Fixing a TERRIBLE Australian Spider Chart

Рет қаралды 6,148

6 ай бұрын

It seems many Australians grew up with this particular chart, or at the very least something similar, hanging on their fridge. Even to this day, it gets shared all over social media. However, how accurate is it? Well, if you know anything about the extent to which spiders fall victim to sensationalism, you wouldn't be surprised by the fact that it is rife with inaccuracies. Everything from perpetuating the myth of white tail spiders being dangerous to suggesting mouse spiders are bigger than funnel-webs. In this video, I'll discuss its errors, and make a few corrections.
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Пікірлер: 123

@PrisPrivate 6 ай бұрын

Back with another banger I see? This same spider chart was repurposed for the United States as well, which ended up being even worse as they not only included the hobo spider in the deadly category (which for an American spider chart, honestly has no reason to be there in the first place, as even the medically significant spiders here are most definitely not fatal), but they also forgot to even change the other two categories… I wonder how many people think that mouse spiders live in the us and that all the argiope spiders are a “saint Andrew’s cross” lmao…

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

Yeah I’ve seen the US-modified version. Obviously went with addressing the Australian one cause that’s what I’m most familiar with though.

@craigpater6278 6 ай бұрын

@@BugsandBiology you might know the answer to this question, I'm curious to know if it is true that white tailed spiders do not deserve their reputation for being dangerous ? I actually got bitten by a white tailed spider myself at home at my unit and it really didn't do much to me. I had an itchy lump on my leg for a few days next to where I got bitten, but apart from that I was fine and I had absolutely no reaction at all to the bite.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

@@craigpater6278They don’t deserve their reputation, as stated in this video and the one in which I took an intentional bite.

@craigpater6278 6 ай бұрын

@@BugsandBiology that's what I thought would be the case I didn't get around to watching this whole video before I asked you about white tailed spiders, but I thought that it might be the case that white tailed spiders do not deserve their reputation for being dangerous. Is it possible that there might be a small percentage of people who develop a severe anaphylaxis or allergic reaction to white tailed spider bites ?. Honey bee stings are not usually dangerous to healthy adults , but a small percentage of people have a severe anaphylaxis or allergic reaction to bee stings, so I wondered if it might be the same with white tailed spider bites.

@logansorenssen 6 ай бұрын

Even worse, in Europe there is another spider commonly referred to as a "mouse spider" (Scotophaeus blackwalli, a gnaphosid, and neither medically significant nor especially bitey). It doesn't live in the US but other gnaphosids do. So this has folks in the US calling Parson spiders "mouse spiders" and assuming that they're dangerous. Foo!

@panzerfaust3607 6 ай бұрын

On the last point, maybe including, in small text, the general estimated amount of species in each category. It might help inform people about the relative rarity of truly dangerous spider species. Also, I came from the Prehistoric Planet and Lofe on our Planet reviews, so looking forward to more prehistory-themed videos.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

Come to think of it, that is a very simple and effective solution that I somehow overlooked. Would definitely make it much more evident how massively outnumbered medically significant spiders are.

@opstellar 6 ай бұрын

11:19 In America, the 'Daddy Long-Legs' refers to a Harvestman, which is not a spider

@theaussiegamer1016 6 ай бұрын

Yeah I think that might be because harvestman aren’t really common here so that’s what we title the cellar spider

@minte1972 5 ай бұрын

In the uk it also refers to crane flies which aren't even arachnids :)

@beclouise8686 6 ай бұрын

Im glad to hear that the paleo content seems to be doing well and I look forward to them as its a subject I know quite little on and have been deep diving into learning, so more content, especially from creators like yourself that I have respect for, is always welcomed! I really do enioy the spider content too though as theres just such little education out there on what these animals are all about. Plus the huntsman footage is always mesmerising to watch 😍

@southron_d1349 6 ай бұрын

I'd prefer to ditch the chart entirely since I don't regard spiders as pests. But it provided a topic for discussion. In any case, is someone really going to call a pest control company to deal with a couple of Huntsman spiders? I wanted to remove an old garden decoration from a wall and when I lifted it, there was a female Huntsman with her babies. So I put it back and left her in peace. No, you're not an idiot spreading misinformation about White-tailed Spiders. It has been at least 20 years since the myth of necrosis has been debunked, yet the stupid story won't die. As ever, love the footage of the spiders.

