Deadly spiders that can survive underwater for over 24 hours are turning up in people's swimming pools in Australia after parts of the country were hit by heavy rain and floods over the past week.
These swimming pool interlopers include funnel-web spiders, which are members of the Araneida family, with around 40 known species. The Sydney funnel-web spider (Atrax robustus) is one of the most deadly spider species, with males being responsible for most fatalities, likely because it evolved more potent venom to protect itself while wandering around looking for females to mate with. While no deaths have been recorded since antivenom became available in the 1980s, if untreated a bite can kill a child in as little as 15 minutes.
