Here is the next installment of Aussie Animals that can Kill you: The Sydney Funnel-web Spider
I'm so glad I don't live in or around Sydney. Apart from the beautiful scenery, and so many great places to visit, it is also the home of Australia's the world's most venomous (most toxic to humans) spider, the Sydney Funnel-web Spider. More specifically, it is the male whose venom packs the most punch. A dose of just 0.2 mg/kg of this spider's venom is considered lethal to humans. Between 30 and 40 people are treated each year for Funnel-Web bites. To date there have been 13 recorded deaths, but none in recent years, due to the development of an antivenom.
The male of the species is the one most commonly encountered, as it wonders around the Sydney suburbs in the warmer months, looking for females holed up in their tube-like webs in sheltered, damp habitats such as under rocks and logs. These spiders are quite aggressive, and will strike out of disturbed.
The male is identified by it having a smaller abdomen then the females, and comparitively longer legs.... but who would even stick around to measure those!!
These spiders typically grow to around 5cm in body-length, although recently a 8cm long male, named "Colossus" was captured in a Sydney garden, and taken to the Australia Reptile Park to be used for milking its venom to make antivenom. One dose of antivenom requires about 70 milkings, and treatment for a bite can anywhere between 4 and 12 vials (in February 2017 12 vials were needed to treat a 10-year-old boy who was bitten).
The average onset of symptoms of a bite is around the 28 minute mark, but there has been at least one recorded case of a young child dying within 15 minutes. It is understandable therefore that a bite from a Sydney Funnel-web Spider is considered a medical emergency, and required immediate hospital treatment. Failure to get treatment immediately could result in death with 1 hour, or sooner in some cases.
Symptoms of a bite
Symptoms of a bite from a Sydney Funnel-web Spider, as reported by the Australian Reptile Park include:
The large fangs and acidic venom make the bite very painful. Bite symptoms start early, beginning with tingling around the mouth, twitching of the tongue, profuse salivating, watery eyes, sweating and muscle spasms. Hypertension and an elevated heartbeat occur which, when combined with respiratory distress may be very severe and potentially lethal.
This is one of the reasons not to leave your shoes outside the house... You may find one of these hiding out in one of them the next morning.
Luckily for me I live all the way on the other side of the country, so there's one less deadly animal I have to worry about!!
Pervious "Aussie Anmials that Can kill you" posts include:
