Redback Spider

Urban areas, human dwellings, sheds, under rocks, logs, and dense foliage throughout Australia.

Insects, small spiders, woodlice, and occasionally small lizards or frogs trapped in their sticky webs.

Nocturnal web-builders that construct messy, tangled webs with vertical sticky trip lines near ground level. Females rarely leave their webs and can exhibit sexual cannibalism.

Highly venomous; female bites cause severe pain, sweating, and systemic symptoms (latrodectism) requiring medical attention, though anti-venom is available. They benefit ecosystems by controlling pest insect populations.