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What the sources say

Sydney Funnel-Web SpiderAtrax robustus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Sydney Funnel-Web Spider profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 58 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Australian Museum

Sydney Funnel-web Spider, Atrax robustus. Australian Museum.

The page saysShady gullies, forest, woodland and bushy suburbs across the Sydney basin, from the Central Coast south to the Georges River and west to Baulkham Hills
The source saysBushy suburban areas, open and closed sclerophyll forests and woodlands, often on south or east-facing slopes or in shady gullies ... The main range of the Sydney Funnel-web is from the Central Coast south to the Georges River, extending as far west as Baulkham Hills near the southern end of its distributionNote: compact stats field; 'often' on slopes/gullies not carried into a list
The page saysBeetles, cockroaches, millipedes, small lizards
The source sayspotential prey, such as beetles, cockroaches, small lizards or millipedes
The page saysTwo to Four Centimetres, Grown Up in Year Five
The source saysSize Range 2.0 cm – 4.0 cmNote: heading; year five is the duran-2022 maturity claim
The page saysA Sydney funnel-web measures 2 to 4 centimetres, according to the Australian Museum
The source saysSize Range 2.0 cm – 4.0 cm
The page saysIt's a shiny, dark brown to black spider with finger-like spinnerets, its silk-spinning organs, at the tip of the abdomen.
The source saysSydney Funnel-webs are shiny, dark brown to black spiders with finger-like spinnerets (silk-spinning organs) at the end of their abdomen
The page saysSydney funnel-webs live in silk-lined burrows under logs and rocks, where the air stays cool and humid, with silk trip-lines laid around the entrance.
The source saysSydney Funnel-webs live in silk-lined burrows in sheltered sites under logs and rocks in areas where they can maintain a cool and humid climate ... silken trip-lines that the spider has placed around the outside of its burrow
The page saysThe spider waits just inside, and when a beetle, cockroach, small lizard or millipede walks across a line, it rushes out to grab it, then carries the meal back into the burrow.
The source saysthe spider waits inside the burrow entance ready to rush out when potential prey, such as beetles, cockroaches, small lizards or millipedes, walk across silken trip-lines that the spider has placed around the outside of its burrow. They then return to their burrow to eat their meal
The page saysThreatened, it rears up and displays its fangs.
The source saysIf threatened, both species show aggressive behaviour, rearing and displaying their impressive fangs
The page saysThe Sydney funnel-web lives in shady gullies, forest and bushy suburbs from the Central Coast south to the Georges River and west to Baulkham Hills, with some records from the Blue Mountains and Wollongong.
The source saysBushy suburban areas, open and closed sclerophyll forests and woodlands, often on south or east-facing slopes or in shady gullies ... The main range of the Sydney Funnel-web is from the Central Coast south to the Georges River, extending as far west as Baulkham Hills near the southern end of its distribution. Some records are also known from the Blue Mountains and Wollongong
The page saysMore recently its range has shrunk in the south.
The source saysMore recently, the range is reduced in the south
The page saysThe Australian Museum records no deaths since its introduction.
The source saysthere have been no fatalities since the introduction of antivenomNote: species page updated 13/01/25
The page saysif threatened, rears up and displays its fangs
The source saysIf threatened, both species show aggressive behaviour, rearing and displaying their impressive fangsNote: vibe.reason (women artists, round 2)

Source
02

Australian Museum

Australian Funnel-web Spiders. Australian Museum.

