Spiders

The Australian garden orb weaver spider is a widespread species of spider with many variants in size, shape, and color across the coastal regions of Australia. They have very large abdomens when well-fed and exhibit a tremendous color range from off-white through tan, brown to almost black. They have a roughly leaf-shaped pattern on the top of their abdomen with a complex outline darker than the surrounding area. There may also be several whitish spots or one or more stripes. The spiders' cephalothoraxes (heads) and proximal (closer to the body) leg segments are usually darker, mostly reddish or brown. They can change their color with each molt to better match the background upon which they rest during the day.

Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae. They are robust and agile hunters with excellent eyesight. They live primarily in solitude, hunt alone, and do not spin webs. Some are opportunistic hunters, pouncing upon prey as they find it or chasing it over short distances; others wait for passing prey in or near the mouth of a burrow. Wolf spiders resemble nursery web spiders. Still, wolf spiders attach their egg sacs to their spinnerets, while the Pisauridae carry their egg sacs with their chelicerae and pedipalps. Two of the wolf spider's eight eyes are large and prominent; this distinguishes them from nursery web spiders, whose eyes are all roughly equal in size. This can also help determine them from similar-looking grass spiders.

European black widow is a species in the genus Latrodectus of widow spiders. It is commonly found throughout the Mediterranean region, from southern Iberia to southwest and central Asia, hence the name. European black widow is black in color, similar to most other widow species, and is identified by the thirteen spots found on its dorsal abdomen. These spots are usually red but may also be yellow or orange. It is otherwise similar to other species in the genus Latrodectus. The European widow primarily lives in steppes and other grasslands and can be a significant problem in areas where grain is harvested by hand. The female of the species has a body length of about 7–15 mm (0.28–0.59 in), while the male is smaller and reaches 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) at best. Only the female spider's bite is dangerous (either for humans or cattle) as the male cannot penetrate the relatively thick epidermis.

The Goliath birdeater belongs to the tarantula family Theraphosidae. Found in northern South America, it is the giant spider in the world by mass (175 g (6.2 oz)) and body length (up to 13 cm (5.1 in)), and second to the giant huntsman spider by leg span. It is also called the Goliath bird-eating spider. Unlike other species of spider/tarantula, females do not eat the males during mating. Females mature in 3–6 years and have an average lifespan of 15 to 25 years. Males die soon after maturity and have a lifespan of three to six years. Colors range from dark to light brown, with faint markings on the legs. Bird-eaters have hair on their bodies, abdomens, and legs. The female lays 100 to 200 eggs, which hatches into spiderling within 6–8 week.

A southern black widow or simply black widow, and the shoe-button spider is a venomous species of spider in the genus Latrodectus. The females are well known for their distinctive black and red coloring and for the fact that they will occasionally eat their mates after reproduction. The species is native to North America. The venom can cause pain and other symptoms but is rarely fatal to healthy humans. The body length (excluding legs) of the mature female is 8–13 mm (0.31–0.51 in) and 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) for males. Legs are long in proportion to the body. Females are shiny and black, with a red marking in the shape of an hourglass on the ventral (under) side of her very rounded abdomen. There is much variation in female size, particularly in egg-carrying (gravid) females. The abdomen of a gravid female can be more than 1.25 cm (0.5 in) in diameter.

The yellow sac spiders are a genus of araneomorph spiders in the family Cheiracanthiidae. They are usually pale in color and have an abdomen ranging from yellow to beige. Both sexes range from 5 to 10 millimeters (0.20 to 0.39 in). They are unique among common house spiders because their tarsi do not point outward or inward, making them easier to identify. The name is a reference to the backwardly directed process on the cymbidium of the male palp. Though they are beneficial predators in agricultural fields, they are also known to be mildly venomous to humans.