From a spider that can be up to a foot long to a spider whose bite will make you dance,
today we look at the Top Most Terrifying Spiders In The World!
Number 13.
“Sydney Funnel-Web Spider” One of the world’s most dangerous spiders
is found only in the small area that surrounds the Australian city of Sydney.
The Sydney Funnel-Web Spider usually lives in the bushlands in this region but can also
be found prowling about in the suburbs.
The spider can be identified by its shiny black exterior and large size, having a maximum
leg span of 10 cm.
They also have large fangs that can easily plunge through skin and cartilage.
They usually feed on smaller creatures such as insects but have also been known to devour
birds that fall into their trapdoor-like burrows.
They contain an extremely toxic venom that can stop a human’s heart in under 15 minutes.
Strangely enough, though, a bizarre evolutionary mishap, the venom is only usually harmful
to invertebrates or primates.
If a dog or other small mammal is bitten their immune system usually nullifies the venom’s
effects within the hour and they will be fine.
Number 12.
“Tarantula Wolf Spider” There is an old Italian superstition that
states if you are bitten by a Tarantula Wolf Spider you will become hysterical and unable
to control feelings of restlessness or overexcitement.
This effect was called Tarantism and it was believed that the only cure was dancing, this
is how the Italian dance, The Tarantella came to be.
The Tarantula Wolf Spider though technically not a tarantula is actually where that type
of spider derived its name.
It is actually a member of the wolf spider family and is found throughout southern Europe.
Though they do possess venom it is not actually hazardous to humans and it's only about as
painful as getting a flu shot.
Tarantula Wolf Spiders dig burrows in the ground and usually only come out at night
as they are nocturnal.
They hibernate during the winter months and tend to only be encountered when someone accidentally
steps into their dwelling.
The largest they have been found to be is just over an inch long from head to spinneret,
putting them on the large side of the spider size spectrum.
Number 11.
“Brown Recluse” Brown Recluses can be found in the Central
united States and as far east as Georgia, they may not be large measuring half an inch
at their largest but they are terrifying due to the dangerous venom they contain.
You can tell that you are dealing with a Brown Recluse by its brown coloration which ranges
from almost yellow to dark brown and the distinct violin shaped marking on their backs.
They are mainly harmless to humans as they try to avoid all contact but if they are spooked
when uncovered from their common hiding spots like under rocks or logs.
When they do bite the venom they release can be extremely harmful to humans, most of the
time the bite will only affect the area that is bitten causing a blister and possibly cause
a necrotic ulcer.
The venom can spread to the rest of the body and cause fever or flu-like systems but an
untreated wound that become infected is usually the cause of the worst results from a Brown
Recluse attack.
Number 10.
“Goliath Birdeater Tarantula” The Goliath Birdeater Tarantula of northern
South America is the largest spider in the world by size and weight.
Its leg-span can get up to a foot long and they have been found weighing upwards of 6
ounces.
It can be spotted by its size and its furry reddish brown exoskeleton.
Though when it was first discovered it was seen scarfing down a hummingbird, thus giving
it its nickname, this is a rare occurrence as their diet consists mainly of insects.
Though their size and appearance can be intimidating they are essentially harmless to humans and
their bite is often compared to that of a bee-sting.
Because of this they are one of the types of Tarantula that are often kept as pets.
Number 9.
“Redback Spider” This cousin of the Black Widow dwells throughout
Australia and can be identified by its black color and thick red stripe on its abdomen.
Redback Spiders are a fairly small spider growing up to only about 1 centimeter in diameter
and are usually found hiding in debris, wood-piles or in bushes trying to keep warm.
Because of this, attacks from Redbacks are frequent but since antivenom was first synthesized
there hasn’t been a single fatality as a result.
One will be able to tell if they were bitten by this creepy crawly if they start to experience
fatigue and nausea or irregular over-sweating around the site of the bite.
If you experience these symptoms you were most likely bitten by a female Redback as
the males are too small and their venom is non-toxic to humans.
Number 8.
“Kauai Cave Wolf Spider” The Kauai Cave Wolf Spider is one of the oddest-looking
and rarest spiders in the world.
Like its name suggests it only dwells on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai where it hides in
the lava tubes of the island’s volcano.
The spider has no eyes, because of this it is referred to colloquially as the Blind Wolf
Spider.
They can be identified by their long translucent legs, rust colored head and eggshell white
abdomen.
At their max they can grow up to just over three-quarters of an inch in body length.
Unlike most spiders they don't spin webs, instead the stalk and tackle their prey using
their size to overpower small insects and tiny crustaceans called amphipods.
They are not known to be hazardous to humans, but human encroachment on their habitat and
their need for a very specific environment to live has them on the endangered species
list.
Number 7.
“Brazilian Wandering Spider” The Brazilian Wandering Spider is quite large
and very dangerous.
Also known as banana spider due to their frequency of being found in shipments of bananas, Brazilian
Wandering Spiders were voted the most venomous animal in the world by the Guinness Book of
World Records in 2007.
