Camper's warning to Aussies after deadly discovery near tent: 'Holy crap'
Jamie and his brother, from Sydney, were setting up a campsite in Turon National Park near Lithgow in NSW in the pouring rain, at night, when they came across a tiny critter. The male funnel-web spider was spotted crawling around beside the tent they had just pitched.
The arachnid species, which is endemic to Australia, is widely considered the world's deadliest spider due to its "highly toxic" and "fast-acting" venom.
In all of the fatalities where the gender of the spider was confirmed, the males were responsible. They're commonly found in eastern Australia, particularly throughout NSW.
"We were setting up our camp and my brother spotted it," Jamie told Yahoo News. "I thought 'holy crap'."
Jamie and his brother, who have been camping since childhood, have seen the spiders before and said they knew what they were looking out for. He explained that the male funnel-webs are more slender and shiny while the females are "fatter".
Jamie, a personal trainer, believes it was likely a male on the move looking for a female mate. But surprisingly, he said he "wasn't too worried" about the discovery and decided against moving his campsite, arguing that they are "everywhere" in the bush.
"You've just got to be aware," he urged Aussies.
"Make sure your gear is in the car, don't leave your shoes out and check them before you put them on. We made sure we had our swags and tents zipped up and just guided it along to get it out of our camp, and we were fine from there," he said. "If you leave them alone, they will leave you alone."
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Jamie told Yahoo he sees "a lot" of different animals while out camping in Australia's bush. On his most recent three-day trip, while fishing for trout, they came across snakes, spiders, kangaroos, as well as invasive species including pigs, wild cats and even goats. "Goats are everywhere," he said.
When it comes to avoiding deadly spiders, Jamie suggests Aussies looking for a good campsite should "stick to flat ground" and "try not to go out in those rainy and most environments", when spiders are most active.
"You don't have to be scared of them, they're not out to get you. They're always going to be out there, and just be aware," he said.
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