Invertebrates

Funnel-web Spider

Atracidae · also called Australian funnel-web, Sydney funnel-web spider

Not Evaluated carnivore Temperate forest Temperate grassland

A funnel-web spider is a squat, shining-black spider that lives in a silk-lined burrow in eastern Australia, and it has one of the most dangerous venoms of any spider — for humans and insects specifically, while a dog can shrug off a bite that would kill a person. Since an antivenom arrived in 1981, no one has died.

Overview

Funnel-web spiders are the family Atracidae, about 35 species in eastern and southern Australia, in moist forest, woodland, and suburban gardens, with the Sydney funnel-web concentrated near Sydney. They are stout mygalomorphs — the tarantula and trapdoor-spider branch — that ambush insects, other spiders, and small lizards and frogs from a burrow ringed with silk trip-lines.

The venom

A male Sydney funnel-web’s venom carries delta-hexatoxin, which overloads the nervous system — sweating, spasms, a racing then failing heart, fluid on the lungs — and an untreated serious bite can kill within hours. The dangerous component is toxic to primates and insects but has little effect on most other mammals, so it appears to be an accident of chemistry aimed at prey.

Wandering males

Females never leave the burrow; males wander in the warm, wet months looking for mates and end up in gardens, garages, and shoes and swimming pools — where a spider can stay alive and able to bite for a full day underwater. Male venom is five to six times more potent than female, so nearly all serious bites are from males. First aid is a pressure immobilisation bandage and hospital.

Status

Not Evaluated. Most species are common and the Sydney funnel-web thrives in the city, though a few small-range forest and highland species may be at risk. The antivenom is made from spiders milked at a reptile park, supplied partly by the public catching and handing in specimens.

Funnel-web Spider: common questions

How dangerous is a funnel-web spider bite?

A serious bite from a male Sydney funnel-web is a genuine medical emergency and, before antivenom, was frequently fatal, with death possible within about one to three hours for an adult and faster for a young child. The venom triggers a storm of nervous-system activity, and symptoms escalate from local pain and sweating to muscle twitching, drooling, a pounding then irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, and fluid building up in the lungs. Since the antivenom became available in 1981, however, no one has died, and most treated patients recover fully. Not every bite injects venom, and bites from females and from many of the other funnel-web species are far less severe, but any suspected funnel-web bite is treated as potentially life-threatening.

What should you do if bitten by a funnel-web?

Apply first aid immediately and get to a hospital. The recommended technique is the pressure immobilisation method. Firmly bandage the bitten limb starting at the bite and wrapping upward and then the whole limb, as for a snakebite, and splint it so the person keeps still, which slows the venom's spread through the lymphatic system. Do not wash the bite, do not cut or suck it, and do not use a tourniquet. Keep the person calm and lying down, note the time, and if the spider was caught safely, bring it for identification. Call emergency services. Australian hospitals in the funnel-web range stock the antivenom.

Why are male funnel-webs more dangerous than females?

For reasons that are still not fully explained, the venom of adult male Sydney funnel-webs is around five to six times more toxic than that of females, and it is specifically the male venom component delta-hexatoxin that is so dangerous to humans. On top of that, it is the males that people encounter, because mature males abandon their burrows in summer and autumn to wander in search of females and end up inside houses, in gardens, and in swimming pools, whereas females stay hidden in their burrows. So both the more potent venom and the greater chance of contact belong to the male, and almost all serious funnel-web bites are from males.

Is the Australian funnel-web the same as the funnel-web spiders in my garden in Europe or North America?

No, and the shared name causes a lot of needless alarm. The dangerous Australian funnel-webs are in the family Atracidae, a group of stout mygalomorph spiders, the same broad branch as tarantulas and trapdoor spiders, found only in Australia. The common funnel-web or grass funnel-weaver spiders of North America, Europe, and elsewhere are in a completely different family, Agelenidae, and they build a flat sheet web with a funnel-shaped retreat in grass, hedges, and house corners. Agelenid funnel-weavers are harmless, with venom no more significant than a bee sting, and are entirely unrelated to the Australian animals.

Sources & further reading

Written by HideShark Editorial Team · reviewed by HideShark Science Desk. Published September 10, 2026. Last updated September 10, 2026.

Quick facts

Scientific name: Atracidae
Diet: Insects, other spiders, snails, small skinks, and frogs, ambushed at night from the mouth of the burrow when prey trips one of the silk trip-lines radiating from the entrance, then seized, injected with venom, and dragged inside to be eaten
Among the most dangerous spider venoms to people: The venom of a male Sydney funnel-web contains a compound called delta-hexatoxin that massively overstimulates the nervous system, causing sweating, muscle spasms, a racing then failing heartbeat, and fluid on the lungs, and an untreated serious bite can kill an adult in a few hours and a small child faster
The venom is a quirk aimed at insects: The part of the venom that endangers humans appears to be an accident of chemistry, since it is highly toxic to primates and to insects but has little effect on most other mammals, so dogs, cats, and even rabbits can survive bites that would be deadly to a person
Males are the danger, and they wander: Female funnel-webs stay in their burrows for life, but mature males leave in the warmer, wetter months to search for mates, roaming at ground level, often at night, and it is these wandering males, six times more venomous than females, that turn up in gardens, garages, laundries, swimming pools, and shoes left outside
An aggressive defensive display: A cornered funnel-web rears up on its back legs, raises its front legs and fangs, and holds the pose, and its fangs are long, straight, and strong enough to pierce a fingernail or a soft shoe, and it may bite repeatedly and hang on
They can survive underwater: A funnel-web that falls into a swimming pool does not drown quickly, trapping a film of air around its body and remaining alive and able to bite for up to a full day, so a spider floating in a pool should be treated as dangerous, not dead
Antivenom changed everything: At least 13 deaths were recorded from funnel-web bites in the 20th century, but since a specific antivenom was developed and introduced in 1981 there have been no confirmed fatalities, and the spiders used to make it are milked at a reptile park from specimens the public is encouraged to catch and hand in
Range: Eastern and southern Australia, from southern Queensland through New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and Victoria to South Australia and Tasmania, in moist forest, woodland, heath, and suburban gardens, with burrows in sheltered, humid spots under rocks and logs, in rockeries and garden beds, in tree hollows and buttresses for the arboreal species, and the Sydney funnel-web concentrated within roughly 150 km of Sydney.
Conservation status: Not Evaluated ≈ Funnel-web spiders as a family have not been formally assessed. Most of the roughly 35 species are common within their ranges in eastern and southern Australia and are not considered threatened, and the Sydney funnel-web in particular thrives in the bushland, gardens, and reserves of a major city. However, several species have very small ranges in specific forest or highland areas, and at least one, a tree-dwelling funnel-web from a single mountain, is regarded as vulnerable to habitat loss and fire, so a few localised species may be at risk even though the group as a whole is secure in the wild