Spiders are some of the most diverse creatures on Earth. While they can be frightening, most of them are harmless and skittish. However, some spiders are dangerous — or deadly. Several species have venom that is toxic to humans and can have long-lasting, even fatal, consequences. Here are some of the scariest spiders to look out for and steer clear of.
Spiders come in all shapes and sizes and while most are harmless, some species can be downright terrifying. With strange features venomous bites, or massive sizes, these are the scariest spiders found around the world.
Giant Huntsman Spider
The Giant Huntsman Spider is a colossal arachnid found only in Laos With legspans reaching up to 1 foot across, they are some of the largest spiders on Earth These sizeable spiders dwell in caves and use their lengthy legs to crawl across damp walls.
Huntsman spiders are known to be cannibals – after mating, the female often consumes the male. When food is scarce in their cave habitats, females may even eat their own young to survive.
Sydney Funnel-Web Spider
Hailing from Australia Sydney Funnel-web Spiders have a reputation as the world’s most venomous spider. Their powerful venom can cause serious illnesses in humans with potential symptoms including nausea, blurred vision, coma, and even death in some cases.
These sizable spiders have large fangs used to inject their seriously toxic venom. Male Sydney Funnel-webs are thought to have venom several times more potent than females. Bites are rare, but prompt medical treatment is required as antivenom is the only cure.
Brazilian Wandering Spider
Found in tropical forests across Brazil, these formidable arachnids are also called banana spiders. Growing up to 7 inches long, Brazilian Wandering Spiders are highly venomous.
Some bites lead to severe reactions like muscle spasms, headaches, nausea and impaired vision. Though rare, their venom can be lethal to humans in extreme cases. These intimidating spiders got their name because they wander the forest floor hunting for prey at night.
Camel Spider
Despite the name, camel spiders are actually solifugids, a separate order of arachnids. These frightening creatures grow to 6 inches long and inhabit deserts around the world. With massive jaws and a flattened body shape, they are equipped to hunt snakes, lizards and more.
Old tales claim camel spiders can disembowel camels, but these stories are pure myth. While not true spiders, their speed and giant mouthparts are enough to give anyone the creeps. When threatened, camel spiders can chase down prey at speeds of 10 mph.
Brown Recluse Spider
The venomous Brown Recluse Spider is well-known for its appearance in the Midwestern United States. Though the spiders are not aggressive, their venom can cause significant reactions in humans.
Bites usually swell, blister and leave an open wound where their venom destroys skin tissues. Medical treatment is often needed, but deaths are very rare. These shy spiders thrive in man-made areas like basements and garages.
Goliath Birdeater Spider
Living up to its name, the Goliath Birdeater Spider is the world’s largest spider species. They can weigh over 6 oz. – about the same as a young pet mouse! Their legspan reaches up to 1 foot across.
Despite the name, birds are not a preferred food source. These colossal spiders prefer to eat worms and other spiders. However, their massive fangs can occasionally catch frogs and small rodents.
Native to South America, Goliath Birdeaters inhabit marshy rainforest areas. Due to their size, plus presence of irritant hairs, they can appear quite intimidating. However, they rarely pose any threat to humans.
Black Widow Spider
The Black Widow is one of the most infamous spiders on Earth. Found across much of North America, bites are uncommon but can be quite dangerous. Their venom contains neurotoxins that can damage nerves and cause severe pain throughout the body.
Though fatalities are rare, their bites are prone to making people extremely sick. This spider’s distinctive red hourglass marking serves as a clear warning sign. Black widows build messy webs in secluded, sheltered spots outdoors.
Six-Eyed Sand Spider
As one of the most dangerous spiders on Earth, the Six-Eyed Sand Spider’s venom can kill humans in rare cases. This formidable arachnid gets its name from the tiny brown spots covering its grayish abdomen.
Inhabiting the deserts of South Africa, no antivenom exists for its lethal venom. Seeking shelter from predators and the harsh climate, these spiders burrow in sandy areas and ambush prey that passes by their lair.
Tarantulas
To many, the large, hairy spiders known as tarantulas are among the scariest on Earth. There are nearly 1,000 tarantula species found in the tropics worldwide. Some secrete irritant hairs when threatened, yet most species are not aggressive toward humans.
However, the Orange Baboon Tarantula is one species that’s more defensive than others. It will readily bite if provoked, causing a good deal of pain around the bite area. Though their bites are not lethal, all tarantulas have sizable fangs capable of piercing human skin.
