Worlds Most Venomous Spider -The Sydney Funnel-Web

The Sydney funnel-web spider (Atrax robustus) is a species of venomous mygalomorph spider native to eastern Australia, usually found within a 100 km (62 mi) radius of Sydney. It is a member of a group of spiders known as Australian funnel-web spiders. Its bite is capable of causing serious illness or death in humans if left untreated.
The Sydney funnel-web is medium to large in size, with body length ranging from 1 to 5 cm (0.4 to 2 in). Both sexes are glossy and darkly coloured, ranging from blue-black, to black, to brown or dark-plum coloured. The carapace covering the cephalothorax is almost hairless and appears smooth and glossy. Another characteristic are finger-like spinnerets at the end of their abdomen. The shorter-lived male is smaller than the female, but longer-legged. The average leg length for the spider in general is six to seven centimeters
Sydney funnel-web spiders are mostly terrestrial spiders, favouring habitats with moist sand and clays.
Distribution is centred on Sydney, extending north to the Central Coast and south to the Illawarra region, and west to the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.
The spider can be found in moist microhabitats, including under logs and foliage.
They typically build silk-lined tubular burrow retreats with collapsed "tunnels" or open "funnel" entrances from which irregular trip-lines radiate over the ground. In some exceptions, which lack trip-lines but may have trapdoors, the silk entrance tube may be split into two openings, in a Y or T form. The spiders burrow in sheltered habitats where they can find a moist and humid climate; for instance under rocks, logs or borer holes in rough-barked trees.[10][13] The long-lived female funnel-web spend most of the time in their silk-lined tubular burrow retreats. When potential prey, which includes insects, lizards or frogs, walks across the trip-lines, they rush out, subduing their prey by injecting their venom.[10][13]
Males, recognized by the modified terminal segment of the palp, tend to wander during the warmer months of the year, looking for receptive females to mate with. This makes encounters with male specimens more likely as they sometimes wander into backyards or houses, or fall into swimming pools. The spiders can survive such immersion for up to twenty-four hours, trapping air bubbles on hairs around their abdomen. Sydney funnel-web spiders are mainly active at night, as typical day-time conditions would dehydrate them. During the day, they seek cover in cool, moist hideaways. After heavy rain, spider activity is increased as their burrows may be flooded.When threatened or provoked, funnel-web spiders will display aggressive behaviour, rearing up on their hind legs and displaying their fangs. When biting, the funnel-web spider maintains a tight grip on its victim, often biting repeatedly

[@WickedWildlife]

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[@mathewstubbs2117]

Hi WW :) I have a question. Why do people think that atrax robustus is limited to a small area? I am in a rainforest region, mid north coast and I have encountered 3 so far. 2 male - black, spinnerets, mating spurs on the 2nd legs, same eye pattern and nobody will even look at the species because I am not in the "correct" area. I am furious tbh I have spent hours on the phone about it just to go full circle. I can't sleep tonight because my rotti was playing with a male in the garage. She might be unaffected but my 5 month old son wouldn't have been so lucky. Help!!! I don't know what to do

[@thelstanedwardsson4374]

Very good informative video. 😊👍👍

[@mick6370]

Still some debate about the most venomous spider there's one in particular that might have say in Africa.

[@JusZard]

So your telling me the red widow is more dangerous then this ? Wow

[@Richard-rq1ur]

Q

[@LOLmusics]

That spider was pissed off the entire video 😂

[@Daeyel]

Not pissed off, but alert. Her eyesight is one step above Stevie Wonder, so she's feeling out her environment by the vibrations.

[@teddeitrich8780]

They are born pissed off , hence their powerful venom

[@pullingthestrings5233]

Everytime he watches the camera I'm like "dude watch your hands" 😂

[@WickedWildlife]

😂

[@susannahford6014]

And his face 😂

[@LilDitBit]

Same!!

[@allenjenkins7947]

Never mind his hands, where's he going to put the pressure bandage if it gets him on the nose?

[@FireFistGabe]

@@allenjenkins7947 this had me crack up and wake up my son in the middle of the night lol

[@trustypatches4042]

1:33 "Like this girl here" Her: *slam* 💪😠

[@johnrichmond7739]

When I was in the Navy, we were warned of many things when we stopped in other countries. I remember how specific the warnings were of the funnel web when we stopped in Australia

[@dl30wpb]

They didn't tell us shit when i had port calls in Perth and Sydney in the 90s lol.

[@adamkane7513]

It was *crabs* we were worried about in the Navy, not _Spiders..._ ...and Chinese drippy dik!

[@johnrichmond7739]

@@adamkane7513 us too.

