Why are Phoneutria and Atrax so Taboo?

It seems like any time you bring up these spiders, everyone quites down and turns the other way. I was reading some threads from the UK and Netherlands, and apparently they are popular speciecs over there. I find that quite unbelivable for two reasons. 1) It is a different land mass then where this spider is from. As far as Phoneutria goes, the US should have a much easier time getting a hold of these then anyone across the pond. 2) While I was looking on line, I found several websites with COBRAS AND VIPERS FOR SALE! I don't know if its just me, but I would be much more wary of venomous snake that are very large and very fast then any sort of spider.
Just my two cents.

Those spiders both being from Australia should answer some of your question and the fact that the Sydney funnel web has a Very painful bite that is Very life threatening should help. The P fera and the atrax have a complex mix of proteins and other good things in the venom that also makes treatment difficult..As far as snake go most hospitals carry the remedy for many bite or can get it rather quickly...The spiders might be a different case , unless ot is a latrodectus or loxoceles species

Hey Grant ..wrong spot for this post my friend unless you are selling something

P.fera is from brazil. Thats why its called the BRAZILIAN wandering spider.

Originally Posted by noonang

P.fera is from brazil. Thats why its called the BRAZILIAN wandering spider.

DOOOOHHH

I saw an ad at another website and someone from Germany posted a giant funnel web spider for sale or trade. I went to Yahoo and Google and Lycos search engines trying to find info how BIG these spiders get and I couldn't find any. A few websites are in the Oriental language and I'm don't read the language.

Anyone here have one of these giant funnel web spiders from Taiwan 'macrothele gigas' and could tell me how big they get? Just curious...
Robert...

God, i remember when i used to work in a produce department wed get bannas and i always knew about the spiders (Brazilian wandering) that could have come over in them were deadly. Guy i worked with said he saw 2 in his 12 years of being a produce guy, said he just killed them and let the other one run away. While im sure it died in the extreme cold of that room years ago, the look on his face when i said wat it was was priceless. Next day, there was a sheet in the back on what to do if you encouter spiders in the bannas...no lie.

wow...it really does get kinda quite about these spiders. Ive seen more metallica spiders for sale then ive ever seen funnel or wandering...come to think of it ive never seen either for sale. ONCE saw a vietnemese funnel web spider for sale, and was scared blankless to look at its pic. Does any one have at least a seller in any part of the world? id like to see it just for the novelty

Gotta watch your language there gex as I am sure you will rerceive warning points now.
this thread should be moved

It's weird, even when I ask around for dead specimens, people tend to keep a low profile. You'd think people who keep deadly venomous snakes and scorpions wouldn't get so silent over a couple spiders... I'm sure the bite of a wandering spider or funnel web isn't any worse than that of a taipan or a black mamba, right? They all kill you

Yes they all can 'kill' you Also how would anyone legally import something from Brazil or for that matter Australia. Makes me think those that have them would not say for fear of a legal happinstance