8 of the scariest spiders
© AfroBrazilian, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Range: British Isles
Size: 1cm (body) 3cm (legspan)
Venom: yes
Hunting style: Ambush
Fear factor: The UK’s tiny suburban terror scuttles around gardens fast – very fast. Fast enough to give you the creeps at the thought of them scuttling indoors…while youre asleep
Brown recluse spider
Brown recluse spider( credit: Peter Muller / Getty s)
The brown recluse spider (Loxosceles reclusa) is one of the only common spiders in the U.S. that is considered venomous — though their bite rarely, if ever, kills a person. Its venom “destroys the walls of blood vessels near the site of the bite, sometimes causing a large skin ulcer,” said Britannica. These spiders can be identified by their pale brown color and eye pattern where six eyes are “arranged in three pairs in a semicircle pattern with a space between each pair,” said the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES). The brown recluse likes to hide and hunt prey. It can bite out of self-defense and release a harmful cytotoxin. While usually the bite heals in approximately three weeks, in some cases it “produces a necrotic lesion, typically resulting in a flat or slightly sunken bluish patch with irregular edges, a pale center, and peripheral redness,” which can take several months to heal, said ACES.
Sydney funnel-web spider( credit: Ken Griffiths / Getty s)
There are several funnel-web spiders, but the most well-known is the Atrax robustus. These arachnids, found in Australia, are “large, black aggressive spider[s] with large powerful fangs,” said the University of Melbourne. They can be incredibly dangerous. “The Sydney funnel-web spider can kill a toddler in about five minutes and a 5-year-old in about two hours,” Rick Vetter, a retired research associate with the Department of Entomology at the University of California, Riverside, said to Live Science. The venom from this spider can cause “numbness around the mouth and spasms of the tongue, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, acute gastric dilatation, profuse sweating, salivation, lacrimation [and] piloerection,” said the University of Melbourne.
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FAQ
What is the scariest spider?
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The black widow spider is widely recognized for its distinctive red hourglass marking on its abdomen and its venomous bite. Its venom is considered very potent, with a bite potentially causing serious symptoms like muscle cramping, nausea, and breathing difficulties. In severe cases, untreated bites can be fatal.
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These spiders are known for their large size, speed, and intimidating appearance, particularly the Giant Huntsman, which can have a leg span of up to 30 cm. While they are venomous, their venom is generally not dangerous to humans, and bites are rare.
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Wolf spiders are large, hairy spiders that are often mistaken for tarantulas. They are not aggressive and do not build webs; instead, they hunt by pouncing on their prey. While their bite can be painful, it is not medically significant.
What is the most feared spider?
The Sydney funnel-web spider, Atrax robustus, is one of the most dangerous spiders to humans in the world. Native to Australia, this poisonous spider is found in moist habitats such as under logs or in gardens. The Sydney funnel-web spider has a venom potency of 0.2 mg/kg as a lethal dose for humans.
What is the biggest scary spider in the world?
The giant huntsman spider is known as the world’s largest spider by leg span, measuring up to a whopping 30cm toe-to-toe. Although some goliath birdeater individuals have matched this, giant huntsmen tend to be larger on average, giving them the title.
Why are wolf spiders so scary?
The Wolf Spider has a very distinctive eye arrangement. And that’s what makes it very scary for a lot of people. The front row has 4 small eyes and then you have 2 larger eyes above that row and 2 smaller eyes above that middle row.
Are spiders scary?
In the vast world of creepy crawlies, spiders hold a special place in the realm of nightmares. With their eerie appearances, venomous bites, and intimidating behaviors, some spiders are downright terrifying.
What are the scariest spiders?
Here are some of the scariest spiders to look out for and steer clear of. 1. Brown recluse spider The brown recluse spider (Loxosceles reclusa) is one of the only common spiders in the U.S. that is considered venomous — though their bite rarely, if ever, kills a person.
Which spiders are deadly?
Though some spiders are pretty deadly and best avoided if encountered, spiders rarely bite, and very few are dangerous. Common Spiders: Golden Silk Orb-weaver Spider, Zebra Spider. Spiders are some of the most feared animals on the planet, narrowly beating out snakes.
Are whip spiders scary?
Some of the strangest types of scary-looking spiders are Whip Spiders (Ariamnes colubrinus). Despite their intimidating appearance, they are not dangerous to humans. Their elongated legs make these leggy spiders something even Daddy Long Legs can’t compete with.
What are the most dangerous spiders in the world?
4. Brazilian wandering spiders There are nine species of Brazilian wandering spider (Phoneutria genus), also called the “armed” or “banana” spider, and they have some of the most dangerous bites on Earth. These spiders can be a variety of colors but usually have yellow striped legs.
Are spiders generally dangerous to humans?
While there are over 40,000 species of spiders, only a tiny fraction pose any real danger to humans. Most spiders are too small to bite, and even those that can, rarely cause injuries worse than a mosquito bite. They are generally not aggressive.