[@dutchvanderlinde2488]

average person in sydney will never see these spiders their entire lives so its a stupid warning

[@dl30wpb]

@@dutchvanderlinde2488 I thought so, because i never saw 1 spider when I was there. Definitely had some weird ass looking bugs land on me however 🤣

[@TheWildlifeBrothers]

I had no idea that their venom was so oddly specific in which species it poses a threat to, that’s some fascinating stuff! That girl was quite cheeky, what a gorgeous and fascinating spider. I loved your takeaway at the end, just because they’re potentially deadly doesn’t mean that we can’t or shouldn’t coexist with them. Great work Nick! - Harrison and Evan

[@MRvideogamesGamingAndMore]

Doesn't NECESSARILY mean we can't or shouldn't co exist. Obviously we CAN co exist eith literally everything currently in existence. We SHOULDN'T co exist with these motherfuckers nor many other creatures. Some spiders have benefits. Any creature with nothing but negative effects shouldn't co exist. And there are many of them.

[@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg]

Guy's up close they are very very Scary......the "Mike Tyson" of Spider's and they get EVERYWHERE in and around a house

[@beardymcbeardface69]

On the subject of them posing much less risk to many other species, I know of people who keep ducks on their properties, to keep spider populations under control. Apparently the funnelweb spider cannot kill a duck and the ducks will eat the spiders.

[@neonblack211]

Yeah we are just very unlucky that it happens to murder us, they never intended to eat humans lol

[@infiniteinspiration1628]

That's so beautiful 😍 🤩 👌 well said

[@robertfletcher3421]

She sat there very calmly listening to everything you said. What a great spider.

[@wastedpotato4555]

Bet she was blushing 🤣🤣 oh you're talking about me 🤗

[@rsuriyop]

Lol... She was hardly staying calm. More like constantly being on edge to attack at any moment during the whole duration of the video.

[@Nefville]

That spider sat in a threat pose the entire time. Funnel webs are like that, very nervous. If you ever see a spider doing what this one did, do something else. They're warning you, that's why its legs are up like that.

[@muaoribia4140]

​@@Nefville how to handle them when they're like that? I've even heard of Funnel Webs chasing ppl...

[@Ripa-Moramee]

@@rsuriyop No an attack, a defense. Sydney funnel webs are just aggressive, or should I say defensive like that.

[@Prettypolly2011]

I’m from England but lived in Sydney for a while and this spider was always on my mind. Putting on my shoes in the morning was a nervous time! Loved my time in Australia but so glad I don’t have to deal with spiders like that anymore.

[@infiniteinspiration1628]

Thank God not in Melbourne 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@beau.s8031]

They're not everywhere.

[@infiniteinspiration1628]

@@beau.s8031 that's an awesome response 😅😅😅😅😅 sometimes I wish they were 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@beau.s8031]

@@infiniteinspiration1628 Just like how brown snakes are in the middle of Sydney city hey? And kangaroos are everywhere. You'd probably believe that. 🤣😂

[@infiniteinspiration1628]

@@beau.s8031 yessss😅😅😅😅

[@TheLunarrr]

Currently THE best informative wildlife channel on the internet. Awesome info, awesome quality, and you get the animals out that you’re talking about.. keep up the amazing work mate you’re an Aussie icon

[@phoenixrising4995]

He's not going to win. Lets face it we are just going back to mediaeval times. Get ready for the beheadings and inside out electrocution chambers. Maybe a human pressing machine that turns blood into wine.

[@infiniteinspiration1628]

Amaaaaazing 😂😂😂😂😂😂😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮in the kids shoes 👞 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅 males are more venomous 6 to 7 x more toxic of course 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@infiniteinspiration1628]

In as little as 15 minutes 😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮heyyyyyy you move those fingers fast 😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Boodoo4You]

Great video mate. You got a lot of Steve Irwin in ya I reckon. Charismatic, intelligent, passionate about our country and its wildlife, and genuinely looking to educate people. You’re a legend mate. Wish we had more like you.

[@WickedWildlife]

Thankyou very much mate! Not sure I deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as Steve But I do my best to pass on the passion I got watching him as a child!

[@Boodoo4You]

@@WickedWildlife Honestly mate. You’re carrying the same torch that he did, for the same reasons he did. Steve was an Aussie icon, but he wasn’t born one. You clearly have some of his talents, his interests, his friendly personality, and share the passion that made him so loveable and respectable. You may not be Steve himself. No one can be. But you have a lot in common with him, and you’ve become what he was trying to ignite in people his entire life. You’re doing a grouse job and I highly respect what you do. Cheers mate. Hope you’ve had a good one today.

[@223rockmaster]

@@WickedWildlife I got the exact same vibe.

[@cephalonplant4087]

He just didnt poke it enough or try to put it on his hand while calling it a "cute girl"

[@jakeboehm5267]

@@WickedWildlife ahhh I like you brother. Keep doin this

[@gregbeck7276]

I grew up in pennant hills and as a plumber i used to crawl.under the floors of houses. I cane across so many funnelwebs. They arent really that aggressive but rather defensive. A few times id wake up and shake my jeans that i left on my floor of the bedroom and yep out falls a funnelweb. I never had a fear of them but rather a fascination of them. They never bothered me and i let them go on their way when i came across them. Thanks so much for the chat. I think Eric worrell had alot to do with finding an antivenom for them.

