I'm NEVER going to Australia!!!

**Cat** · 26th October 08, 12:17 AM

I used to be a pretty severe arachniphobe. But once I got a pet tarantula about ten years ago (RIP Klaus...who was actually a female, although her previous owner didn't know that), and started studying up on spiders, I've since become really fascinated by them. While golden-orb weaver venom is slightly toxic to humans, it usually just causes localized pain, occasionally blisters and a rash around the wound for a day or two. Nothing too severe, and many "non-toxic" spider bites can cause the same reactions. Most relatives of this species in the US only inhabit south-eastern states like Texas, the Carolinas, and Louisiana. It's nothing to worry about, even if you get bitten (and up to 50% of spider bites are "dry", meaning that they don't inject any venom.) If I see a spider in my apartment, I usually either A) leave it alone, or B) let the cat eat it. Unless it's a black widow (which are pretty common throughout the entire US), they don't bother me anymore. Hey, at least it's not an Sydney Funnel-Web spider! They're considered one of the most dangerous spiders on the planet, and most ER's in the Sydney region actually have special treatment units and doctors to deal specifically with their bites. They look like tarantulas (except shiny and black, like a black widow), and their venom can be fatal pretty quickly (within an hour or two, usually far less.) "Atrax Robustus" is a nasty little bugger, and I wouldn't want to meet one...ever. Atraxotoxin is pretty nasty stuff, and can kill in as little as fifteen minutes. Plus, they tend to be really aggressive, which most spiders are not. Sleep tight!;-)