I'm not even going to lie, I'm super paranoid of spiders in general (oooo big shock someone's scared of spiders)

But I will say the sound that left my body as I leaned over my desk, head in my hands, and felt THAT on my elbow... I can only describe as the sound of a tiny puppy after having its tail stepped on.

I didn't know I could squeal in such a high pitch, nor did I know I could squeal in the first place.

Today's also the day I learned all my misconceptions about white tails is apparently.. old wives tails. Tales....ahem. I'm still trying to unlearn all that negative stigma.

Skydiving has nothing on the adrenaline boost of a spider on your body at midnight. I'm still figuring out how the FK it got on me.

Tagged as a joke because I hope SOMEONE giggles at my freak out.

Pediana regina, from northern WA. Thought I should share some of the many photos from a trip I did a while back. Have a soft spot for huntsmen, so expect a few more.

Thought it was a tick at first glance!

Hi team,
I know these photos aren’t great for showing leg span or much more than the abdomen.
But I’m curious as to what this little fellow actually is - he sits at the top of the door frame to my shed, and has gathered quite a few brown “balls”(?)(food?)(eggsacs?) around him and he tucks his head into them to sleep.

I’ll try get some night time photos when he wakes up later, but any help in the meantime would be appreciated.
I don’t really want to relocate him but I also don’t want him squished in the door frame.

Cheers

ID please! 🙏 In the Newcastle area.
I put it safely outside already.
I’ve just moved to Australia, so I’m a bit wary about the spiders I encounter. I’ve tried searching this sub a little, but didn’t see anything similar.
I also tried using google but it gave me a species that only lives in Caribbean, so I don’t trust it.

Sorry the photo isn’t great!

Some of you have read about this in recent news media, including the ABC (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-02/spider-venom-varroa-mite-research-honey-bees/106862586).

To summarise, a parasitic mite has been devastating bee populations and has developed resistance to pesticides. Studies of various peptides in invertebrate venom have shown promising results in killing the mites in a precise and targetted way without causing harm to other individuals or the environment.

One of those invertebrates is the Tasmanian cave spider Hickmania troglodytes. The other primary succesful peptides were isolated from Macrothele gigas\* (Japanese giant funnel web). Both of these spiders are endemic to one small island within their respective countries.

For those who enjoy reading more in depth science, here is the recently published submission to Nature by researchers looking into this

https://www.nature.com/articles/s44386-026-00050-9

*Apparently now *Gigathele gigas, (as of last year).

Central Coast, NSW. About 7/8cm across

Hey all! Just wondering if anyone has been bitten by a spider medically significant or not and how it felt after? My other half has been bitten (do not worry they’re fine) and we were both wondering about others experiences!

Never seen one like this any ideas?

Not the best photos as I was trying not to bother her too much. Any idea what this spider in Canberra, ACT could be? Thank you.

Saw this little fella on the cooktop this morning (pardon the dirt, I hadn’t cleaned up after brekkie when I saw it). Don’t know if it was struggling on the glass so I gave it a tissue to climb on to. It had a bit of rest there and 10 minutes later was gone.

Google Lens tells me it’s a wolf spider but that doesn’t sound right. I’m not a spider enthusiast, this spider is just more distinct looking than the ones I usually find in my house

Can anyone please help ID this spider? We have these in our backyard and my partner is afraid they’re harmful / venomous. Thanks in advance

Located in South Australia- Playford Council Area. Hey all my partner found this on their way to work walking through Playford Council area - unfortunately I don’t know exactly where but we’re in an area from what I’ve seen is meant to be funnel web free. Unfortunately this is the only photo they got as we’re both terribly arachnophobic. Thank you all in advance!

Two seperate spiders, looks like male and female. They have these almost bowl shaped webs that are filled with leaves and debris and a little hidey hole they will run into when spooked. iNat reckons it's Dendrolycosa, but I don't see them near water so I’m not sure.