[@ACDZ123]

Fwarrk that ..I like it here in Perth with huntsman spiders ..you keep your funnel webs 🤣

[@user-mg8tw7yo4f]

My wife's sister lives out in Pennant Hills, and she always speaks about how many of these, she comes across out there.

[@chrislehmier]

Nick: Calmly provides comprehensive and concise description of the Sidney Funnel Web Spider: "RAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!"

[@emjayw3018]

Excellent video, if there was ever a chanell that deserved a few million subs, this would be it. 👍👍🇦🇺

[@WickedWildlife]

Thanks Emjay!

[@dirtydaddy21]

definately

[@BugsandBiology]

Excellent video! Great to see someone give a factual presentation on funnelwebs without all the hype.

[@faronanderson2536]

One of the most informative no BS videos I've watched about any given topic.You didn't wander off anywhere. It was just facts. It's a great educational video. Thumbs up 👍🏽

[@indricotherium4802]

I thought it lacked key facts like size and what the web looks like and where it would be found, etc.

[@brandonwilson7887]

Other than the fact that he is wrong. The Brazilian wandering spider is the most venomous in the world

[@superk9letsplays419]

​@@indricotherium4802the guy mentions it is a funnel shaped web

[@superk9letsplays419]

​@brandonwilson7887 the Sydney funnel web is more dangerous because it ALWAYS pumps venom into bites, brazillian wandering spiders will deliver bites sometimes without venom

[@kellyhenderson9972]

This is a very defensive species. They do not want to be bugged. I kinda get how they feel. It’s tough to be an introvert. Lol

[@ccyoutube8793]

I know right, if I had fangs I would be stinging people we can’t help being introverted

[@ACDZ123]

Kinda hard not to be bugged when you're a bug ..bugger 😉

[@skycloud4802]

​@@ACDZ123 hard to be bugged when you eat bugs for a living.

[@JammaOG]

yeah the spider is an introvert lol

[@Jabba1625]

​@@ccyoutube8793 introvert or autism? That's my issue

[@GLING17]

These spiders live 20 years?! Whoa! That is amazing! 😳

[@xwhite2020]

Tarantulas have similar life span. Super cool.

[@markturner5858]

a whole lot of opportunities to become famous!

[@ticktology]

20th like 😎

[@sheilasydneynotyerbizniz2933]

I remember my first visit to my Aussie relatives in Sydney well: after being told about funnel webs wandering into homes, I couldn't sleep well the first night because I kept waking up checking if I felt something crawling over me.

[@chaliceb5]

That may be a reason why I'll never visit this City. 😂

[@maxniederer181]

My daughter wants me to visit her South of Sydney. I live in the US. I will probably not sleep while I'm there because of these spiders. They live at the entrance of a big national park. I will probably come back completely exhausted.

[@sheilasydneynotyerbizniz2933]

@@maxniederer181 You should not let your fear stop you. Yes there are many creepy crawlies in Australia, but you do get used to this and if you are not leaving your shoes outside for the night you probably will never even see one. Here in the Netherlands half of us live below sea level and we never give that any thought, whereas that was a scary thought to most Aussies. A lot of people are put off visiting or living in the US because they think it is incomprehensible that anyone there can carry a gun. It is all relative to what you are being used to.

[@RG-ja34sep]

Fascinated by any spider species, and this funnel web spider had my full attention! Although she’s deadly and dangerous, she is beautiful!

[@infiniteinspiration1628]

Yessss gorgeous 😮😮😮😮😮😮😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@nathanwilliams2152]

It looks like someone buffed her legs and thorax with parade gloss shoe polish 😂

[@infiniteinspiration1628]

@@nathanwilliams2152 omg that's hilarious 😂 😃 😄 😁 🤣

[@jasonstevenson110]

Fascinating. I'll never forget when I was a child growing up in Sydney, we fished what we thought was a dead funnel-web off the bottom of our family swimming pool. I did notice when we put it at the side on the pool that it seemed to sit evenly on its legs? Then about 5 minutes later it moved - it wasn't dead! Glad I didn't step on that. We also had a short cut track through a reserve walking to school which was infested with funnel-web holes. Gave me the creeps.

[@countryroadstakemehome]

I rarely listen to vids over 5-10 minutes long but your facts and presentation was spot on, good job.

[@WickedWildlife]

Wow thanks mate! A lot of our videos are shorter but I try and fit in a few facts!

[@countryroadstakemehome]

@@mikemoorer7990 You made me laugh I like it. You make a good point. Maybe I would be smarter spending some more quality time watching someone ramble about the same thing for 120 minutes opposed to 10 minutes.

