Arachnophilia Trivia Quiz

The Sydney funnel-web spider (binomial name Atrax robustus), is one of the world's most venomous spiders, native to a 100 km (60 mile) radius around Sydney, Australia. What makes it particularly interesting is that the male's venom is significantly more potent to humans than the female's, which is an unusual trait among spiders.

The Brazilian wandering spider (genus Phoneutria), also known as the armed spider or banana spider, is fascinating because of several unique characteristics. Unlike most spiders that build webs, these nocturnal hunters actively roam the forest floor in search of prey, displaying a distinctive aggressive defensive posture by raising their front legs high when threatened.

Their wandering nature can sometimes lead them into human dwellings, where they might hide in dark, moist places like shoes or clothing, leading to accidental encounters, and with their powerful venom, that can be very bad.

The redback spider (binomial name Latrodectus hasselti) is an Australian arachnid, closely related to the infamous black widow. The female, distinguished by a pea-sized black body and prominent red or orange stripe on her back, possesses a potent neurotoxic venom. Yet, despite their venomous reputation, redback spiders are not aggressive and bites typically only occur when they are accidentally disturbed in their webs.

The Lycosa tarantula, also called the "wolf spider," holds a fascinating naming history as it was the original spider to bear the name "tarantula." This designation, derived from the city of Taranto in southern Italy, was mistakenly applied due to a belief that its bite caused a hysterical dancing frenzy known as "tarantism." In reality, Lycosa tarantula is a burrowing, nocturnal hunter that doesn't spin capture webs.

Its bites are similar to bee stings in intensity.

Brown recluse spiders (binomial name Loxosceles reclusa) are indeed reclusive, preferring dark, undisturbed areas like basements, closets, and woodpiles, and they are not aggressive, so bites to humans are actually quite rare.

A key identifying feature, beyond their often difficult to see violin-shaped marking, is their unique eye arrangement. Unlike most spiders with eight eyes, brown recluses have just six eyes arranged in three pairs.

The black widow spider (binomial name Latrodectus mactans) is renowned for its potent venom and distinctive red hourglass marking on the female's abdomen. And while its venom is indeed a powerful neurotoxin, much stronger than that of a rattlesnake by volume, fatalities from black widow bites are extremely rare, thanks to the small amount of venom injected and the availability of antivenom since the 1930s.

The 'widow' moniker comes from the well-known "sexual cannibalism" where the female eats the male after mating. In actuality it is quite uncommon in the wild, occurring more frequently in captive settings.

These shy, nocturnal spiders prefer to build their irregular, tangled webs in dark, undisturbed areas like woodpiles, sheds, and under rocks, and will typically only bite defensively if they feel threatened or are accidentally pressed against skin.

The brown widow spider (binomial name Latrodectus geometricus) is a relative of the black widow found around the globe, with its presence growing in many warm climates, including parts of the United States. It possesses a similar neurotoxic venom as its more famous cousin, but the brown widow's bite is generally considered less medically significant due to it injecting a smaller amount of venom.

Brown widows are also often less aggressive than black widows, tending to play dead or retreat rather than bite, and they frequently build their irregular, messy webs in more exposed outdoor locations like under eaves, in mailboxes, or within cluttered outdoor items, leading to more frequent encounters with humans.

The Eastern mouse spider (binomial name Missulena bradleyi) is endemic to Australia's east coast, and gets its common name from an old, now disproven, belief that it dug burrows resembling those of mice. Its venom is considered to be potentially as serious as that of the similarly-featured funnel-web spider, but with funnel-web antivenom proven effective against severe bites, recorded envenomations are rare.

Females are typically all black and remain in their deep, trapdoor-covered burrows, while males, often exhibiting a distinctive bluish patch on their abdomen, wander in search of mates, especially after rain, which can lead them into human spaces.

The zebra spider (binomial name Salticus scenicus) is a small (and cute) jumping spider found widely across the Northern Hemisphere, often close to human habitations on sunny walls, fences, and even indoors.

Unlike many spiders, it doesn't spin a web to catch prey. Instead, it's an active, daytime hunter that relies on its exceptionally keen eyesight and impressive jumping abilities to stalk and pounce on insects up to several times its own size.

The Goliath birdeater (binomial name Theraphosa blondi) holds the impressive title of being the largest spider in the world by mass and body length, with a leg span that can reach up to 30 cm (12 in) and a weight of over 170 grams (6 oz), comparable to a small dinner plate.

Despite its size and intimidating name, it rarely preys on birds, The name was popularized after it was depicted in an 18th-century engraving consuming a hummingbird. Instead, these nocturnal South American arachnids primarily feed on insects, frogs, lizards, and small rodents.