Spiders live in almost every habitat on earth. The only places where there are no spiders are the polar regions, the highest mountains and the oceans.
What country has little to no spiders? Iceland, however, is an island in the lower Arctic or higher Boreal region, where very big spiders are not found naturally. There are 91 species of spider in Iceland—none of which are poisonous to humans— plus the occasional visitor or migrant.
In Australia they are only found in the southeastern part of the country, from South Australia to Queensland via Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. You won't find them in the dry and arid zones. On the other hand, huntsman and wolf-spiders are found all over the country.
There are only a handful of locations on earth where spiders cannot be found. Among these areas are the world's oceans (though some spiders have adapted to life on shorelines and shallow bodies of freshwater), polar regions, like the arctic and Antarctica, and at extreme altitudes of tall mountains.
Australia is well-known for its spiders, but the place isn't overrun with them. While we may have some of the world's most venomous species, you are unlikely to come across one unbless you go looking for one or happen to disturb one hiding away.
An estimated 5 per cent of Australians have arachnophobia, but there are plenty of others happy to get close to the creepy crawlies. "People find it thrilling," said Catherine Timbrell, the producer of a major exhibition on spiders opening on Saturday at the Australian Museum.
Sydney prides itself on safety, deep culture, and friendly communities. It is considered the fifth safest city in the world and Australia's safest city.
“If spiders disappeared, we would face famine,” says Norman Platnick, who studies arachnids at New York's American Museum of Natural History. “Spiders are primary controllers of insects. Without spiders, all of our crops would be consumed by those pests.”
Africa. Millions upon millions of wildlife species call Africa home, and it is no different with spiders. Comprising of different climates and landscapes, just like Australia (except 3x larger), Africa sees some of the world's most venomous spiders.
Humans need spiders to survive. It is important to remember that spiders and other invertebrates – animals without spines – make up 98% of animal species. They are vital to the functioning of ecosystems; without them, the remaining 2% of vertebrates, including humans, could not survive.
Traralgon in eastern Victoria has been swamped by vast, other worldly sheets of web as spiders climb to higher ground following the disruption of heavy rain.
The Sydney funnelweb spider Atrax robustus, is considered to be the world's most dangerous spider. It is found within a 100 km diameter circle around Sydney. No deaths have occurred since the advent of an antivenom in 1981.
That is quite the sight, but picture this — millions of tiny spiders raining from the sky. While it can sound like something out of a horror movie, in Australia the transition from late summer to fall can trigger what is known to the locals as spider season.
Spiders can grow to enormous sizes when they live in warm areas of the world. Scientists have shown that all cold-blooded insects can thrive in warm weather. What is this? The warmer and more humid the climate, the more spiders you will see.
New Zealand is home to about 2500 kinds of spiders, most of them harmless. Only some spiders are capable of biting humans. There are 3 species of spider that should be avoided – the katipō, the redback and the white-tailed spider.
Are spiders afraid of humans? Yes. This is why spiders are most commonly encountered in seldom used areas such as garages, attics, basements, closets, or guest rooms. Spiders are antisocial and try their best to avoid human contact.
Sydney Funnel Web Spider
Found nearly exclusively in Sydney, this spider is often considered the most deadly in the world. With fangs that can pierce through fingernails, and one specimen reaching 10cm stretched out, this spider is serious business. A single bite can kill a human in 15 minutes.
A large species of tarantula native to the east coast region of Australia, the whistling spider, is the largest spider in the country. As the largest spider in Australia, whistling spiders can grow a leg span of up to 16 cm (6.2 inches) and a body size of around 6 cm (2.3 inches).
We found that perceived fear and disgust of spiders were triggered predominantly by enlarged chelicerae, enlarged abdomen, and the presence of body hair. Longer legs were associated with perceived fear as well; however, the presence of two eyes did not produce any statistical significance in terms of fear.
Spiders are not out to get you and actually prefer to avoid humans; we are much more dangerous to them than vice versa. Bites from spiders are extremely rare. Although there are a few medically important species like widow spiders and recluses, even their bites are uncommon and rarely cause serious issues.
The vast majority of spiders are harmless and serve a critical purpose: controlling insect populations that could otherwise devastate crops. Without spiders to eat pests harmful to agriculture, it's thought that our food supply would be put at risk.
No spiders are known to feed directly on vertebrate blood, but Evarcha culicivora, a jumping spider (Salticidae) from East Africa, preys frequently on blood-carrying mosquitoes in the field (1). That blood is ingested is evident when viewing the spider feeding under a microscope.
The crime rate in Australia is much lower than in the United States of America. As Australia ranks 47th while the USA ranks on 30th according to their crime rates. It is so rare for police officers to carry guns due to the low crime rate.
Beginning with general crime rates you can already see that the UK and Australia have little difference in their assault and murder rates. While the murder rate does spike slightly for Australians per 100,000 inhabitants, there is a drop of 0.4% of people victimised by assaults in Australia compared to the UK.