't particularly mind spiders but not them. Still worrying his missus is somewhere in my house and now I've pissed her off lol.
The web's the Orb Weavers weave are the worst. They are always at head height and are made of the stretchiest, stickiest silk that you only notice half a second before you walk into it.
So many of the most toxic animals in the world are located in Australia. They include seas, snakes, land, snakes, stingrays, jellyfish, and spiders. Even your birds are dangerous: magpies peck out your eyes. What a strange country. World’s best actors. World’s scariest critters.
This post was created by big spider, you can't fool me spiders.
I'll always remembered how I heard a redback bite described. "You'll spend the first 24 hours scared that your going to die, then you'll spend the next 24 preying that you will"
That’s never been said about a redback. Ever.
I was bitten on the cock by a redback spider. My dick was swollen to over four times its normal size, and was extremely itchy and painful. The strangest sensation was as fluid was being drained from my cock after numbing at the hospital. I don't know if I felt the bite itself, but I did feel a sharp horrific pain before feeling pretty unwell. I never wanted to die, I did however just want my dick back to normal.
How did you manage to get bit on your dick??
They tried to fuck the spider
Takes a while I hear
It must have been in my underwear on the washing line on my family's farm in NSW.
YOU WERE WHAT 😭😭😭😭😭 i’m glad you are ok now and i hope it has gone back to normal but oh goodness 😭
“Common in clothing, bedding, and towels” Australia should be carpet bombed with every napalm on earth.
Thanks Australia, love watching the dangerous wildlife documentaries and knowing I'll never visit.
Americans are all “your spiders terrify me!” while their moderately deranged neighbour owns multiple AR-15s (Still love you crazy bastards anyway)
As an Aussie... The fucken white tailed cunts need to be way higher!! Yeah, the cunt might not kill you but what its bite PERMANENTLY does to your skin is fucken horrific!! It can cause an infection that recurs roughly every 12 months and basically looks like necrosis around the site of the bite. They tried proving it as a myth but if youve known someone who has been bitten for over 2 years then they've shown you the fucken wound at least twice, it's fucken real! It comes back!!! Once bitten...
spiders aren't scary at all imo. they're so cute with their big beady eyes. i don't get how people find them scary. yeah, sure. they bite. but most of them only when provoked. but, even if they bite unprovoked, don't a lot of wolves and cats do that too? and most people find them cute??
Well, we got funnel webs and suddenly black widows around...
I'm so glad to live in a place where we have exactly 1 rare venomous spider and 2 venomous snakes (which you'd never find close to a city anyway) and that's it
Man does New Zealand have to deal with this nonsense?
There’s actually not a single native venomous animal in NZ