Know your Spiders Quiz

I moved to America from England in 2004. I had heard of some nasty spiders that made it into Montana but until October 2008, I had never seen one.

My first encounter with a 'deadly' spider was outside a doctors office. The offender was a Black Widow. I decided to move in for a closure and was surprised by two things.

1) Unlike a lot of 'dumb' spiders, this guy must have seen me and hid before I even got close.

2) The speed that it moved. for some reason I though Black Widows were slow, generally passive and only bite people when they themselves are in danger - being crushed or something. Anyway, they maybe somewhat passive towards us - we aren't there pray after all - but boy could he move.

I may have seen some hobo's in my time since they look a lot like there harmless cousins that are much more abundant around here. No Brown Recluse spiders just yet. They are native and we live in town, so fingers crossed on those ones.

I started this quiz because of the research I had been doing on Montana spiders. I hope you like it.

Since moving to America, I am now in a prime place to meet this little guys. Coming from England, the worst thing you had to worry about was a mad dog or something. Nothing like this. So far I have lived here 4 years and been lucky enough to never see one.
Gary

Females are about .5 inches long, 1.5 inches when the legs are spread.

Females and males have a shiny, globular abdomen

Females and males are black and sometimes brown

Females usually have a reddish hourglass shape on the underside of her abdomen. Some species have a series of red spots and two crosswise bars on the underbelly.

Males about half the female's size, with smaller bodies, and longer legs

Males usually have yellow and red bands and spots over the back as do the immature stages.

Newly hatched spiderlings are predominately white or yellowish-white, gradually acquiring more black and varying amounts of red and white with each molt.

Juveniles of both sexes resemble the male and are harmless to humans.

Inhabit most of the warmer regions of the world to a latitude of about 45 degrees N. and S. They occur throughout all four deserts of the American Southwest.

Is the most venomous spider in North America, but it seldom causes death to humans, because it only injects a very small amount of poison when it bites.

Black Widow

The web is large and has about 20 radii.

Male: Carapace is pale brown. Legs are yellowish brown with indistinct annulations (rings). Abdomen brownish, occasionally with indistinct paired oblique marks toward posterior end, and with distinct anterodorsal humps.

Female: Coloration as in male (Dondale et al., 2003).

Range
USA, Canada: Southern British Columbia to southern Manitoba and Michigan, south to Baja California and Northern Florida.

Typical Habitats
Individuals have been collected on barns and other outbuildings, under rock ledges, and lodgepole pine forests. They are also known to frequent well-lit human habitations under eaves, fencerows, and similar nooks.

Activity Patterns
Most commonly seen late summer to early autumn.

Importance
Is among the largest spiders in Western Canada and the United States, it is a docile creature. If severely provoked, it may on occasion bite but the effects of the venom are similar to that of a mild wasp sting with associated itchiness and mild swelling lasting no more than a few days.

Cat Faced Spider

The venom is usually not lethal to humans, although the bite with its one-inch-long fangs can cause severe pain, nausea, and profuse sweating.

Another serious weapon in it's arsenal is its ability to release hairs (actually hairlike setae) from its body at any creature-including a human-it perceives as a threat. The tiny, almost invisible hairs that it voluntarily releases into the air are extremely irritating to skin, and can cause real problems if they get into delicate mucous membranes around eyes or mouth.

It makes noise-not with vocal cords like dogs, cats, birds, or humans-but by rubbing bristles on its legs together! This hissing noise called stridulation is loud enough to be heard up to 15 feet away.

Unlike some other spiders, they don't weave intricate webs or leap great distances. Instead, they use stealth and strength to sneak up and pounce on unsuspecting victims, inflicting fatal bites with venomous fangs.

They don't have teeth for tearing and chewing their meals. They inject juices into their victims. These juices break down soft tissue so that the spider can slurp up its meal.

They eat insects, frogs, small snakes, lizards, and even rodents and bats.

Goliath bird-eating tarantula

BEWARE: THE WORLD'S DEADLIEST SPIDER

Both the male and female Spider carry atraxotoxin, the world's most dangerous toxin to humans as produced in the animal kingdom.

The male Spider is six times more toxic than the female, and it is he whom is most often encountered by humans, during their intrepid search for a female to reproduce.

Area of distribution

The Spider is a ground dweller commonly found in areas of moist soils along much of the eastern coastal area of New South Wales, Victoria and in certain areas of South Australia.

Danger time

The mature male spider will wander around during hot humid nights, looking for a mate. Invariably after mating when he is totally exhausted the female bites him and sucks all the nourishment from his body leaving him an empty shell.

The male is highly aggressive when disturbed or cornered and is able to inflict multiple strikes, with its "flick-knife" hardened fangs.

You may also find these spiders wandering around the garden or in your home after heavy rain or nearby construction earthworks.

