Ctenidae

The Brazilian Wandering Spider

Phoneutria species

Dangerous

Photo: Rodrigo Tetsuo Argenton · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Family

Ctenidae

Size

Body up to 50 mm, leg span 180 mm

Region

Central & South America

Habitat

Forest floors by night; hides in vegetation, logs and bananas by day.

Overview

An aggressive, restless hunter and one of the most venomous spiders in the world. Strictly look-don't-touch.

Standout fact

When threatened it rears up on its back legs, exposing the red hairs around its fangs as a warning.

Parasteatoda tepidariorum

The spider you most often meet indoors. It builds tangled cobwebs in quiet corners and is completely harmless to people.

Latrodectus mactans

Glossy black with the unmistakable red hourglass. Its neurotoxic venom makes it the most medically significant spider in North America.

Loxosceles reclusa

A shy, reclusive hunter recognised by the dark violin shape on its back. Its cytotoxic venom can cause slow-healing wounds.

Phidippus audax

Charismatic, curious and fuzzy, with huge forward-facing eyes. It hunts by pouncing rather than building webs.