In the waning days of the massive fires that ravaged Australia, heavy rains in January of this year brought relief from the flames as well as a series of warnings from wildlife officials that conditions had grown ripe for a massive emergence of funnel web spiders. The 13 deaths attributed to funnel-webs are all chalked up to males of the Sydney species, but the deaths came to an abrupt halt once an effective antivenom was developed in 1981. In particular, the Sydney funnel-web ( Atrax robustus) is often called the deadliest spider on Earth, explained Shannon Verhagen for Australian Biographic in 2017. Now, a new paper suggests that these spiders developed their potent venom to defend themselves against would-be predators while on the hunt for love, reports the Economist.Īustralia’s funnel-web spiders are a group of around 40 species that spend most of their time lurking in burrows framed by their signature funnel-shaped webs. But why the insect-eating Australian arachnid’s venom evolved to become deadly to humans, which are neither predator nor prey of the spiders, was something of a mystery. Bats, snakes, cockroaches, and spiders all tie into the same pattern.The venomous bite of the funnel-web spider can kill in hours if left untreated. These may include maggots, that signal the presence of rotten meat, rats, which spread disease, and slugs, whose slimy texture is similar to bodily fluids emitted when sick. Humans are trained to recoil from animals or items that create feelings of disgust. Some believe this is because of “disgust-evoking status”. I want to keep them in sight so I know they’re not going to move.” She feels “repulsed, like I’m going to be sick. Instead, her revulsion is tied to the sensation of scuttling legs, the “unexpected shapes” a spider makes when it shifts, and its slimy underbelly when flipped over. “Venom and silk – they’re such beautiful, powerful words, I’m really attracted to them,” she admits. In the past, spiders presented a real peril to the human race, something that today – despite the development of modern medicine and antivenom – we continue to be prewired for.ĭarmody, like many arachnophobes, knows, intellectually at least, that spiders are unlikely to hurt her. In 1971, the psychologist Martin Seligman proposed the hypothesis of “biological preparedness”. Researchers have different theories about why this is. Redbacks, meanwhile, are responsible for roughly 2,000 bites per year, but only one fatality has been attributed to the species in the past 60 years.Ī seemingly un-afraid child looks at the spider specimens on display at the Australian Museum. That’s despite its powerful fangs – larger than a brown snake’s and able to pierce through a human toenail – and its ability to survive underwater for up to 30 hours (never, ever scoop one out of the pool with your bare hands). Since targeted funnel-web antivenom programs began in the 1980s, there have been no recorded deaths from the Sydney spider. Indeed, just two native Australian spiders are a real danger to humans: the Sydney funnel-web, most likely found on the pricey North Shore (“ the more expensive the area, the greater the funnel-web population”, according to the Australian Museum website), and the redback. Yet despite the vast numbers of people who fear spiders to some degree ( 55% of women and 18% of men in the western world) and the country’s reputation abroad for fearsome creepy-crawlies, you’re more likely to be killed by a bee sting than a spider bite. It’s a bodily response.”Īustralia is home to 10,000 spider species. “I’m recoiling,” gasps the Sydney-based author, who has come with me to confront her worst fears.
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