[@stuarteadie3531]

That’s right Nick they’re among us for sure. Keep your boots/shoes inside and give them a good banging before you put them on in the morning. Where we live we will come across at least half a dozen or more a year it the yard.Awareness of the habitats in the garden and around the home, correct identification and the respect to leave them be will avoid any more complications for people in the future. Also remember if you find one in the bottom of the pool and scoop him/her out and leave it sitting on the path don’t be surprised we it wakes up and starts to wander back off to its home. Remember people PLEASE DON’T KILL SPIDERS OR SNAKES just because you come across them in your home, if it’s not safe to let them move on freely, call a professional to come out and relocate them respectfully and with minimal stress to to animal. They’re more scared of us than you think, this is why they bite in defence not because they want to harm us.

[@WickedWildlife]

Spot on, very very few animals want to harm us

[@mattmc9812]

Snakes. I'm happy spiders are a different story

[@iangarner8857]

Great comment however that Sydney Funnel Web doesn't look scared of anything! Haha

[@seasongchronicle7760]

Nicely done. And I really liked the message at the end...indeed all animals deserve our respect. Thank you.

[@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws]

Yes ok but he isnt exactly practising what he is preaching. The fact that the poor spider was stressed to the max for the whole video doesnt give me the idea of 'respect' its just another big Aussie lame brain trying to show off his testosterone to somthing over a hundred times smaller than he is.

[@seanglanfield9013]

My mate said you look like a little man with incredibly big hands and now I can't unsee it. Awesome video btw

[@Meortn]

I love how she is just standing there very calm with her "hands up" and just looking into the camera. She is probably trying to say something like: "look at me guys. I'm dangerous! "

[@jamesmcgowen1769]

You just wait until my husband gets home from the big day in the garden, I’m gonna bite his arse soo hard lol

[@adammoore652]

I would not go near that spider its venom can kill 100 men

[@pvaz]

That’s a treating pose for a wider. They get in that pose when they feel intimidated and are trying to scare predators away.

[@vermicelledecheval5219]

Interesting fact. There is an equivalent to the funnel web spider dedicated to dogs instead of primates. Killing or most of the time arming pets every year in Australia.

[@Meortn]

​​​@@pvazs exactly. But I just finding it a bit amusing how she is turning her back on him from around 1:30 or earlier and is instead concentrated towards the camera until around 2:40 I would have thought that she would be facing towards one of his hands so she could be prepared to bite him if she felt threatened

[@patbrennan6572]

i was told the Brazilian wandering was the most venomous spider in the world.

[@Tonyjaaaaaaaaaaa7621]

Two more spider species are deadly like Sydney funnel web spider. 1) Brazilian Wondering spider 2) six Eyed sand spider . This are also dangerous for human so this 3 spider species are deadly for humans. Compare to other spider species like black widow spider, redbacks spider, brown recluse spder and other spider species. But you don't know six eyed sand spider is also deadly. There is no anti venom for six eyed sand spider. 😊😊😊😊😊

[@Raist3db]

I for the life of me cannot even begin to comprehend putting a free spider like this in front of you, with your face and hands... I mean, I respect what you are doing but seriously, it's almost like filing an application for a Darwin Award...

[@WickedWildlife]

I can see why it might look that way, however in reality a large part of this is simply knowing what your dealing with. Funnelweb spiders cannot jump, and there is a gap of 15cm between myself and the table, so while I wouldn’t encourage you to try this, the risk of a bite is less then if I was walking around an out Sydney garden at night

[@truthseeker6584]

Excellent video! Amazing education about the funnel-web spider, really interesting facts about the different behaviour of males and females and the venom. And the scary girl sitting all the time in front of you in defense mode....Scary! I personally would rather spend some hours in the same room as a taipan (sitting very very still) than five minutes with her.

[@mathewstubbs2117]

Only if it's not a coastal taipan 🤣

[@maxl3189]

@@mathewstubbs2117 both taipan are very very deadly

[@snuscaboose1942]

This is great content. Have noticed that the funnel webs in the funnel web are chill and not a bother, easy to live with. The wandering males on the other hand, especially if they get inside...

[@jamesmcgowen1769]

Lived in Sydney most of my life and have still never seen one. Not that I go looking for them either… Always thought they were an ‘outside’ spider…

[@snuscaboose1942]

@@jamesmcgowen1769 When I lived around Hornsby, especially close to the bush, and this is also true of the Upper Hunter, funnel webs are fairly common. In the Inner West we don't have funnel webs but redbacks are endemic, especially under houses. Edit, in Hornsby I did have to kill a couple of what I guess to be male funnel webs that ventured inside, 2 in a 3 year period.

[@_Refurbished_]

Spider: If I get tall enough he’ll be scared. Spider: Ok this is going to work, just keep trying. Spider: My legs are getting tired, never mind. Jeez m8.

[@Jason_Laster]

Australia: Most venomous snake Most venomous spider Largest reptile Cane toads Kangaroos All surrounded by white sharks, box jellyfish and sea snakes. No thanks, Im good

[@SilentKnight43]

Fascinating episode - never heard of this species of venomous spider. But I wanted to give praise and credit for your excellent, enthusiastic narration. It was a pleasure listening to someone who speaks well on-camera.

