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Deadly and venomous arachnids

It's not unusual for people to have a fear of creepy crawlies, but more often than not, it’s an irrational fear. Will a cockroach strike you down in the prime of your life? Probably not. Thats not to say that being frightened by some scuttling creatures is ridiculous. We pick out the 10 deadliest spiders in the world and let you know just why it is you should be afraid of them.

Brown Recluse
This spider is mainly found in the America and its bite can cause great trouble. They usually hide in dark places and if bitten by this spider, the venom can result in fever, vomiting, shivering along with redness around the bite and swelling. The brown recluse's venom can also cause significant cutaneous injury with tissue loss and necrosis.

Black Widow
Also known as the latrodectus Hesperus and mostly they are black, although a few of them are also found in a brown colour. They tend to live in hot climate and are found in the United States. One per cent of the total bites by the female black widow to people have resulted in death.

Brazilian Wandering Spider
The Brazilian Wandering Spider is nowhere near the biggest spider in the world. In fact, at only five inches across, it is pretty small, but do not be fooled by this. According to some researchers, this is the deadliest arachnid on the planet, and it is both highly aggressive and territorial. Sometimes called the Banana spider because many are found in bunches of the fruit, this beast is definitely one to avoid.

Funnel-web Spider
Funnel-web spider venom is highly toxic, and all species should be considered potentially dangerous. Males wander at night, especially during or after rain, and may enter houses. Bites by males of two large species, the Sydney funnel-web and northern tree funnel-web, have resulted in death.

Mouse Spider
Known to cause severe illness, especially to young children - similar to Red-Back Spider. Although normally not aggressive, the male mouse spider will bite if provoked, and should be considered dangerous to humans. It has large hard fangs which can cause a deep painful bite. First aid and medical attention (ambulance) should be sought as soon as possible.

Redback Spider
Redback spiders feed mainly on ground-living insects that blunder into their webs, but small vertebrates such as lizards and even mice can fall victim. Also eaten - after mating - are the tiny male redbacks. Redback spiders are not aggressive, and rarely leave the web. However caution is advised as their bite is very poisonous and potentially fatal for children or the elderly. After a bite, the onset of pain may be delayed for five minutes then increase in intensity.

Wolf Spider
A ground dweller, with a burrow retreat. It has a roving nocturnal lifestyle to hunt their prey and can move very rapidly when disturbed. The bite of the Wolf Spider is poisonous but not lethal. Although non-aggressive, they bite freely if provoked and should be considered dangerous to humans. The bite may be very painful.

Goliath Birdeater Tarantula
The most dangerous thing about the goliath bird-eater is its ability to flick urticating hairs from its body at any creature it perceives as a threat, including humans. This is not a species of tarantula you'd keep as a pet. The tiny, almost invisible hairs that it voluntarily sends floating through the air are extremely irritating to our skin, and can cause real problems if they got into delicate mucous membranes around eyes and mouth. But the goliath bird-eating spider is pretty harmless to humans, as are most species of tarantulas. The biggest one on record was just over 11 inches across - as big as a dinner plate! They do carry venom in their fangs and have been known to bite humans when threatened, but the venom just causes swelling and mild pain for a few hours (like a wasp sting). Tarantula bites to humans are usually in self-defense and don't always contain spider venom - what is known as a "dry bite".

Sac Spider
Sac spiders are thought to bite more humans than any other spider. Their venom contains a cytotoxin, which means it kills cells and will lead to tissue breakdown and blistering at the bite site. Sac spiders are quite pale, the most common house species are pale greenish, tan or straw coloured. They have distinctive long front legs that face forward and wave about when on the hunt. Sac spiders actively hunt at night and weave together a protective tube of silk to rest in during the day. Sac spiders are very useful to farmers because they control pests. There are many species of Sac spider in Africa, at least 3 species have been identified in Egyptian cotton fields alone.

Hobo Spider
Although the bite of the hobo spider is initially painless, the bite can be serious. After 24 hours, the bite develops into a blister and after 24-36 hours, the blister breaks open, leaving an open, oozing ulceration. Typically when the venom is injected, the victim will experience an immediate redness, which develops around the bite. The most common reported symptom is severe headache. Other symptoms can include nausea, weakness, fatigue, temporary memory loss and vision impairment. In any case, first aid and medical attention should be sought, if bitten, as and when any adverse health effects are observed.

No matter what area you live or holiday in, spiders are going to be there. Which ones all depend on your region. However, with spiders you should always precede with caution as you never know what you might be encountering.

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