What types of venomous spiders and snakes are there in Australia?

Question

I have heard that there are some spiders that are so poisonous that if you get bit by them, you can hang it up, any truth to these stories? And are their certain spiders and snakes that tend to be found only in certain Australian towns and cities?

Does anyone try to capture these spiders, milk them for their venom and see if it can be used by the drug companies to fight other types of diseases?

Thanks

Answer 1

Google spiderzrule For a site that has spiders from all over. Look at Red Back and Funnel Web spiders.

Answer 2

1

Fierce Snake

Oxyuranus microlepidotus  Also known as the Inland Taipan.

Distribution : Central Australia

Habitat : Dry Plains And Grasslands

Food : Frogs , Small Mammals

Breeding : Egg-Laying

Appearance : Brown Or Olive Colors , Black Markings On The Head Or Uniformly Black Head

The venom injected in a single bite from this snake is sufficient to kill 100 adult humans. Up to 2m (6ft)  

2

Common Brown

Pseudechis australis  Also known as the  King Brown Snake.

Distribution : Whole Australia

Habitat : Forests To Deserts

Food : Frogs , Small Mammals

Breeding : Live-Bearing

Appearance : Dark Reddish To Brown Colors , The Colors Become Paler On The Sides And Undersides

Size: Up to 2m (6ft)  

3

Taipan

Oxyuranus scutellatus  Distribution : NE And Extreme North Australia , New Guinea

Habitat : Forests , Open Woodlands

Food : Small Mammals

Breeding : Egg-Laying

Appearance : Lightly Keeled Scales , Light Or Dark Brown Fading To A Paler Shade On The Sides And Underside . Head Is Usually Lighter In Colour

Size: Up to 6 ft (2 m) long, closely related to the Fierce Snake.  

4

Eastern Tiger

Notechis scutatus Size : To 1.2M

Distribution : Australia : The Eastern Side Of Australia

Habitat : Forests , Open Grasslands

Food : Frogs

Breeding : Live-Bearing , Usually 30 At Onetime

Appearance : It Can Be Olive Or Even Reddish And Usually Has A Series Of Lighter Crossbands , It Flattens Its Neck When It Is Angry  

5

Riesvie Tiger Snake  Size : To 2M

Distribution : Australia

Habitat : Forests , Open Grasslands

Food : Small Mammals , Birds

Breeding : Live-Bearing  

6

Beaked Sea Snake  Size : To 2M

Distribution : NE Australia

Habitat : A Marine Species

Food : Fish , Eels

Breeding : Egg

Appearance : Wide Head , Some Species With Bands  

7

Western Tiger Snake  Size : To 2M

Distribution : Australia

Habitat : Forests , Open Grasslands

Food : Small Mammals , Birds

Breeding : Live-Bearing  

8

Giant Black Tiger Snake

Notechis ater Size : To 1.2M

Distribution : Australia : Tasmania , Islands In The Bass Strait

Habitat : Rocky Places , Dunes , Beaches , Tussock Grass

Food : Small Mammals , Frogs , Seabird Chicks

Breeding : Live-Bearing

Appearance : Large Body , Usually Black Sometimes Has Traces Of Lighter Crossbands , When Alarmed It May Spread Its Neck  

9

Death Adder

Acanthopis antarcticus  Size : To 40-50cm

Distribution : Most Of Australia Except Central Desert Region

Habitat : Dry , Rocky , Or Scrubby Places

Food : Small Mammals , Birds And Reptiles , It Uses The Tip Of Its Tail To Lure The Prey To Within Striking Distance

Breeding : Live-Bearing

Appearance : Broad , Triangular Head , Short Tail , Colors Grey To Brown Or Red , It Has A Number Of Irregular Crossbands Over The Body  

10

Western Brown Snake

Pseudechis nuchalis  Size : To 1.5M

Distribution : Most Of Australia Except Extreme SW And Se

Habitat : From Forests To Grasslands , Gravelly Plains And Deserts

Food : Small Mammals And Reptiles

Breeding : Egg-Laying

Appearance : Narrow Black Head And Black Neck Or Many Narrow Dark Crossbars , Colors Light Brown To Black Or May Have A Series Of Lighter Bands Around The Body  

Australia has two spiders whose bites can cause death - the red-back spider and the funnel-web spider.



Red-Back Spiders

Where found: In all areas of Australia.

Size: Around 2 to 3 cm long including legs.

Comments: The red-back is a close relative of the black-widow. The red-back's venom is slow acting and anti-venom is effective. Most victims of red-back bites do not become ill. Death from red-back bites is possible but rare. There have been no deaths from red-back bites since anti-venom became available in 1956. On average around 250 anti-venom treatments for red-back bites are administered each year in Australia.

Red-backs are shy and will feign death in preference to biting. Bites usually occur when the spider is forced into contact with a person putting on gardening gloves or similar garments.



Funnel-Web Spiders

Where found: Dangerous species of funnel webs are found in Sydney and Brisbane. Possible isolated instances in Adelaide. Not found in Melbourne or Perth.

Size: Females are bigger than males at 6 or 7 cm long including legs. Putting this in perspective, a female funnel web is about the same width as a human's palm.

Comments: Unlike the shy red-back, these are aggressive creatures and will not hesitate to attack. Furthermore, their venom is fast acting and, unless treated, a bite can result in rapid death - within an hour.

Although funnel-web spiders are more aggressive than red-backs, their bites are much less common because funnel-webs are bigger and more easily seen. On average around 5 or 6 bites require anti-venom treatment each year in Australia.

In an attack the funnel-web spider will grip its victim and bite several times. Anti-venom became available in 1980 and since then there have been no deaths from funnel-web bites.

Other spiders

A variety of other venomous spiders, such as the mouse spider and the wolf spider can be found in all cities. These spiders' venom can be very painful but is not life threatening and the spiders themselves are not aggressive - bites are uncommon.

Answer 3

Yes there are black widows that can be found throughout Australia.  You not supposed to touch them because if they bite you then you will have to be treated with anti venom right away.  There are about 10 deadly snakes there including the copperhead and the viper.  Most of these snakes live on an uninhabited island that is off the coast of Australia although some live directly on the island.  I would suggest that you don't go out looking for them lol.  They also have deadly things that can be found in the water such as the jellyfish, platypus, and octopus.