[@rubenfrankish]

I was working in Mungo Lodge in the National Park and we received a bunch of ground wood chippings to spread around the new renovated lodge. Me and my now wife were spreading it around and out popped one of these suckers, she spotted it straight away and it did the exact thing showing it's fangs like this. We were not certain the species as we 're from Canada and England respectively... but after looking at my picture of it... it was for sure a funnel web. So glad she spotted it! So in Mungo after 3 months working out there I saw a Funnel Web, Black Widow and Huntsman Spiders. Not to mention some stubby tails and a King Brown. It's a wonder I'm still alive lol!

[@peterbilt4204]

Mate western Sydney here and she so beautiful mate

[@JackRed6666]

I love their stance

[@megmucklebones7538]

Thought the Brazilian Wandering spider had the most venomous bite.

[@wanyelewis9667]

It does.

[@danporter2345]

Yes. He most certainly would not have gotten that close to a Phoneutria Fera for that amount of time without an enclosure.

[@NT-cj1zj]

It’s a known fact that the Sydney funnel web is the most venomous spider.

[@danporter2345]

@@NT-cj1zj ok, DOUBTFUL

[@Daeyel]

No one knows. We can't find a volunteer to be bitten by both to tell us. BWS is much, much less frequently encountered. Frequency of contact matters very much when determining the danger level of spiders, Keep that in mind when you see rankings. Are they ranking by most dangerous, or most venomous?

[@markrumfola9833]

The man under the hat. Much Respect for you. Have safe fun there.

[@lewisner]

Your life insurance company must groan when they see this.

[@WickedWildlife]

Ironically while this looks dangerous, I’m way more likely to be killed working on the farm or riding horses

[@Tonyplat98]

They're fascinating creatures.

[@deviousphoenix5590]

Actually have “first hand” reports of a species of Funnel Web Spiders in Western NSW beyond the blue mountains out towards Wellington and Dubbo way. I was always under the impression they were in the Blue Mountains and Sydney way. Great to get info on this subject - really enjoyed your video! 👍🏻

[@garrymercer757]

They are all over the east coast of Australia. The blue mountains species is the most venomous but lives under tree bark and not often seen. The sydney area species from newcastle to nowra are the most dangerous. Im now on the far south coast and once had 3 in my bed, ive been told these are not so venomous but im not about to test it. There is an enormous species in Qld that digs borrows in rock hard ground but is more likely to frighten you to death

[@jimcrawford5039]

They are pretty widespread right down to Victoria but it is the SYDNEY variety that is the killer.

[@thomjanson9644]

I live in the Byron hinterland and I swear I found one near a lot in our garden… it looked very similar… what else could it have been?

[@Daeyel]

They are in Brisbane. Saw one in a mailbox in the early 1990's. Or were they having me on?

[@anzaeria]

It's indeed an interesting concept that the most dangerous spider in the world can be a potential life saver as well. Ive also heard that there's a component within their venom that can eliminate cancer cells.

[@andrewmacokatic7741]

Awesome and informative great work

[@TECH_LIFE_2024]

Cameraman never dies 😂

[@sprintershepherd4359]

once again I have to say your videos are so informative and you really capture our attention with all your information and narration . you make a really good video and love your message about every animal and how important they are , even the nasty ones . it is a tragedy and a crime to mother nature every time any living thing goes extinct . One question can or do funnel webs jump when threatened and if so how far . or is it just an old wives tail ?

[@WickedWildlife]

Funnelwebs and their relatives are actually all unable to jump! And Thankyou so much for the kind words 😊

[@thelstanedwardsson4374]

Great Video. Subbed. I'm so fascinated with Dangerous Spiders and Snakes and the Animal Kingdom in General. This Funnel Web has always fascinated me - Male and Female. Brazilian Wanderer, Black Widow, Brown Recluse, Sand Spider, Red Backs - all of interest.☺

[@mutantkoffee]

0:10 actually tried a bite

[@lindamccaughey6669]

Had no idea it was the boys to worry about thought it was the girls. Thanks for that

[@heleninglis9961]

What a great threat posture that beautiful girl has!

[@WickedWildlife]

She knows how to put a show on for sure!

[@meowleriebee2996]

I love how the spider turned and looks at the camera like he knows he’s on a show 😂 look mah I’m on TV!

[@Davidovar34]

That poke at the start made me hella anxious🤣

[@jogman262]

I watched this and screamed "Don't piss him off!!!!"

[@allenjenkins7947]

So, we have the Sydney funnelweb and the redback, the inland taipan and eastern brown snake, the box jelly and irukandji, the blue-ringed octopus, the stonefish and the geographer cone snail. However, I feel that we are being let down by our scorpions, none of which can deliver more than a painful sting. Still, one can live in hope that one day in the detritus of a tropical rainforest, or under a rock in some remote desert, another world champion will be discovered. As long at it's not me that finds it.

