Funnel Web

[sbullet]

Does anyone know where you can purchase these? Or if anyone has any? A friend of mine is really looking to pick one up. (Not literally, but you know LOL)

thanks

[GiantVinegaroon]

Does anyone know where you can purchase these? Or if anyone has any? A friend of mine is really looking to pick one up. (Not literally, but you know LOL)

thanks

More details are needed. A number of spiders may be referred to as funnel webs.

[bluefrogtat2]

Linotheles?
i have fallax now i am gonna attempt to breed this year,have seen megathaloides available recently as well.
andy

[sbullet]

I know nothing about their nomenclature, or names, i guess the Sydney funnel web; is that the one you're breeding?

---------- Post added 04-26-2012 at 05:46 PM ----------

After a little reading, those are not what we are looking for. The one's you are talking about look nothing like the Sydney.

[Philth]

I know nothing about their nomenclature, or names, i guess the Sydney funnel web; is that the one you're breeding?

---------- Post added 04-26-2012 at 05:46 PM ----------

After a little reading, those are not what we are looking for. The one's you are talking about look nothing like the Sydney.

Maybe you (or your friend) should keep reading about Atrax robustus before taking on such a toxic species ? Luckily you wont find one for sale in the U.S. anyways.

Later, Tom

[sbullet]

Hopefully I'll get lucky then.

[pandinus]

you won't. unless perhaps you know someone ilegally exporting themout of Austrailia, or a good place to find some in the black market.

[Curious jay]

Hopefully I'll get lucky then.

Why not look for something locally don't you have any Segestria florentina where your from? Nice little species female have iridescent green fangs.

To suggest a Sydney funnel web as a trapdoor for your first one is just rediculous you or your friend have clearly done no research These things are absolutely lethal just because they look cool doesn't mean they would make a good specie to keep there is no margin of error with these guys if you get tagged and don't receive medical treatment immediately it's likely your next stop is the funeral home....

[The Snark]

I realize this subject is going to attract a lot of negativity and that is sad in a way. I would suggest you contact some people, various experts, and get their input on keeping animals like the Atrax. Request their personal viewpoints.

And along those lines... I've worked with rattlesnakes at a nature center and dealt with them at a pack station. I wouldn't keep one if I was paid. I've eradicated thousands of black widows. Again, I wouldn't keep one. As a docent at a snake farm I come in close contact with kraits and 3 different kinds of cobras, along with almost every other venomous snake in Thailand. I would not keep any of them. I've had a couple of encounters with the 'king brown' in Australia. Again, no thanks on close contact.
You see, I've got whammed a couple of times and made the decision that I will let the experts and fanatics have that little patch of glory. I'll leave my pistols lying around the house loaded, cocked and with the safety off before I choose to live with lethal unpredictable animals. The risk is great and repetitive. You can never, ever let your guard down. That sort of constant nagging in my mind is something I can live without.
Give it some thought, old bean.

[Ciphor]

The only thing I'll add is this spider will easily kill a healthy adult, unlike widows, wandering spiders, and recluse tallying up deaths on young kids and the sick elderly. No other spider has the high risk this one does. In Australia the only reason people stopped dying to this spiders bite was the introduction of anti-venom. In the states anti-venom will not be available.

You are looking to get your hands on a highly aggressive, bite first, ask second spider, that will have a very high chance of mortality without anti-venom.

I sincerely hope you find one. Nature always weeds out the weak and I would do nothing to stand in its way, GL to you and may ignorance be your bliss.

[Ungoliant]

The only thing I'll add is this spider will easily kill a healthy adult, unlike widows, wandering spiders, and recluse tallying up deaths on young kids and the sick elderly. No other spider has the high risk this one does. In Australia the only reason people stopped dying to this spiders bite was the introduction of anti-venom. In the states anti-venom will not be available.

Rod Crawford has argued that the characterization of the Sydney funnelweb spider as "deadly" is an exaggeration.

According to the Australian Museum spider page, the number of human deaths from authentic spider bites of any kind in Australia since 1979 has been zero. A recent published medical study followed 750 genuine Australian spider bite cases with identified spiders over 27 months (1999-2001). Only 44 bites (6%, mostly redback spider bites) had significant effects. Only 6 redback bites and 1 Atrax bite were serious enough to need antivenom. In no case was there any sign of allergic response to spider venom, and I have only seen one such case in North America in 35 years.

