Red Back Spider

The Redback spiders live everywhere throughout the Australian continent. Female Redback spiders are black in color with a very apparent red or orange stripe that is visible on the back of the spider. The female Redback spider is dangerous and almost always connected to human deaths. Redback spider bites cause severe pain at the site of the bite and cause other symptoms to include: sweating, muscular weakness, vomiting, and nausea. Redback spider venom is a neurotoxin that affects the neurotransmitters causing there depletion. The Redback spider has caused several reported deaths of bitten human beings but none have died since the release of an antivenom. Over 250 bites receive antivenom treatment each year with many more cases most likely go unreported.