[@paulburley7993]

Trade you for some grizzly bears, moose, mountain lions and rattlesnakes!😂🇨🇦

[@ccyoutube8793]

Thank you for informing me two places I won’t be living in 😅

[@user-ib6xp9zx6f]

And then you move to Africa!

[@paulburley7993]

@Thomas Miles Was there in January and I can promise you that a 3 m brown spitting cobra in your mess tent was very unnerving! Then there's the hippos grazing outside your tent at night! Oh, and the lions walking through your compound at night and hyenas more than a little too close.😆

[@Reevesy791]

I thought the Brazilian wandering spider was the most venomous? Anyway, great video!

[@toyboxlemonza3293]

Nope, drop for drop the Sydney funnel web has the most toxic venom. The wandering spider is dangerous only due to the housing conditions of people in it's territory. Housing is of poor quality meaning the bite rate of this spider is quite high. If the wandering spider possessed the same venom as the Sydney funnel web, they would be burying people every day.

[@sharkboy_twentytwo8155]

I thought I knew a little about your grumpy customer there, but apparently not. I learned more on this one video than in my life. Great stuff. (Man she was just not happy. She was ready to give anybody in the room a bad day. Wow)

[@WickedWildlife]

Thanks for watching mate! She’s certianly capable of ruining your weekends plans that’s for sure!

[@Daeyel]

Agoraphobia does that to people. And spiders.

[@SARISS80]

Spider: Dude, I got things to do. Hello, I'm down here.

[@bssn9469]

Outstanding! Great content, thanks.

[@WickedWildlife]

Thanks mate

[@teeyoungblood7627]

I thought the Brazilian wandering spider was the most venomous deadly spider, or the Six eyed Sand spider.

[@ItsAlwaysHappyHour]

Brazilian Wandering Spider (Phoneutria) venom is likely more potent that Sydney Funnel Web (Atrax robustus) when delivered to mice/rats as test subjects. However, Atrax venom is particularly effective on primates. Odd considering that apart from humans, Australia does not have significant populations of primates either introduced or in the wild. Atrax also delivers a far greater venom yield via those massive fangs than Phoneutria, 176mg vs 1.8mg (yes approximately 100x the volume). This has resulted in a reported death from an Atrax bite after only 15 minutes. Atrax is also much more likely to deliver a live bite (e.g., envenomate prey) than Phoneutria with only 1/3 of Phoneutria bites delivering venom. Atrax is a primitive spider and does not actively conserve venom in the same way. It will usually latch on and repeatedly try to pump as much venom into the victim as possible. FYI, Atrax has an even more formidable cousin The Nothern Tree Dwelling Funnel-web (Hadronyche formidabilis). The venom is equally as toxic (possibly even more so) and because it's even larger it injects more venom. Pound for pound this spider can arguably lay claim to being the most dangerous spider to humans.

[@brandens7615]

The Brazilian wandering spider does have the most potent venom. But when it bit it injects very little so it's not as dangerous. The funnel web with its massive fangs and much bigger, thicker body delivers much much more venom making it more dangerous. But drop for drop the wandering spiders venom is more potent.

[@JusZard]

Who in tf is this weird spider freakin out at lmfao 🤣

[@FrankDeCoster-FrakkeZeroOne]

I've heard quite some gobbledygook about these spiders, but this explanation is about the most interesting I've ever come across. Thanks a gazillion!

[@foshizzle9458]

So mate is this spider considered one of the most aggressive also ? She was ready the whole time

[@adammoore652]

Extremely aggressive they actually put there fangs up and run at you if u have seen a funnel Web spider in person they leak venom out of there fangs

[@Random_user_8472]

What you see with this beautiful spider is a defensive attitude, she was ready the whole time to defend herself. Spiders are aware that we are much bigger than they are and if possible they will avoid human contact and they will only bite if provoked.

[@allenjenkins7947]

Very interesting. I knew that dogs were less susceptible to spider bites than humans, but now I know why. Very strange to have evolved with a toxin so specific to primates on the only habitable continent with no native primates. It's almost as if it foresaw the introduction of the Blundstone 😆.

[@manabouttongue]

Aren't you forgetting the aborigines? They were there first, you know.

[@AmeriMutt76]

Lived in Sidney for a minute and was looking for climbing spots near where I was staying in Middle Cove. Just down a path toward the water was a park around "the cove" and some nice 12-15 M tall sandstone cliffs with beautiful pockets.. after climbing there twice, and noticing many of the pockets had lots of webbing, we went to a climbing store to ask after some sport climbs, and asked why these cliffs aren't bolted for climbing. Everyone in the store kinda freaked out while emphasizing never to climb there again, funnel web city. We mostly climbed the seacliffs around Bondi after that.

[@phku17]

Thank you!!! educating students in Hong Kong about the conservation of our nature. :)

[@z1az285]

Fantastic video. Just when you said "...this video should be a very interesting one", she made two to three attempts which were uncomfortably close to your hand 😬, but for all their feistiness they are absolutely fascinating and provide a window into the past of spider evolution. In a way they remind me of a saber tooth analogue in the spider world, slow and lumbering (though they can scurry away quickly) and poor vision but brawlers with big fangs and very successful in their habitat, so nature hasn't changed them much. I could watch them for hours.

