How many dangerous spiders do you think you can name? The reality might surprise you. Today we'll explore actual scientific data that supports a theory that there are far fewer truly dangerous spiders than what people think.
This video was made with the help of several scientific papers I'll attempt to link in the comments. If you have any questions about where some information was pulled from, feel free to ask!
Interested in hearing about a specific spider? You can jump to:
3:03 for Black Widows and Redback Spiders
7:28 for Sydney Funnel-Web Spiders
12:30 for Brazilian Wandering/Armed/Banana Spiders
16:20 for Brown Recluse/Violin Spiders
22:54 for Yellow Sac Spiders, White Tail Spiders, Wolf Spiders, and Hobo Spiders
24:02 for False Widows, Six-Eyed Sand Spiders, and Mouse Spiders
Primary Source:
Diaz JH. The global epidemiology, syndromic classification, management, and prevention of spider bites. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2004 Aug;71(2):239-50. PMID: 15306718
Other Research Sources:
G.K. Isbister, M.R. Gray, A prospective study of 750 definite spider bites, with expert spider identification, QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, Volume 95, Issue 11, November 2002, Pages 723–731, https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/95.11.723
Anoka IA, Robb EL, Baker MB. Brown Recluse Spider Toxicity. [Updated 2023 Aug 7]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537045/
Binstead JT, Chen RJ, Nappe TM. Funnel-Web Spider Toxicity. [Updated 2024 Feb 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535394/
Cardoso FC, Walker AA, King GF, Gomez MV. Holistic profiling of the venom from the Brazilian wandering spider Phoneutria nigriventer by combining high-throughput ion channel screens with venomics. Front Mol Biosci. 2023 Feb 14;10:1069764. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1069764. PMID: 36865382; PMCID: PMC9972223.
Bucaretchi F, Deus Reinaldo CR, Hyslop S, Madureira PR, De Capitani EM, Vieira RJ. A clinico-epidemiological study of bites by spiders of the genus Phoneutria. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo. 2000 Jan-Feb;42(1):17-21. doi: 10.1590/s0036-46652000000100003. PMID: 10742722.
Hedin, M., Derkarabetian, S., Ramírez, M.J. et al. Phylogenomic reclassification of the world’s most venomous spiders (Mygalomorphae, Atracinae), with implications for venom evolution. Sci Rep 8, 1636 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-19946-2
Robinson JR, Kennedy VE, Doss Y, Bastarache L, Denny J, Warner JL. Defining the complex phenotype of severe systemic loxoscelism using a large electronic health record cohort. PLoS One. 2017 Apr 19;12(4):e0174941. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174941. PMID: 28422977; PMCID: PMC5396866.
Rash LD, Birinyi-Strachan LC, Nicholson GM, Hodgson WC. Neurotoxic activity of venom from the Australian eastern mouse spider (Missulena bradleyi) involves modulation of sodium channel gating. Br J Pharmacol. 2000 Aug;130(8):1817-24. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0703494. PMID: 10952670; PMCID: PMC1572261.
Image Sources:
https://rose-of-god.fandom.com/wiki/Four_Horsemen_of_the_Apocalypse
https://countryroadsmagazine.com/outdoors/knowing-nature/the-black-widow-spider/
https://pictureinsect.com/wiki/Phoneutria.html
https://glenlivet-wildlife.co.uk/insects/brown-recluse-spider/
https://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?search=Agelenidae
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/224147-Loxosceles-laeta
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoneutria