Sydney funnel-web spider (Atrax robustus)

One of the most deadliest spiders. I found this one floating on the surface of our pool (see the bubbles). Usually they will have sunk to the bottom. When in the pool, they seem to go into hibernation and are quite easy to handle . However, after drying out, they will often come back to life. I fed this one to our chickens. They love them. It makes the eggs a little spicy though :-). Curiously, funnel-web toxin is deadly only to primates and insects not to other animals. The toxicity to primates must be an accident of evolution since funnel-webs were around long before us. Females and males live solitary lives in separate burrows. Females emerge only to ambush passing prey. In the summer months, males will leave their burrows after dark and go wandering in search of a female. This is when they accidentally fall into pools, wander into houses or crawl into clothing left lying on the ground.

ArachnidsScorpionsSpidersSydney funnelweb spider