[@Sunspot232]

Hi, sorry for my bad english, I'm still learning. Well, I just disagree about "the most venomous" because there are a lot of spiders to be studied, Missulena bradleyi venom might be even more potent, but their bites are rare and they can deliver a dry bite or just small amounts, and they probably don't have so much venom like the funnel web, the same for the South American mouse spiders (Actinopus) one of them, Actinopus crassipes, has a mean venom yield of just 0.09 mg, however, in South America they reported symptoms like muscle contractions. I also believe that Hadronyche spiders might have a more potent venom than Atrax Robustus. The same for Phoneutria, out of nine species of Phoneutria, the only well studied one is Phoneutria nigriventer, not much is known about the venom of other Phoneutria and other members of Ctenidae family. And like the mouse spiders, Phoneutria can deliver a dry bite, and they have a very low venom yield, an average of 0.44 mg and a maximum of 1.8 mg (winter) and 2.5 mg (summer). What about Latrodectus? I believe they have a quite potent venom, but the venom yield is very low, even lower than Phoneutria. South American recluse spiders (L. laeta, L. intermedia, L. gaucho and L. similis) and sand spiders (Sicarius/Hexophthalma) are good candidates to be the most venomous, Loxosceles produces only 4 microliters of venom and 30 to 100 micrograms of proteins, and even with very small amounts of venom, they are responsible for more human deaths than any other spider in the continent.

[@RoastedToastedPoops]

This is very interesting information, thanks for sharing. Also your English is just fine :)

[@Sunspot232]

@@RoastedToastedPoops Thank you!😊

[@Daeyel]

So, you have a masters or Doctorate in Spiderology? Fuck, but you know more than is healthy.

[@Sunspot232]

@@Daeyel No, I don't. I just read many PDFs about. But I really want to study venomous animals in general.

[@SamFisherDk]

'Oy mate, you see that spider over there?' 'Yeah' 'iam gonna wrestle it '

[@octoman_games]

that spider is always in attack mode!

[@katrinacade8426]

And it's not just funnel web venom scientists are noticing to be beneficial to people, it's snake venom as well as other types of spider venom. So we really need to preserve these creatures because as dangerous as they are, they could one day end up being the answers were looking for in medical science.

[@spracketskooch]

Indeed. Fire is dangerous, but helped us tremendously. Same goes for weapons, vehicles, domesticating wolves, etc. Pretty much everything that allows humanity to leap forward can also kill us.

[@cobbsta88]

Unusual amoungst spiders for the male to be more dangerous haha

[@thelandlord111]

Years back got home from the pub and went to bed. Felt something running around on my bed. Thought it was a Christmas beetle. Swatted it away. Then it ran up the side of my body and into my armpit. Swatted it away again and fell asleep. Woke up next morning and found a squashed male funnel web in my bed. I’d rolled on it. Very very lucky to not get bitten

[@Daeyel]

Quit telling this story. Your guardian angel faints at the memory every time you tell it.

[@sandrajohnson8071]

Back in the 80's I found a funnel Web ,at the time it was the most northern found one ,that was about 100 kilometres north of Newcastle ,got on the news ,and a few years later found the most southern Cain toad same area

[@dennisdougherty9531]

I thought Brazilian wandering spider is the deadliest in the world.

[@Unconskep]

No, its just killed more people, so it's considered more dangerous , its not more venomous

[@martynohara8101]

Brazilian wandering spider has a lower LD50- Lethal Dose to 50 mice. The Sydney Funnel Web spider won't even kill you cat but as stated in this video the SFW spider has a component in its venom that is extremely lethal to primates- humans. So the SFW spider venom is the most lethal humans and not other mammals.

[@noelwright1165]

Thank fuck I live in West aus

[@WickedWildlife]

😂😂

[@S-I-T]

She looks so badass.

[@mtheory85]

She spent the whole video like, "We doing this or no?"

[@SpideyFan-onst]

I thought the Brazilian Wandering Spider was the most venomous spider in the world.

[@RyanRFC]

Well the male Sydney Funnel Web has killed more people I think the Funnel Web is more deadly/dangerous to humans/primates, I’m pretty sure a Wandering spider killed 2 children in the same night but I’m not sure if it has killed any adults, also another thing to take into account is that sometimes the wandering spider will give you a warning bite without injecting any venom before inflicting a venomous bite if the warning bite doesn’t convince you to leave it alone while the funnel web will always try to inject as much venom as possible so that’s another reason why the funnel web is more dangerous/deadly to humans

[@kellyhenderson9972]

Second most

[@aisaxonawiat6484]

The two are very similar in every aspect.

[@SpideyFan-onst]

@@aisaxonawiat6484 except the Brazilian Wandering Spider will give you a 4 hour long PAINFUL erection when it bites you.