Atrax robustus, the Sydney Funnelweb Spider, is often publicized as the "world's deadliest." Authentic medical information (click here for details) suggests otherwise. There have been no deaths (out of 30-40 bites per year) since antivenom was introduced in 1980. During the 53 year period 1927-1979 there were 13 or 14 known deaths, which would be a death rate of under 1%! Although one child died in 15 minutes, adult fatalities typically took 2-3 days. 90% of Atrax bites are judged not serious enough to need antivenom.

Nonetheless, I wouldn't want to keep a Sydney funnelweb spider or any other medically significant species, especially one that can't be legally imported.

Even experienced handlers make mistakes. If you're inexperienced, you're just asking for trouble. If you were bitten and needed antivenom, how likely is it that anyone in your area would have any on hand? If it bit someone else, you could lose everything.

[Curious jay]

Rod Crawford has argued that the characterization of the Sydney funnelweb spider as "deadly" is an exaggeration.



Nonetheless, I wouldn't want to keep a Sydney funnelweb spider or any other medically significant species, especially one that can't be legally imported.

Even experienced handlers make mistakes. If you're inexperienced, you're just asking for trouble. If you were bitten and needed antivenom, how likely is it that anyone in your area would have any on hand? If it bit someone else, you could lose everything.

Not to mention if you or someone around you gets tagged wether they die or not the media will have a field day reporting it a spider that isn't legal to export from Aussie tags someone in a country there not local too 1) I dunno if you could face jail time (dunno what the US laws on the subject are) 2) it's gunna make an easy argument for the public/government too start adding more species to the illegal to own list, this hobby isnt very highly thought of outside the boundaries of other hobbyists as it is.

[sbullet]

Didn't know they were illegal to own. Ah well.

[Ciphor]

Rod Crawford has argued that the characterization of the Sydney funnelweb spider as "deadly" is an exaggeration.



Nonetheless, I wouldn't want to keep a Sydney funnelweb spider or any other medically significant species, especially one that can't be legally imported.

Even experienced handlers make mistakes. If you're inexperienced, you're just asking for trouble. If you were bitten and needed antivenom, how likely is it that anyone in your area would have any on hand? If it bit someone else, you could lose everything.

"Atrax robustus, the Sydney Funnelweb Spider, is often publicized as the "world's deadliest." Authentic medical information (click here for details) suggests otherwise. There have been no deaths (out of 30-40 bites per year) since antivenom was introduced in 1980. During the 53 year period 1927-1979 there were 13 or 14 known deaths, which would be a death rate of under 1%! Although one child died in 15 minutes, adult fatalities typically took 2-3 days. 90% of Atrax bites are judged not serious enough to need antivenom."

You gotta understand, Rod is an intensely scientific man, and sometimes he miss-understands how normal people talk. In his opinion, there are no deadly spiders in the world, but people do die to spiders. "The previous myth page, where I said that no spider species anywhere can properly be called "deadly," generated more comments than any other on the site. Most were from Australians who were certain their country at least had truly deadly spiders, including the Sydney Funnelweb Spider Atrax robustus and the Redback Spider Latrodectus hasselti. Some also mentioned White-tailed Spiders, genus Lampona. Some comments were from Brazilians who put forward their Phoneutria wandering spiders as the world's deadliest."

Rod is the man, no doubt. I'd challenge anyone to find a spider with a nastier record & venom. Killing 10 healthy adults is pretty harsh if you asked me, though I'm pretty sure the confirmed death count is higher. To the best of my knowledge, no other species of spider has killed as many healthy adults.

It also holds the record for fastest death from a spider envenomation, with the very well documented infant death in 15 minutes.

If your interested you can read more about it here, http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims...0%20TOXINOLOGY

[The Snark]

Steve Irwin once did a film clip demonstrating this trucker. Fangs as large as a king cobra (or possibly larger) and leaving droplets of venom on a stick were clearly visible. It was a little comical in that towards the end of the shoot his hands were shaking.

Ciphor, the relevant part of Crawfords page, explaining his logic, is at the bottom:
"Most medical conditions blamed on spiders by physicians lack confirmation that any actual spider was involved in the case. Spider bites of all kinds are rare events (as opposed to other bites and medical conditions that get wrongly blamed on spiders). Although it is possible for a spider bite to cause death, that is a very unlikely outcome and does not happen in enough cases to justify calling any spider "deadly." "