Fraser Island Spiders
SPIDERS are found all over Fraser Island with some great examples of both venomous and non-venomous found on the island.
Funnel Web Spiders are usually found on Fraser Island in dark, moist places like in rainforest leaf matter, around tree trunks, staghorns, ferns and logs. They also prefer the moist conditions due to fact that they have a problem in ‘drying out’ in less humid conditions. On hot humid nights the male funnel web is active, looking for a mate. After they mate with the female, the spider is totally exhausted. The female then sucks the male of all his bodily nutrients leaving a dead shell of what was once the proud male. The most dangerous example of the Funnel Web is only found within 160 kilometres of Sydney so you don’t have to worry about being overrun by them on Fraser Island. They appear to have a black shiny head, with dark greyish back legs and large abdomen about the size of a 10 cent piece. They create an amazing burrow on the forest floor that is well camouflaged. The funnel web is not a jumping aggressive spider, however they will lunge if cornered or angry. Quite often their burrows may be flooded in storms that may see an increase in the funnel webs activity.
Red Back Spiders come from the same family as the American Black Widow spider and are roughly the size of a 50-cent piece. They are found in disturbed and urban areas and can be recognised by a blackish body with a bright red stripe on their backs and an "hourglass" shaped red/orange spot on the underside of the abdomen. They are most active in the summer months and usually dine on male trapdoor spiders, king crickets and small lizards. The most common place they will be found on Fraser Island is in manmade areas such as toilet and shower blocks as well as industrial common areas around resorts.
Golden Orb-weaver spiders are also found on Fraser Island. They are a lot ‘fatter’ looking than the previous 2 mentioned Fraser Island Spiders, however are still only about the size of a 50-cent piece when fully grown. They have a yellow band around the joints on their limbs and a greyish abdomen. If bitten it will only cause an hour or so of mild discomfort to the affected area. Similar to the Red Back spider, the Golden Orb-weavers are more prevalent during the summer months and can be found in both forest-like, treed areas as well as in toilets and man made areas. They also quite often have a web across busy pathways in an attempt to catch insects.