What is the most dangerous spider in Australia?

The male Sydney Funnel-web Spider (Atrax robustus) is certainly the most dangerous spider in Australia. Not only is the venom of the male highly to humans, this species also occurs throughout the densely populated Sydney region, bringing wandering males into close contact with humans. However, there have only been 13 recorded human deaths resulting from the bite of the male Sydney Funnel-web, and no one has died since the antivenom was developed in 1980.

To put this in context though, in the same time frame there have been over 70,000 human deaths from motor vehicle accidents, making travelling on Australia’s roads a far more dangerous activity than living with Funnel-webs in Sydney.