[@aisaxonawiat6484]

@@SpideyFan-onst ..... yes I was going to mention that but I didn't want to make a lengthy comment but I'm glad you brought that up.

[@budthecyborg4575]

"Most Toxic Venom To Primates" "Australia Has No Natural Primates" Sometimes people get causation and correlation mixed up.

[@maxl3189]

Care to elaborate?

[@budthecyborg4575]

@@maxl3189 Obviously the spiders are the reason there are no SURVIVING natural Primates in Australia.

[@cephalonplant4087]

@@maxl3189 They killed all the primates which is why there arent any.

[@blackletter2591]

It's simple enough: these toxins can kill humans, not other animals. The point he is making is that the spiders evolved in a primate-free environment, so why do they kill humans? I read that it's something to do with keeping the prey 'fresh'. It's not that the toxin targets primates, more that it doesn't exempt them, because it evolved without them. I don't get it, because what about, say cats, to which it had no exposure, yet It's not lethal to them?

[@suad01]

Venoms are targeted towards prey items, indicating evolutionary pressure for venom optimisation.

[@teddeitrich8780]

Whew that’s a very lethal spider

[@paulfogarty7724]

Here in Ireland , apart from native bees & wasp stings, we never had any nasty stuff to be aware of. However in the last few years we got an unwelcome immigrant. The False Recluse spider - I flatten the buggers on sight !

[@aELLimA]

I love how we don’t see it move from one spot to another; it’s always a quick cut. I want to see him jump back when she starts crawling. 😂

[@rorus9530]

I had no idea spiders could live that long.

[@Euro.Patriot]

I haven't seen one of these guys in over 5 years. I rarely see spiders, I see more crabs because I go to the beach almost every day looking for them.

[@simarkeenlyside]

Wonderful chat on that female funnelweb.thanks alot .

[@bryanp4827]

Great video Nick, and Gees i just love that imposing posture of a Funnel Web! 👍

[@narelleravesi4993]

Excellent video,thank you,👏👏👏👏

[@roytrenneman2200]

Had one recently crawling along my bedroom floor as I was about to go to sleep. Managed to catch it and put it outside.

[@AchillesRage501]

the most golden rule about wild life if you respect them and not mess around you will live to see another day

[@thenamestripp]

i’ve handled so many spiders and none of them are even close to what i would call aggressive, the fact that it stayed ready to attack the entire time and was even bucking at your movements is crazy… i want one so bad 😅

[@jamiesuzanne5781]

Watching you be so close to it, waving your hands, and simultaneously looking away makes my skin crawl with anxiety!

[@seanmoriarty2]

found a pair under my welcome mat here on the Central Coast, NSW. Didn't have the heart to kill them so captured them in a salad bowl and relocated them to uninhabited bushland.

[@oldmadandkiwi]

Awesome,

[@User58747]

She looks pretty aggressive!

[@barry7608]

Always worth watching, thanks. I was stoned off my face a long time ago with some mates. A good friend and very cool guy says to me there’s a funnel web spider under your chair. Calling his bluff I laughed and jiggled my feet around under the chair. He was sitting opposite and laughed saying “I’m fair dinkum” ! I knew him well enough realising his laugh was serious, anyway when I got up ready to look he said be careful it’s a big bastard, and it was. This was around 1980 and instead of catching it for venom extraction we killed it and very sad that I did. Hey intoxicated and not really capable of catching a lethal spider it seemed right at the time. Location Erina on the central coast.

[@rhythmnblues9195]

Spider- “Where’s the camera?! Oh it’s back there!!” 👋🏻

[@theozzyjoker2985]

Not only the most venomous spider, but also one of the most aggressive. A funnel web when disturbed wont run away. They stand their ground just like the 1 in this video. They don't flee

[@resiefan3258]

The most venemous is the Brazillian wandering spider, funnel webs come in at 3rd or 4th depending on the source.

[@theozzyjoker2985]

@@resiefan3258 oh true. First I've heard of that. Who really knows these days. So many conflicting reports. I'm pretty confident in saying it is the most venomous in Australia though. ✌️

[@wheatstonebridge]

I watched this video without looking at all. Still.... thanks!!

[@tjg1989]

Welcome to Aus😂 I thought the funnel web was #2 behind the Brazilian wondering spider Great video mate

[@user-ib6xp9zx6f]

Yes, the Wandering Spider is even more venomous, larger and highly aggressive. You don't want to mess with either, but the Brazilian Bad Boy rules the roost!

[@ItsAlwaysHappyHour]

@@user-ib6xp9zx6f Leg span on the BWS is larger than the SFW, but SFW body size and fangs are larger than the BWS. The SFW also delivers an average of almost 100x the venom yield during a live bite.

[@pedrogonzales4669]

The cartoon "Back to the Outback" comes to mind

[@petergmred2005]

Mate,top video. I learnt more in 5mins about our funnelweb then i ever knew. They strut when they walk n thats what scares me most.