Sydney Funnel-web Spider

How to indentify
They are brown and measure roughly 12 to 18 mm in length. Their legs show no distinct rings and have short hairs. Their abdomens have several chevron shaped markings. Males are distinctively different from females in that they have two large palps that look like boxing gloves. These palps are often mistaken for fangs or venom sacs, but they are in fact the male genitalia. The females also have these palps, but the ends are not 'swollen' as they are on the males. Females tend to have a larger abdomen when compared to males.

Where did they come from?

It has been suspected of presiding in the United States as early as the 1920's and 1930's. Originally from Europe, this is a species foreign to the United States. They are believed to have been transported to the United States via shipping lanes and ended up in Seattle, Washington. Since then they have slowly expanded throughout the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. Despite their increasing range and population, public awareness of these spiders has been surprisingly low, primarily because the Brown Recluse Spider has been inaccurately blamed for the bites that people receive.

What does the Web look like?
The spider creates a non-sticky (in spider standards) trip web that doesn't permanently stick insects to the web. Instead, once the prey trips on the web the spider attacks the prey before it can get away. This along with its poor eye site explains why they are noticeably more aggressive to humans then other spiders. They have to attack to eat otherwise it would die of starvation. The webs they make are funnel shaped and are often attached to an object in the yard, by the foundation, between planters, or anything that remains stationary near the ground level. It also makes webs under the siding of homes and attaching to plants or weeds.

What does their bite look like?
About 50% of Spider bites are 'dry,' meaning that no venom is injected and nothing happens to the victim. In fact, often times the victim does not even realize that he has been bit. Typically, when venom is injected, the victim will experience an immediate redness which develops around the bite then begins to disappear within a few hours. Very often, for the first 24 hours, the bite appears to be no worse than that of a mosquito; then it begins to blister in the center. Within 24 to 36 hours the blister breaks open, leaving an open, oozing ulceration.

This ulceration 'scabs' over within three weeks from the initial bite, leaving a permanent scar. If the bite is delivered in fatty tissue, the lesion may be very deep and extensive, not healing for over two or three years. Systematic reactions to Spider poisoning include severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, soreness and flu-like symptoms. In extreme cases where the bite was not taken care of early, skin graft, amputation, and the possibility of bone marrow failure may occur.

Hobo Spider

DESCRIPTION: These spiders are usually large, hairy spiders that are not associated with webs. They look much worse than they are.

HABITAT: Common household pest in the fall when they are looking for a warm place for winter; found around doors, windows, house plants, basements and garages.

CONTROL: Spider control is best done on a one-to-one, as needed basis. A general spray for spiders is not recommended, unless the infestation seems severe. Tolerate what you can, spray with an aerosol what you can't.

INTERESTING FACTS: Most homeowners have misconceptions about spiders-they are pictured to be poisonous (even deadly), and likely to attack at any time. Wrong. For the most part, spiders are beneficial, eating insects and other spiders.

Wolf Spider

These spiders are notorious both because of their toxic venom, and because they are not reluctant to attack people who appear threatening.

Recent studies suggest that these spiders only inject venom in approximately one-third of their bites and may only inject a small amount in another third. However, research in this area is hindered by the difficulty of identifying particular species.

Bites from these spiders may result in only a couple of painful pinpricks, or may involve full-blown envenomation; but in all cases, people bitten should seek immediate emergency treatment, as the venom can be life threatening.

This Spider not only has a potent neurotoxin, but is reported to have one of the most excruciatingly painful envenomations of all spiders, because of its high concentration of serotonin.

In densely populated areas, the species usually search for cover and dark places to hide during daytime, leading it to hide within houses, clothes, cars, boots, boxes and log piles; thus generating accidents when people disturb it. Its other common name - the "banana spider" - as attributed because it is occasionally found as a 'stowaway' within shipments of bananas.

Despite their reputation as the world's deadliest spiders, there are multiple studies that dispute their capacity for fatal human envenomation. One study suggested that only 2.3% of bites (mainly in children) were serious enough to require antivenin.

However, other sources suggest they are the most dangerous or toxic spiders in the world based upon toxicology studies. One of the most notable and thorough studies is presented in the book "Venomous Animals and their Venoms Vol. III" , and clearly demonstrate extreme toxicity in a table showing that the amount necessary to kill a 20g mouse was only .006mg and .0134 subcutaneously as compared to Latrodectus mactans (Black Widow) at 0.110 and 0.2 respectively.

Brazilian wandering spider

The size this spider varies between 15 and 25 mm.
The spiders are similar in appearance as other mygalomorph spiders, like the funnel-webs, but with very broad heads.

Like the trap-door spiders, the spider lives in burrows in the ground, often in banks of rivers, creeks and other waterways, and is sometimes found in suburban gardens. The burrows are built with double or single trapdoors and the entrance is oval-shaped.

The burrow can extend to a depth of about 30 cm - which is unusually deep for a spider,
but not as deep as previously claimed for this species.

The females tend to remain in or near their burrows throughout their life, and are sluggish
spiders that are rarely aggressive. However females have been found to produce copious amounts of highly toxic venom, which is potentially as dangerous as that of the Sydney Funnel-web Spider.