The page saysin male venom
The source saysmale spider venom contains a unique component called Robustoxin (δ-Atracotoxin-Ar1)
The page saysbut robustoxin severely affects the nervous systems of humans and monkeys.
The source saysmale spider venom contains a unique component called Robustoxin (δ-Atracotoxin-Ar1) that severely and similarly affects the nervous systems of humans and monkeys, but not of other mammals
The page saysRobustoxin severely affects the nervous systems of humans and monkeys, but not those of other mammals.
The source saysmale spider venom contains a unique component called Robustoxin (δ-Atracotoxin-Ar1) that severely and similarly affects the nervous systems of humans and monkeys, but not of other mammals
The page saysFor a while. Funnel-webs that fall into backyard pools can stay alive for at least 30 hours underwater.
The source saysWandering funnel-webs spiders often fall into backyard swimming pools and they can stay alive for at least 30 hours underwaterNote: group scope, so the question and answer say funnel-webs, not this species
The page saysThey can't swim, but a small bubble of air trapped in the hairs around the abdomen helps them breathe and float.
The source saysThey can't swim but they can trap a small bubble of air in hairs around the abdomen, which aids both breathing and floating
The page saysAs they slowly get waterlogged they sink and eventually drown, but it takes a long time, and a motionless funnel-web at the bottom of a pool often recovers.
The source saysAs they gradually get waterlogged, their buoyancy decreases and they sink. Eventually they drown but this is a slow process. It should not be assumed that a non-moving spider at the bottom of a pool is dead as they often recover
The page saysMale venom contains robustoxin, which severely affects the human nervous system.
The source saysmale spider venom contains a unique component called Robustoxin (δ-Atracotoxin-Ar1) that severely and similarly affects the nervous systems of humans and monkeys
The page saysIts absence from female venom probably explains why bites from females have not caused any deaths, though the Australian Museum warns that no funnel-web bite should be assumed safe.
The source saysThe absence of this chemical from female Sydney Funnel-web Spider venom probably explains why bites by these females have not caused any deaths. However, it should not be assumed that bites from females or any funnel-web bites are relatively 'safe'Note: page updated 13/01/25
The page saysin the warmer months, November to April, they wander through gardens at night looking for mates, and sometimes end up trapped inside a house or garage.
The source saysDuring the warmer months of the year (November-April) male funnel-webs wander about at night looking for females in their burrows. Males wandering in suburban gardens may sometimes become trapped inside houses or garages
The page saysNot since 1981, when Dr Struan Sutherland's team at the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories first developed an antivenom for clinical use.
The source saysAn antivenom for the Sydney Funnel-web Spider was first developed for clinical use in 1981 by Dr Struan Sutherland and his team at the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories. No deaths have occurred since its introductionNote: page updated 13/01/25, after the 1981 event
The page saysFunnel-web bites caused thirteen recorded deaths, and the male Sydney funnel-web, as the species was understood before its 2025 split, is probably responsible for most of them.
The source saysThe male of Atrax robustus , the Sydney Funnel-web Spider , is probably responsible for most of the thirteen recorded deaths and many medically serious bitesNote: the count predates the split, so it is scoped to the old sense of the name
The page saysThe antivenom has also worked against other dangerous funnel-web species.
The source saysThis antivenom has also been effective against other dangerous funnel-web spider species
The page saysMale venom carries a nerve toxin
The source saysmale spider venom contains a unique component called Robustoxin
The page saysdangerLevel: Deadly
The source saysThis specimen of the notorious Sydney Funnel-web Spider was responsible for the first recorded human death by this speciesNote: task #686; Deadly is 'Capable of killing a human'. Recorded deaths make it a capability, whatever the severe-envenoming rate (Isbister 2005's 17%) or the post-1981 antivenom record. The deaths predate Loria 2025's split, but Loria keeps the name and the Sydney range for A. robustus s.s.. The same page: male A. robustus is 'probably responsible for most of the thirteen recorded deaths'
The page saystags: venomous
The source saysmale spider venom contains a unique component called Robustoxin (δ-Atracotoxin-Ar1) that severely and similarly affects the nervous systems of humans and monkeysNote: task #1283; tagMetadata 'venomous' is a biochemical cocktail delivered through fangs to disable nervous systems

Source
03

Australian Museum

Australia's deadliest spider reclassified. Australian Museum.

The page saysacross the Sydney basin
The source saysthe “classic” Sydney funnel-web ( Atrax robustus ), found from the Central Coast and throughout the Sydney Basin
The page saysIt was long considered a single species.
The source saysthe iconic Sydney funnel-web has long been considered a single species
The page saysthe "true" Sydney funnel-web centred on Sydney's North Shore and the Central Coast
The source saysThe 'true' Sydney Funnel-web, Atrax robustus centres on the North Shore of Sydney and the Central Coast
The page saysthe Southern Sydney funnel-web (Atrax montanus), most common in the Blue Mountains
The source saysthe Southern Sydney funnel-web ( Atrax montanus ), which is most common in the Blue Mountains south and west of Sydney
The page saysthe Newcastle funnel-web (Atrax christenseni), the largest of the three
The source saysthe Newcastle funnel-web, playfully dubbed “Big Boy” by spider lovers, the largest of the three
The page saysResearchers who compared DNA and fine anatomical detail across the Sydney region found differences showing that three species should be recognised.
The source saysThe research team used a combination of anatomical and molecular (DNA) comparisons to study different populations of Sydney funnel-web spiders, documenting distinctions indicating that three species should be recognised

