What types of spiders are the most venomous?
There are a few spiders in the world that are said to be so
highly venomous that they count as being deadly.
It is commonly believed that the Brazilian wandering spider is
the most venomous spider. There have been over 7000 recorded bites.
If a person is bitten by this species there is a good chance that
death will occur if the spider delivers a substantial dose of venom
unless antivenom is used. The toxicity of their venom per unit of
volume is high, and each spider produces much more venom than other
kinds of deadly spiders.
The Black Widow Spider is very venomous. There were 63 recorded
deaths in the United States between 1950 and 1989 alone, although
recently the number of deaths has reclined because of the use of
antivenom. Worldwide the widow spiders kill the most people because
they are found in so many places. In some of these places living
conditions put people in more frequent contact with widow spiders,
and health care is poor. People who are bitten may not receive
antivenom. Usually only children and the old and infirm will die.
Healthy adults rarely die. The ratio of body mass to venom volume
is crucial. A spider that can deliver enough venom to kill a small
child may not have enough to give an adult serious trouble.
The Australian funnel web spider ranks very high too, as its
poison can kill in 2-3 days, although in one rare case death
occurred within 15 minutes. The venom of these spiders is less
toxic than that of the Brazilian wandering spiders, and each of
them has less venom than does a Brazilian wandering spider.
However, they generally deliver all of their venom if they decide
to attack, whereas the Brazilian wandering spider frequently gives
partial envenomations or even just dry bites.