The Sage of Shadowdale
Female Redback
The venom of the Redback is one of the most toxic spider venoms around. The Black Widow (dangerous American spider) is related to the Redback, but not quite as dangerous I believe. The Funnel Web is probably the only Australian spider more deadly than the Redback (Redbacks are often found lurking under toilet seats in Australia - outdoor toilets that is; pretty rare for them to come inside your house). Redback toxin is a neuro-toxin and this particular spider had a body length of about 1cm, about 3cm leg tip to leg tip (which is about normal size).
I found this guy in my back yard in a clay wall where my sons like to dig. I thought I'd take a couple shots before killing it so I could show my boys what to look out for before they climb up there to dig again next time. (No matter how careful you are, there's always something that can hurt them - this one would probably have put them in hospital if they were bitten and would most likely make an average adult male pretty sick too.)
Female Redback
The venom of the Redback is one of the most toxic spider venoms around. The Black Widow (dangerous American spider) is related to the Redback, but not quite as dangerous I believe. The Funnel Web is probably the only Australian spider more deadly than the Redback (Redbacks are often found lurking under toilet seats in Australia - outdoor toilets that is; pretty rare for them to come inside your house). Redback toxin is a neuro-toxin and this particular spider had a body length of about 1cm, about 3cm leg tip to leg tip (which is about normal size).
I found this guy in my back yard in a clay wall where my sons like to dig. I thought I'd take a couple shots before killing it so I could show my boys what to look out for before they climb up there to dig again next time. (No matter how careful you are, there's always something that can hurt them - this one would probably have put them in hospital if they were bitten and would most likely make an average adult male pretty sick too.)