They are found all over Central and South American and are called ‘wandering’ because
of their nomadic nature, foregoing the common spider abode of a web or burrow and instead
scurrying along the ground in rainforests.
Their venom contains a powerful neurotoxin that can shut down the body in minutes if
not immediately treated.
Other than the toxin the venom is known to contain an excessive amount of serotonin which
cause the bite and symptoms to become excruciatingly painful.
These spiders, which can grow upwards of 5 inches long have been known to crawl into
people’s beds, shoes or clothes when looking for places to lurk until feeding time.
This is especially terrifying as they are also known to be one of the more aggressive
species of spider, attacking anything that resembles food.
Their diet usually consists of lizards, small mammals and insects.
Number 6.
“Assassin Spider” The Assassin spider is probably the most bizarre
looking spider in the world.
It has a long neck and even longer jaws, these qualities are what give it the nickname ‘pelican
spider’.
They are very rare only living in southern parts of Africa and Australia and their unique
physical structure hearkens back to prehistory as they are believed to be from a splinter
group of spiders far back in the evolutionary timeline.
They are called Assassin Spider because their diets consists mainly of other spiders whom
they hunt by waiting til they crawl by and then plunging their sharp jaws into them.
They are fairly small and not harmful to humans but their reputation as spider hunters and
creepy looks make them terrifying to encounter.
Number 5.
“Black Widow” The dangerous Black Widow of North America
can be spotted by its jet black exterior and the iconic red hourglass on its abdomen.
They are known to have a maximum leg-span of an inch and a half long, and as in most
spider the females are much larger than the males.
Black Widows are considered the most venomous species of spider on its home continent and
though fatalities are rare their bite can really wreck a person’s day.
If a person is bitten they will experience increased blood pressure, severe nausea, high
fever and vomiting.
If the bite isn’t treated promptly it can do permanent damage to the body, especially
in children.
Black Widows like to hide in warm locations near the ground like cracks of houses, shrubs
and under rocks but their first instinct when encountered a human is to flee.
The Black Widow gets its name from the fact that on rare occasions the female spiders
will eat the male after mating.
Number 4.
“Mouse Spider” There are several different species that are
classified as Mouse Spiders and all are native to Australia.
These spiders can be identified by their frightening appearance, they have an abdomen that looks
like a microphone, giant fangs and a shiny black exoskeleton that sometimes bears striking
red features, . They can grow over an inch in size and dig deep burrows that they use
to trap unsuspecting prey.
Though they aren’t common in Urban areas they can be very dangerous to humans if provoked
as they have one of the most toxic venoms of all spiders, comparable to the Funnel-Web
Spider.
They aren’t considered to be aggressive, however, and may even not inject their venom
if biting a human.
They usually reserve this for their main source of nutrients: insects.
Number 3.
“Bird Dung Crab Spider” The disgusting looking Bird Dung Crab Spider
also known as the Bird Dropping Spider, gets its name from its odd choice of camouflage.
In order to avoid detection from bigger predators it is colored like that of bird feces and
even puts off a scent that is said to be almost identical.
These spiders can grow up to 14 millimeters in body length and mainly dwell in Australia
and surrounding islands.
Their mimicry doesn’t end at bird droppings, in order to attract mates and to catch their
preferred prey of moths they release similar pheromones to that of moths.
When male moths fly in thinking they are about to get lucky the Bird Dung Crab Spider lashes
it giant forelegs out and devours them.
They tend to avoid any contact with humans if possible and don’t do any harm other
than their stinky smell.
Number 2.
“Six-Eyed Sand Spider” Beneath the desert sands of southern Africa
the Six-Eyed Sand Spider lies and waits for its next victim.
These spiders exhibit some of the most perfect camouflage in the creature world they are
almost indistinguishable from the sand due to their color and habit of collecting dirt
particles in their tiny hairs to further improve their hiding ability.
They have been known to feed on any insect that ambles by them and even seen capturing
scorpions.
They are considered a medium sized spider but contain one of, if not the most toxic
venoms every found in a spider.
Because of their shy nature they aren’t many cases of them biting humans, but in the
wounds believed to have been caused by Six-Eyed Sand Spiders the results were either severe
necrosis of the affected body part or fatal massive-haemorrhaging.
Luckily even in the rare occurrence of an encounter with the spider they aren’t prone
to biting unless significantly provoked.
Number 1.
“Giant Huntsman Spider” The Giant Huntsman Spider is the largest species
of spider in the world by leg span, as they can grow up to a foot long from tip to tip.
Different types of the behemoth Huntsman Spiders can be found throughout the world but the
Giant Huntsman mainly lives in Southeast Asia, first being found in the country of Laos.
They commonly reside in forest areas or in caves.
Like its name suggests, the spider tracks it prey rather than lying and waiting in a
nest and typically eats large insects like grasshoppers or beetles.
While they do contain venom they aren’t considered to be dangerous to humans aside
from the pain of the bite.