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Animal profile

Brazilian Wandering Spider

Phoneutria nigriventer

ArachnidaForest floor and understorey vegetation, and often buildings and banana plantations

Field profile

A large nocturnal hunter that builds no snare web and roams the ground for prey. Disturbed animals rear up on the hind legs with the front pairs raised. Bites are common in parts of Brazil and are recorded in detail by regional poison centres.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-06-07

Brazilian Wandering Spider

Most wandering spider bites stay mild

Brazilian hospital series covering thousands of Phoneutria bites find that the great majority produce local pain and nothing more. Severe envenoming appears in well under one per cent of cases, concentrated in young children.

Read with evidence →

Brazilian Wandering Spider | Daily Animal Facts