Biologist Spencer Hoffman has made a fantastically informative video here classifying and describing different kinds of spiders and their venom. It is actually pretty difficult to find consistent information about different spider species and their venom, and Australians and others will find this very useful and interesting. The filmed examples are top quality. Hoffman tests the less potent spider-bites on his own arm. Without excessive drama, he also allows the most venomous spiders to wander about on his hands. I can only assume that they have been milked of their venom prior to these demonstrations.
I live in an old house with a wild garden full of trees and bushes, which I like to keep that way. It is therefore perhaps not really surprising that I am quite frequently bitten by spiders inside my house and in the garden. Since I never see my assailants when they are carrying out their attacks or defenses, I found this video useful for identifying the kind of spider I am most often bitten by. I know the bites by their after-effects and the info in this film leads me to think that I am usually bitten by wolf-spiders.
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