@trainz10 6 ай бұрын

I always considered the notion of the white-tailed spider being classified in the 'DANGEROUS' category a bit of an exaggeration, especially when the observed effects of it's venom don't add up to some those claims people make.

@Karbonkage 6 ай бұрын

Checkout my arm hole mate

@biancasumfinrandom1653 6 күн бұрын

I love your use of the world defensive. When I found out how big funnel webs were I was so surprised. I expected them to be one of the biggest spiders.

@SoulKiller7Eternal 6 ай бұрын

Im glad you mentioned the fake daddy long legs, or cellar spiders share that name with another group of arachnids. Harvestmen arent spiders but are arachnids. Just...people confuse them with cellar spiders...and the myth is everywhere.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

It’s one of my go-to examples as to why common names are unreliable.

@SoulKiller7Eternal 4 ай бұрын

@BugsandBiology took me forever to learn the real name of the daddy longlegs. Lol People still freak out that ill gladly let em walk all over me.

@andrewstrongman305 6 ай бұрын

Black House Spiders have tiny fangs, and their bite could hardly be described as painful. Wolf spiders are slightly larger, but their bite is less painful than a bull ant sting. Neither belongs in the Painful category. Huntsman spiders have much larger fangs, so a bite would be quite painful. As mentioned though, no spider will bite a human unless it feels provoked.

@RoccoSKE777 6 ай бұрын

I have come across this channel and now I can learn the best spider facts and not be mistaken and all that brain killing top 10 channels

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

Thanks! It can be very difficult to sift through the sea of misinformation out there.

@geoffallert1921 6 ай бұрын

It would be good to see your version of the spider chart available for sale. Makes a lot more sense than labelling something as deadly when it is clearly not. Cheers mate.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

I do have plans on creating original spider ID charts. Just gotta do the illustrations.

@geoffallert1921 6 ай бұрын

@@BugsandBiology I'll keep an eye out for it. Cheers, mate.

@OvertakeGT 6 ай бұрын

@@BugsandBiologyI love your spider illustration drawings, they will look great on your chart.

@allthingsbegin 6 ай бұрын

This is extraordinary! So glad to see you back!

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

I am regrettably a big procrastinator. Like, I’ll spend weeks overthinking a video, only to have it done and dusted within a couple hours.

@SquirrelDarling1 4 ай бұрын

9:35: ah yes, the Pearl Self Reflecting Spider, such a beautiful and thoughtful arachnid.

@BugsandBiology 4 ай бұрын

She looks very wise and insightful doesn’t she?

@MoreliaAustralia 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for all this info. My wife was bitten on the side of her foot by a White-tailed spider and it was painful for about six months.

@GrowingDownUnder 5 ай бұрын

Some spiders i'd put in the same category as wolf spiders, white tail and badumna... woodlouse spider, grass spider, water spider and ground spiders

@JM87Fly 3 ай бұрын

This channel has given me the courage to start free-handling spiders. I don’t go out of my way looking for them and harassing them, but so far I’ve saved a couple of cellar spiders and what I think was a white-tail (but all black colouring?) from my wife’s squashing thong - hardly heroic I know, but you have to start somewhere. Long time before you’d catch me with a huntsman on my head or a golden orb crawling up my arm, but the better understanding this channel provides really does reduce the anxiety. Spiders are fascinating animals ☺️

@lasers3062 6 ай бұрын

Awesome work, thank you.