Source
04

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Atrax robustus. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysland snails
The source saysThe diet of Sydney funnel-web spiders consists of beetles, cockroaches, insect larvae, native land snails, millipedes and occasionally frogs and other small vertebrates
The page saysAnimal Diversity Web gives males up to 25 millimetres and females up to 35
The source saysMales grow to 25mm long while females grow to 35 mm long
The page saysFemales tend to stay in one place unless flooding forces them out.
The source saysFemales tend to stay in the same location except when forced out by flooding

Source
05

Loria et al. 2025

Loria et al. (2025). The world's most venomous spider is a species complex: systematics of the Sydney funnel-web spider (Atracidae: Atrax robustus). BMC Ecology and Evolution.

The page saysOnly male Sydney funnel-webs (Atrax robustus) are known to make venom molecules that cause serious effects in humans.
The source saysit is now known that only male spiders of A. robustus produce venom peptides that cause serious effects in humans
The page saysMales mature in summer and leave their burrows, usually after rain, to roam in search of mates.
The source saysmale spiders mature in summer and abandon their burrows, usually after rainy periods, to roam in search of mates
The page saysA 2025 study, combining DNA with detailed anatomy, split it into three
The source saysIn this study, we use a combination of molecular phylogenetics, divergence time analyses and morphology to establish the Sydney funnel-web spider as a complex of three speciesNote: 2025 is the reference year
The page saysDecades of venom research on spiders then all called Atrax robustus now need re-examining in light of the split.
The source saysthe rich body of literature on A. robustus venom needs to be re-examined in light of our revised taxonomic framework ... the iconic Sydney funnel-web spider Atrax robustus sensu Gray, 2010 is a complex of three speciesNote: 'decades': the biomedical literature cited runs from Musgrave onward; 'then all called' = A. robustus sensu Gray 2010
The page saysOne Spider Becomes Three
The source saysestablish the Sydney funnel-web spider as a complex of three speciesNote: heading
The page saysWhat looked like one unusually variable species turned out to be three.
The source saysMorphological variability and venom diversity in this species appear to be unusually high, raising questions about species concepts and diversity in these spiders ... establish the Sydney funnel-web spider as a complex of three speciesNote: 'looked like' carries 'appear'
The page saysThey also noted that the large body of venom research published under the name Atrax robustus has to be looked at again in light of the new classification.
The source saysthe rich body of literature on A. robustus venom needs to be re-examined in light of our revised taxonomic framework
The page saysMales are also the ones people tend to meet
The source saysmale spiders mature in summer and abandon their burrows, usually after rainy periods, to roam in search of mates, often bringing them into contact with humans

Source
06

Duran, Wilson & Lee Rymer 2022

Duran, Wilson & Lee Rymer (2022). Behaviour of the Sydney funnel-web spider Atrax robustus over different contexts, time, and stimuli. Toxicon: X.

The page saysIt is long-lived for a spider: females can live for more than eight years, and both sexes generally mature only in their fifth year.
The source saysA. robustus has a long life span; females can live for more than eight years, and both males and females generally only reach maturity in the fifth yearNote: 'for a spider' frames 'long life span'
The page saysIn a 2022 lab study, juveniles tended to huddle when puffed with air, while adults lifted their front legs and moved their fangs.
The source saysWe observed that juveniles tended to huddle rather than move their fangs, whereas adults tended to lift the first pair of legs and move the fangs in response to the puff of airNote: 2022 is the reference year; lab = climate-controlled room

Source
07

Nicholson et al. 1998

Nicholson et al. (1998). Characterisation of the effects of robustoxin, the lethal neurotoxin from the Sydney funnel-web spider Atrax robustus, on sodium channel activation and inactivation. Pflügers Archiv European Journal of Physiology.

