Fully spanned out, a fully grown White Tail is roughly the size of a fifty-cent coin. Their biggest tell-tale sign is their unique white spot on their tail (hence the name!), which can be found on either side of the abdomen for males and young spiders. Tall, dark, and maybe not so handsome, White Tails are commonly slender in shape, grey-brown in colour, with orange-ish legs. A tell-tale sign that you have White Tails living it up in your whāre is if there are multiple cobwebs around with missing spiders (they’ve been eaten!) If you've left any clothing or footwear lying about the house, it best to give it a shake before putting it on, as White Tailed Spiders are commonly found hiding out in there. What's even more disturbing is that their desire for a warm spot drives them into our bedding while we're sleeping – eek! Or if they've been night hunting outdoors, they'll look for a warm, dry area to rest, which is why our homes are so appealing. During the winter months, White Tail Spiders may venture into your home to seek out their favourite snack grey house spiders. These spiders are eager hunters, and their preferred prey includes other spider species. They are most commonly found in urban buildings, which isn't such great news for us when they invite themselves into our houses and set up camp. It seems they jumped on the ship with the early colonists perhaps they were sick of the heat in Aussie! They have since spread across the country, commonly found across the North Island and occasionally on the South Island. Their first appearance was recorded in Waiwera, Auckland, in 1886. White Tail Spiders were introduced to New Zealand from Australia. Where would I find a White Tailed Spider? Let's dig a little deeper and decide for ourselves how much that scary-looking spider chilling in the corner of the windowsill actually poses a threat. Our fear of these spiders can get a little carried away, and we begin to spin a web of myths. Since childhood, us Kiwis have heard stories of these nasty little critters biting people, and we've armed ourselves with a can of fly spray. Across the ditch, Australia is known for its buffet of poisonous spiders, eating birds, landing on people's heads, or even settling down and growing families in derelict cars – yuck! Thankfully here in Aotearoa, we don't have too much to worry about when it comes to spiders… that is, except for the dreaded White Tail.
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