@bafl1840 6 ай бұрын

Another great video mate 😊

@logansorenssen 6 ай бұрын

Ugh, yes, this chart drives me nuts! I also agree that not mentioning Hadronyche is a significant omission, leading to some foolishness in the other direction - somewhere here on KZfaq is a video of a fellow free-handling a female Hadronyche infensa and provoking a threat display (which is apparently not hard to do with Atracids, but still). He was apparently under the false impression that only Atrax was medically significant.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

I’ve seen that video. Admittedly, I’ve held funnel-webs a couple times as well. But doing so as roughly as he did, and implying (judging from his comment replies) that any funnel-web aside from Atrax isn’t deadly is a terrible idea.

@griffinc3263 6 ай бұрын

Would you happen to have a link to the video of the person free handling Hadronyche?

@ThePollaton 6 ай бұрын

I always enjoy your content. Intelligent, informative and normally sprinkled with an undercurrent of sarcastic, dry wit. 😂

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

Why thank you!

@felineflixie 6 ай бұрын

Another amazing upload from you Jackson. Love ya vids alot. Keep it up. Also one thing. As you said with the atrax spurs not being a distinct feature to them and being on Multiple spiders, wishbone spider also have this and are oftenly confused with them as they have some very similar qualities too, so the spurr thung as you said should definitely not be something to be used to id a funnelweb. Feel like they should tell ppl about this and them more.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

Yeah definitely. Can lead to other spiders being misidentified as funnel-webs, vice versa. Honestly there’s a fair few false/unreliable ID features that people often cite when it comes to funnel-webs. Like black colouration and pronounced spinnerets.

@felineflixie 6 ай бұрын

@@BugsandBiology yes definitely

@fantomghost6213 6 ай бұрын

Another great video from the master. Cheers!!

@funeralgothatoo5814 6 ай бұрын

This chart is iconic. Lol. I do love the fact it uses illustrations rather than photos. Oh and any chance you'd consider putting the Badge Huntsman to the bite test? I'm genuinely curious to know if it really is unique amongst huntsmans in that regard: "has a bite that’s known to produce more unpleasant symptoms, including severe localised pain and swelling at the bite site, accompanied by sweating, nausea and vomiting." -Australian Geographic

@Imleona 6 ай бұрын

The white little spider looks like a grumpy old man 🫶🏻

@whitehonky611 6 ай бұрын

I'm quite surprised that Illawarra is mentioned on the chart but Illawarra Wisharti wasn't featured. I was of the impression that Wisharti has a venom profile similar to Atrax Robustus, so you'd think that it should've at least have been on the chart, if not the medically significant category then at least potentially painful bite - venomous one.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

I’ll be honest, I forgot all about that genus too. Admittedly, it is very obscure and seldom encountered compared to Atrax and Hadronyche.

@whitehonky611 6 ай бұрын

Yeah as far as I'm aware it's the only spider of the genus Illawarra. Keep up the great work on your channel. I always look forward to watching your uploads and am a big fan of your dry sense of humour. And your knowledge is awe inspiring for someone of your age.

@Exquailibur 6 ай бұрын

I would just memorize the differences because my brain is a steel trap for info on cool bugs, also I would pick them all up anyways. I would just take varying levels of caution when doings so, I own a lot of tarantulas and even my most defensive ones are really easy to deal with. Spiders are often mostly or completely blind and are not interested in biting in most cases. Spiders are really fragile and cant run very far so most spiders cant fight or flee from the average person effectively so obviously they would be scared. I mean a funnel web is just as vulnerable to a bird as any spider I imagine. Even the few species that are interested in biting dont chase, honestly I would rather be in a room full of sydney funnel webs than in a room with a moose or a bull elk or even an especially angry deer.