The page saysdelta-atracotoxin-Ar1
The source saysrobustoxin should henceforth be known as delta-atracotoxin-Ar1 to reflect this main action on sodium channel inactivation
The page saysstops some sodium channels in nerve cells from switching off properly
The source saysThe main action of robustoxin was a concentration-dependent slowing or removal of TTX-S sodium current inactivationNote: stats field; 'switching off' = inactivation
The page saysIn tests on rat nerve cells, it stopped some sodium channels, the pores that let a nerve fire, from shutting off properly: a trickle of sodium kept flowing, and the channels reset faster for the next signal.
The source saysthe study assessed the actions of robustoxin on tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTX-R) and tetrodotoxin-sensitive (TTX-S) sodium currents in rat dorsal root ganglion cells ... robustoxin had no effect on TTX-R sodium currents but exerted potent effects on TTX-S sodium currents ... robustoxin produced a significant increase in the repriming kinetics of the sodium channel ... allowing a fraction of the sodium current to remain at membrane potentials at which inactivation is normally completeNote: 'some' = TTX-S only; 'the pores that let a nerve fire' is a generic definition

Source
08

Pallaghy et al. 1997

Pallaghy et al. (1997). Solution structure of robustoxin, the lethal neurotoxin from the funnel-web spider Atrax robustus. FEBS Letters.

The page saysRobustoxin (delta-atracotoxin-Ar1), a 42-amino-acid peptide in male venom
The source saysRobustoxin is a polypeptide of 42 residues cross-linked by four disulphide bonds
The page saysThe key one, robustoxin, also called delta-atracotoxin-Ar1, is a chain of 42 amino acids folded into a knot and held together by four sulfur-to-sulfur bridges.
The source saysRobustoxin is a polypeptide of 42 residues cross-linked by four disulphide bonds ... It also contains a cystine knotNote: 'key one': the 1998 title calls it 'the lethal neurotoxin'; 'sulfur-to-sulfur bridges' defines disulphide bonds

Source
09

Nicholson et al. 1996

Nicholson et al. (1996). Selective alteration of sodium channel gating by Australian funnel-web spider toxins. Toxicon.

The page saysThose changes fit with funnel-web toxins making nerves fire over and over.
The source saysthese modifications of sodium channel gating and kinetics are consistent with actions of the spider toxins to produce repetitive firing of action potentials

Source
10

Herzig et al. 2020

Herzig et al. (2020). Australian funnel-web spiders evolved human-lethal δ-hexatoxins for defense against vertebrate predators. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The page saysMale venom carries a nerve toxin that likely evolved to deter bandicoots and birds, and is lethal to humans by unfortunate coincidence.
The source saysthese toxins likely evolved to deter vertebrate predators commonly encountered by these spiders, such as bandicoots, birds, and lizards ... the lethal potency of δ-HXTXs against humans is an unfortunate evolutionary coincidenceNote: tagline; the PNAS abstract names the lethal δ-HXTX isolated from Sydney funnel-web venom; the delta-atracotoxin-Ar1 name is the characterisation-1998 claim
The page saysIts toxin family likely evolved to deter vertebrate predators such as bandicoots, birds and lizards
The source saysthese toxins likely evolved to deter vertebrate predators commonly encountered by these spiders, such as bandicoots, birds, and lizards
The page saysAn Evolutionary Coincidence
The source saysthe lethal potency of δ-HXTXs against humans is an unfortunate evolutionary coincidenceNote: blockquote lead-in
The page saysA 2020 study found it causes pain in mice and concluded that this family of funnel-web toxins likely evolved to deter predators such as bandicoots, birds and lizards.
The source saysWe isolated the lethal δ-HXTX from venom of the Sydney funnel-web spider and showed that it induces pain in mice, suggesting a role in predator deterrence ... these toxins likely evolved to deter vertebrate predators commonly encountered by these spiders, such as bandicoots, birds, and lizardsNote: 2020 is the reference year; 'family' = the 22 δ-HXTXs from 10 funnel-web species
The page saysHumans are not the target, which makes the toxin's lethal effect on us "an unfortunate evolutionary coincidence."
The source saysAlthough humans are not the target of δ-HXTXs ... Thus, the lethal potency of δ-HXTXs against humans is an unfortunate evolutionary coincidence
The page saysA Toxin Built for the Wrong Target
The source saysAlthough humans are not the target of δ-HXTXsNote: heading

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.