1. Spiders

2. What are spiders?
Spiders are arachnids not insects, but both spiders and insects belong to the largest group of animals on Earth, the arthropods (Ancient Greek: arthro = joint, podos = footed) - animals with hard external skeletons and jointed limbs .

3. Spiders two main body parts eight walking legs simple eyes
piercing jaws (fangs)

4. Spiders abdominal silk spinning organs
anterior abdominal genital opening

5. Spiders
Of all the Australian spiders, only two have bites which alone are capable of causing death
Funnel-web spider
Red back spider

6. Funnel-Web

7. Funnel-Web The Funnel-Web spider is a member of the Trapdoor family.
Trapdoor spiders include the Funnel-web, Mouse, Whistling, and Curtain-web spiders.

8. Funnel-Web
They are distinguished by the stocky body, long leg-like palps, and two knee-like lobes to which the fangs join in front.

9. Funnel-Web
Funnel-Web spiders are medium-to-large in size, with body lengths ranging from 1 cm to 5 cm.

10. Funnel-Web
They are darkly coloured, ranging from black to blue-black to plum to brown, with a glossy, hairless carapace covering the front part of the body.

13. Funnel-Web
Their fangs are large and powerful, capable of penetrating fingernails and soft shoes.

14. Funnel-Web
It is highly aggressive when disturbed or cornered and is able to inflict multiple bites, with its "flick-knife" hardened fangs.

15. Funnel-Web
Funnel-webs make their burrows in moist, cool, sheltered habitats—under rocks, in and under rotting logs, some in rough-barked trees

16. Funnel-Web
A funnel-web's burrow characteristically has irregular silk trip-lines radiating from the entrance.

17. Identification Female (30 mm) Male (25 mm)
the male has a spur on 2 of it's legs
2 appendages on the end of the abdomen

18. Sydney Funnel-Web
Female
Male

19. Danger time
The mature male funnel-web spider will wander around during hot humid nights, looking for a mate,
He is known to enter homes, footwear, clothing, washing and swimming pools where they can survive several days under water.

20. Danger time
Examination of bite records has implicated wandering males in most if not all fatal funnel-web bites to humans.

21. Danger time
People also find funnel-web spiders wandering around the garden or in the home after heavy rain or nearby earthworks.

22. Anti-venom
An anti-venom is available in most major hospitals and ambulance vehicles.

23. Sydney Funnel-Web

24. Sydney Funnel-Web
They are black, aggressive, ugly looking with massive fangs.
Thesy are large and powerful enough to easily penetrate a fingernail.
When disturbed it tends to rear up on its hind legs, a defensive posture that exposes the fangs.

25. Sydney Funnel-Web They don't jump!
During a bite the spider firmly grips its victim and bites repeatedly; in most cases the experience is horrific.
The venom is highly toxic.

26. Venom toxicity
The Sydney Funnel-Web Spider is one of the world's most deadly spiders.
Both the male and female carry atraxotoxin, one of the world's most dangerous toxins.
Before an effective antivenom was developed, significant bites usually resulted in severe symptoms and death was not uncommon

27. Mouse Spider

28. Mouse Spider The Mouse Spider is also member of the Trapdoor family.
There are two (2) types of Mouse Spider in Australia
The Red Headed Mouse Spider
The Eastern Mouse Spider

29. Mouse Spider
Red Headed Mouse Spider
Eastern Mouse Spider

30. Mouse Spider
The home of the Mouse Spider is a burrow, oval shaped, of moderate depth and straight down.
Female spiders spends all their lives in the burrow.

31. First Aid management
Follow DRABCD
Lie casualty down
Calm Casualty

32. First aid Management

33. Red-Back

34. Red-Back The Red-Back spider resembles a Black widow spider.
It is actually a member of the widow family of spiders, which are found throughout the world.

37. Red-Back
Females have a body length of about a one centimetre while the male is smaller, being only 3 to 4 millimetres long

38. Red-Back

39. Red-Back
The female is easily recognisable by its black body with prominent red stripe on the upper side (i.e. the back) of its abdomen

40. Red-Back
The male Red-back is light brown in colour with white markings on the upper side of the abdomen

42. Red-Back
The Redback web is a disorganised, irregular tangle of fine but strong silk.

43. Red-Back
Redbacks usually prey on insects but they can capture larger animals that become entangled in the web including small lizards.

44. Red-Back Redback spider bites rarely cause death.
On record only 14 deaths from red-backs have been recorded.
No deaths have been reported since the introduction of antivenom in 1956.

45. Red-Back
A significant proportion of bites will not result in envenomation or any symptoms developing.
It is believed that thousands of people are bitten each year across Australia, although only about 20% of bite victims require treatment.

46. Red-Back
Children and the elderly or those with serious medical conditions are at much higher risk of severe side-effects and death resulting from a bite.

47. First Aid management
Follow DRABCD
Lie casualty down
Calm Casualty

48. Management
Apply a cold compress to the area to lessen the pain.

49. Management Advise patient to seek medical advice
If patient develops severe symptom, seek medical attention immediately

50. White-tailed spider
Medium-sized spiders, and so named because of the whitish tips at the end of their abdomens

51. Signs & Symptoms
Local pain, red mark (burns or itches) like an insect bite and swelling
Nausea, vomiting, or headache may occur.

52. Ulcers and necrosis?
Ulcers and necrosis have been attributed to the bites.

53. Ulcers and necrosis?
But a scientific study by Isbister and Gray (2003) showed these were caused by something else, mostly infections.
The study of 130 white-tailed spider bites found no necrotic ulcers or confirmed infections.

54. White-tailed spider They do not build webs.
Most active at night, they hunt for other spiders.

55. Coffs Harbour Divisional Training
Questions
17 November 2018
Coffs Harbour Divisional Training