Males wander during early winter, especially after rain. They will assume a threatening posture if disturbed. Insects are the main prey of the spiders.

Mouse spider

Female spiders are among the largest orb-weavers in the United States. Females normally range from 24 mm to 40 mm in length but even larger specimens, like the one found in Ohio, have been observed. The female has a white looking (silvery) carapace and orange spots on its cylindrical body. The silvery carapace protects them against overheating. The males are much smaller with an average size of 6 mm in length. Both sexes have feathery tufts on their brown and orange banded legs. The yellow abdomen and the silvery carapace makes the spider easy to identify. The spider builds its web in open woods or edges of forest. The web is usually attached to trees and low shrubs.

Bites from the Spider

A bite from the spider will only produce localized pain around the site of wound and the bite is much less severe than a bee sting. Anyway it's quite an interesting spider even though it isn't as venomous as many other spiders from North America.

Diet

It feed on a wide diet of insects; flies, wasps, bees, small moths and butterflies. The large sticky webs make flying insects a good source of food for this spider. They attack their prey by wrapping it in silk thereby immobilizing it.

Golden Silk spider

These spiders attract much attention due to their large size as they can have a leg span of 3 inches. Many are earth tone colored.

These spiders typically live near lakes and streams, but occasionally are found indoors in moist areas. Many can run over the surface of water and, if chased, dive and stay submerged for some time. They hunt day and night for aquatic insects and even small fish. They are sometimes commonly called fishing spiders.

The sole use of their silk webbing is for the egg sac. The female uses her mouthparts to carry the egg sac under her body until the spiderlings are ready to emerge. The female stands guard near the nursery web to protect her young.

Nursery Web Spiders

The Spider is also known by its Latin name - Gasteracantha Minax, meaning "threatening and projecting". They are also known as spiny orb weavers and are part of the orb weaving spider family. Its abdomen is strikingly colored with bright yellow and white and black. Six stout spines (long and sharp) come from the border of the abdomen.

These spiders mostly can be found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world including Australia. It is particularly common in the Summer months of January and February. These spiders inhabit mostly shrub areas close to swamps and creeks. Many are solitary but the well known Christmas Spiders are frequently found in colonies of communal webs which may number hundreds and even thousands. These large colonies overlap one another among shrubbery in the bushland.

The Spiders spin a fine circular web to snare their prey. Their webs often overlap and are usually built a meter or two from the ground. Their prey includes flying insects especially flies and communities of these spiders are very social in that they share their prey no matter whose web it lands on.

The Spiders have a bite that gives a mild local pain but is not poisonous. They are harmless to humans and usually move out of the way when approached. If bitten, the victim (fly) would be paralyzed then snared in the web.

The female is the stronger of the breed and her bite is more intense.

Jewelled Spider

These Spiders are long legged spiders which can be easily identified by the very long spines on their legs and their eye setting. Their abdomen is like a pencil ending in a point. Their size is between 4 and 6 mm. The spiders are common in Brisbane gardens. They have very good vision, with eight eyes, in the pattern four rows of two.

BITE: While the spider aggressively attacks its insect prey, it very seldom bites humans. While its bite is of little concern to humans, the spider is of interest because of its potential use in agricultural pest management. However, their usefulness in the control of insect pests is counteracted by their willingness to prey also upon beneficial insects. These spiders seize large numbers of honey bees, Apis mellifera Linnaeus, and sphecid and vespid wasps.

These spiders are found all over the world including Australia and USA. The spiders are common in gardens and can be found in trees or on grass, usually on the top of the plants.

They move actively in day time hunting small insects. They have a long body and long thin legs. The legs are covered with long spines. They are colorful with green-yellow, silver and brown bands along their bodies. Although their eyesight is not as good as that of the jumping spiders they can see their prey from a distance of up to 10 centimeters.

Female Spiders show great parental care, guarding her eggs and then two weeks later when the egg sac hatches , guarding her children. This is common in the spider world.

Lynx Spider

The Spider is fairly dull coloured with white markings. This Spider is an arachnid specie which forms large colonies and make webs or nests. The Spider's venom is harmless to man and they are found in all types of habitats in South Africa.

They are quite common in suburban and garden environments. The Spider is roughly in the region of 10mm large and feasts mainly upon insects that are caught in the tent shaped web.

Tropical Tent-web Spider

These spiders, Latrodectus hasselti, are almost too familiar to need description.

Mature female are jet black spiders with a variable red stripe on the back of their spherical abdomen.

Their tough, untidy webs are usually near the ground with the spider hiding in a shelter tucked in a corner, often guarding her round woolly egg sacs.

Immature females are smaller, usually brown with whitish markings.

Male spiders are rarely seen. They are small and brown with red and white markings.

These spiders are found throughout Australia, in drier habitats and built-up areas. They are often common in dry places around buildings, outdoor furniture, machinery and stacked materials.

In the bush, spiders nest under logs and rocks. There is some evidence to suggest that they are not native to Australia.

Red Back spider

Something different to finish off with.
Who is this bad boy?

Venom

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