Sydney Funnel-Web Spider Bite: First Aid for the Most Venomous Australian Spider
Table of Contents
A funnel-web spider bite is one of the few spider bites in Australia that requires an ambulance. The Sydney funnel-web (Atrax robustus) is one of the most venomous spiders in the world, and the roughly 40 species of funnel-web spiders across eastern Australia all produce venom that can cause serious harm. What happens in the first minutes after a bite, before the ambulance arrives, changes the outcome. Those minutes belong to whoever is standing next to the person who was bitten.
How to Identify a Sydney Funnel-Web Spider
Funnel-web spiders are medium to large for spiders. They have glossy, hairless, and darkly coloured, ranging from blue-black to black or dark brown bodies that range from 1-5cm in length, with males often being smaller than females.
Sydney funnel-webs build silk-lined burrows in moist, sheltered habitats: under rocks, inside rotting logs, and in holes in rough-barked trees. As their name suggests, they are mostly found through greater Sydney to the Illawarra region, with records in the Blue Mountains and around Newcastle. Other species of Australian funnel-web spiders, including members of the genus Hadronyche, range from Tasmania to north Queensland along the eastern coast and into parts of South Australia.
Signs and Symptoms of an Australian Funnel-Web Spider Bite
A bite from a funnel-web spider causes immediate, severe pain. You may see two clear fang marks a few millimetres apart.
Not every funnel-web bite leads to envenomation. Roughly 10 to 25% of bites produce significant venom effects, appearing on average 30 minutes from the bite. These include:
- Tingling or numbness around the mouth and tongue
- Heavy sweating and salivation
- Watering eyes
- Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain
- Muscle twitching
- Difficulty breathing
- Rapid heart rate and high blood pressure
- Confusion or agitation
- Dilated pupils
- Loss of consciousness
Because you cannot predict which bites will be dry and which will not, all suspected bites from large black spiders in funnel-web territory should be treated as a medical emergency.
First Aid for a Funnel-Web Spider Bite
Acting fast slows venom spread and gives hospital staff the time they need to deliver antivenom. Follow these steps in order.
1. Call Triple Zero (000) for an ambulance. Do this before anything else. Tell the operator the person has been bitten by a suspected funnel-web.
2. Keep the person still and calm. Lay them down and ask them not to move. Movement pumps venom through their body faster.
3. Apply a pressure immobilisation bandage. Use a broad elasticised bandage (10 to 15 cm wide) if available. If you do not have one, use any firm fabric, such as a torn shirt or stockings.
- Place the first bandage directly over the bite site, wrapping firmly.
- Apply a second bandage starting at the fingers or toes of the bitten limb and winding upward toward the body, covering as much of the limb as possible.
- If the bite is not on a limb (for example, on the torso), apply firm direct pressure to the site with a pad and keep the person still.
- The bandage should be as tight as you would strap a sprained ankle. You should not be able to slide a finger under it, but it should not cut off circulation.
- Apply a rigid splint (a stick, rolled newspaper, or any stiff object) to keep the limb from moving.
4. Do not remove the bandage. The pressure immobilisation bandage must stay on until the person reaches a hospital and is assessed by medical staff.
5. Monitor breathing and consciousness. If the person stops breathing or becomes unresponsive, begin CPR and continue until the ambulance arrives. If you do not know CPR the Triple Zero operator can walk you through the basic steps.
What NOT to Do
Some common first aid habits can make a funnel-web spider bite worse. Avoid all of the following:
Do not wash the bite site. Hospital staff can swab venom residue from the skin and test it with a venom detection kit to determine if antivenom is needed, and which type.
Do not cut, suck, or bleed the wound. These outdated methods do not remove venom. Cutting introduces infection risk, and sucking exposes the rescuer to venom through any cuts in the mouth.
Do not apply a tourniquet. An arterial tourniquet cuts off blood flow to the entire limb and can cause tissue damage.
Do not apply ice or a cold pack. Ice has no impact on a funnel-web spider bite and applying it only wastes time.
Do not let the person walk or move around. Even walking to a car can push venom through the body faster. Bring help to the person rather than moving the person to help.
Do not remove clothing before bandaging. Pulling off sleeves or pants legs can cause unnecessary movement. Apply the pressure immobilisation bandage over existing clothing.
Your Home, Their Habitat: Reducing Your Risk
Funnel-web spiders favour damp, sheltered spots near the ground. A few changes around your home can make those spots harder to find.
Clear garden debris. Remove piles of rocks, logs, bark, and leaf litter from close to your house. These create the cool, moist conditions that funnel-web spiders use for shelter and burrows.
Reduce moisture. Fix dripping taps and leaky pipes near foundations. Improve drainage and airflow in subfloor spaces.
Seal entry points. Fit weather strips to doors and mesh screens to windows and vents. Cover floor drains with fine grates. Male funnel-web spiders wander into homes through these openings, especially during the warmer months.
Check before you reach. Shake out shoes, boots, gloves, and clothing that have been left on the ground overnight.
Be careful in the pool. Funnel-webs can survive underwater for many hours by trapping air bubbles around their abdomen. If you find a big black spider at the bottom of your pool, scoop it out with a long-handled net or container rather than your hands.
Learn First Aid for Deadly Insect Bites and Stings
Venom moves faster than an ambulance, and a funnel-web spider bite puts the outcome in the hands of whoever is standing closest. One day of first aid training under a qualified trainer is enough to make the technique stick under real stress. Anyone who lives or works in funnel-web territory can enrol today and carry a skill that weighs nothing until it saves a life.
FAQs
How Deadly Is a Mouse Spider Bite?
Mouse spider bites are far less likely to cause severe envenomation than funnel-web bites. A study found only one case of severe envenomation, in a 19-month-old child, and no recorded deaths.
How Many People Are Bitten by Funnel-Web Spiders Each Year?
Between 30 and 40 people are bitten by funnel-web spiders in Australia each year. Funnel-web spider antivenom has been given to over 100 patients since 1980, with no deaths recorded in that time. Severe reactions occur in roughly one out of every six bites.
How Dangerous Is a Redback Spider Bite?
Around 2,000 people are bitten by redback spiders in Australia each year, making them far more common than funnel-web bites. Redback bites cause severe pain that can last over 24 hours but are not life-threatening for adults, and no deaths have been recorded since 1955.