@cat8324 6 ай бұрын

I study spiders, and spent my whole childhood picking them up and prodding them. To this day I haven't been bitten once. Normally I hear of people getting bit when they roll over on a spider in bed, or when they get trapped in clothes or boots. In these cases you can't really do anything about it. Basically, if you can see a spider, it's not a threat to you lol. P.S., is all your background spider footage from australia, or have you traveled?

@chris-zilla2113 6 ай бұрын

Who better than a pest chart to make an informative poster on spiders 🙄. Honestly, good job on fixing it up and making people aware on all of this misinformation playing on peoples fears. It definitely could have fooled me a couple of years back.

@colh3127 6 ай бұрын

Hey mate, this is the exact chart/advertisement I was complaining about that list white-tails as "deadly" on one of your previous vid's! Good on ya for referencing it. The "venomous" listing is hilariously dumb... What a joke of a poster.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

It’s worse when you see just how many people will share this poster and present it as reliable info.

@P.ilhaformosatherium 6 ай бұрын

I lived in Australia for 2 years. The only spider I got bite by was a huntsman sling The americans are exaggerating Spider related about Australia

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

Foreigners do tend to overestimate how dangerous Australian wildlife is, but I can’t really blame them for getting that impression when so many Australians share the most ridiculous stories.

@P.ilhaformosatherium 6 ай бұрын

@@BugsandBiology yeh

@iatethecrayons 6 ай бұрын

i have horrible arachniphobia from an event when i was younger but i didnt want to be scared anymore so i've decided to learn a bunch about spiders so i can logic my way out of this fear lol

@allfunnydogsstories2129 6 ай бұрын

I’m less scared of spiders than I used to be thanks to wonderful people like you 😊😊😊

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

That’s awesome!

@kimberlygabaldon3260 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! I always enjoy hearing your informed commentary.

@jaimeortega4940 6 ай бұрын

Good job! I've personally been bitten by both the by the the Eastern Fiddleback and western Fiddleback spiders neither gave me necrotic wounds just weird red concentric circle bites and headaches that went away after a day or two - big deal.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

Interesting! Recluses do have venom that can cause necrotic effects, but it seems mild reactions like yours are far more common.

@JimD-mb9bh 6 ай бұрын

Great work.

@everfreebrumby8385 6 ай бұрын

You’re doing a great job spreading important information about our 8 legged neighbors.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

Thanks! Definitely feels like an uphill battle at times.

@Garbagefly 6 ай бұрын

Awesome footage

@seanwhitehall4652 6 ай бұрын

"Painful bite" Funnel webs and mouse spiders can dry bite and get that title.

@AdventureswithAmbrose 6 ай бұрын

🕷Great job!

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

Thanks Ambrose! Still gotta see how our footage turned out.

@ChaoticChip 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for fixing the chart it is useful for people like me and other Australians

@58Kym 6 ай бұрын

Very good.

@wisetoad 6 ай бұрын

I thought wolf spiders would be in the lower category with huntsmans.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

Like I said in the video, the line between “painful bite” and “low risk” is very blurry, to the point where I’d say the only two categories necessary are “medically significant” and “low risk”.

@donohirst 6 ай бұрын

Cellar spiders should get their own category (i don't know if this applies to Australia as you guys have some enormous, (to this Englishman) sized spiders compared to us Brits? But i always tell my mum to leave them on the proviso that they hunt other spiders. A spindly leggy fella sat where the wall meets the ceiling as a place to set up shop being the mark of a very well mannered spider imo, the fact they interdict others by eating them being a bonus. So i suggest "helpful". And whilst some might be dangerous, surely the average gardener, (who's not an arachnaphobe) finds most of them helpful for eating garden pests? Its all perspective, unfortunately spiders have been given rather bad press officers in that regard, excepting yourself of course.

@mr_cramberry 6 ай бұрын

Pls make a chart to download/buy for us less informed to use as reference.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

I do plan to. Just don’t get on the edge of your seat waiting for me to stop procrastinating.

@mrbanjofrog 6 ай бұрын

Used to have that in my yard

@everfreebrumby8385 6 ай бұрын

Definitely had that poster on my fridge in the 90s.

@larrymantic2635 6 ай бұрын

Nice, a spider video!

@eroero830 6 ай бұрын

I'd like to see you take a bite from some medically significant spiders!

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

For what purpose exactly?

@imp3rus 6 ай бұрын

Great episode ! simple

@opstellar 6 ай бұрын

might want to edit 0:19

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

That was a deliberate, albeit rather obscure reference to a moment on Taskmaster. In essence, “Shid” is “Shed” pronounced in a New Zealand accent. On Taskmaster, one contestant from NZ brought in the fish poster I mentioned, saying it could be found in every shed. And the show’s host briefly mocked her pronunciation of the word.

@theaussiegamer1016 6 ай бұрын

@@BugsandBiologyit’s similar to the way the say fesh and cheps instead of fish and chips

@amicaaranearum 5 ай бұрын

New subscriber here - I love spiders.

@bio-plasmictoad5311 6 ай бұрын

The spider with the red was beautiful.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

Indeed! That was a Nicodamus species

@jackmellor5536 6 ай бұрын

Is it true that some of the tree dwelling funnel webs have more toxic venom than the Sydney Funnel Web?

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

I’m not sure when it comes to drop-for-drop potency, but they could definitely inflict a greater quantity of venom in a bite, and do seem to have a higher rate of severe envenomation.

@stefanostokatlidis4861 6 ай бұрын

Why are tarantulas not included? Outside of Australia, we say that Australian tarantulas have a quite strong venom.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

This chart is for the Sydney area, where no tarantulas are present outside captivity. And Australian tarantulas aren’t all that venomous, especially when compared to Asian/African ones.

@sailorfox4548 6 ай бұрын

i found this chart an it baffled me

@booglebungler 6 ай бұрын

i like to imagine if huntsman spiders could speak they would be british

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

Great, now I can’t get that idea out of my head.

@booglebungler 6 ай бұрын

@@BugsandBiology idk it must be the chelicerae looking like a moustache and the 4 eyes arranged in a row makes huntsman spiders look more goofy then scary

@user-kz2df6gq3g 6 ай бұрын

How the arm

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

Been completely recovered for ages.

@user-kz2df6gq3g 6 ай бұрын

That's good coz I think I got bite

@stephaniethebatter7975 6 ай бұрын

It should also be worth noting which spiders are dangerous to pets. Spiders that are harmless to humans may be deadly to dogs and cats. That is not something that should be ignored.

@BugsandBiology 6 ай бұрын

There aren’t really many cases of this. Australian tarantulas are the only noteworthy example, and they’re not present in the region/s this chart was made for.

@gg_sam7847 6 ай бұрын

I'd probably title the categories as "Life Threatening" (maybe a bonus inclusion of "Life Altering"). Then "Damaging" including ones that can cause either serious pain or long term visible effects. And then Low/No risk

@alexisrivas307 5 ай бұрын

Jumping spiders are the Eunsteins of all the spiders. They do PHYSICS and HETEROLOGY in their head! Anything that has an impact on the outcome e of their jump is considered. Such intelligent creatures.

@FeedMeSalt 6 ай бұрын

As a Canadian there isn't a single spider I fear handling. Maybe our big ass dock spiders, but that's more the dinner plate sized legs and one inch fangs then any venom. I'm very lucky lol

@Moth_of_Yuggoth 6 ай бұрын

Hey! Misinformation gang... Your pet kitten is more dangerous than a Sydney funnel web! 1. You're more likely to be scratched by kitty 2. Thus you're more likely to have adverse effects from the bacteria transferred. Now, put your kitty on a medically significant chart of death! Oh, what's that, you won't? 😒 *Goes back to play Webbed*

@stephaniethebatter7975 6 ай бұрын

Solution: ALWAYS clean your wounds, whether it be from a white tail spider or a cat. XD