The Top 10 Scariest Spiders

9. MOUSE SPIDER

Location: Australia and South America

Why It's Scary: These larger arachnids are known to deliver a bite that can cause serious symptoms. 

Scary Spider News: A Oregon woman believes she found a mouse spider species native to Australia on her lawn. The daring American picked up the creature and said it was the size of a mouse. What's even creepier? No one is sure how the bugger got here from Australia. (KVAL-TV)

8. CAMEL SPIDER

Location: Semi-desert area of all continents except Australia

Why It's Scary: This eight-legged specimen can run up to 10 mph and deliver a powerful bite that leaves ragged wounds prone to infection. 

Scary Spider News: A camel spider took up residence in England after hitching a ride with a solider from Afghanistan. The sight of the large, stowaway spider was so frightening to the soldier's family, they immediately moved out. The family also believes the arachnid killed their dog, but evidence is inconclusive. (Telegraph)

7. WOLF SPIDER

Location: Worldwide

Why It's Scary: Unlike other arachnids, wolf spiders carry their egg sacs on their backs, making them ticking spider time bombs. Wolf spiders can also deliver a very painful bite.

Scary Spider News: Flooding in Australia forced thousands of wolf spiders above ground.Out in the fresh air, the arachnids covered miles of land in silk. The spiders also tried "ballooning," creating parachutes of silk to help them fly to different locations in the wind. (Discovery)

6. REDBACK SPIDER

Location: Australia 

Why It's Scary: These lightning-fast redback spiders are invading Australia and biting thousands of people a year, resulting in several hospital cases. 

Scary Spider Stories: Aside from invading Down Under, this spider is known for bringing large hauls into their webs. One redback spider was recently seen capturing a snake. (MSN)

5. BROWN WIDOW

Location: Tropical Areas of Africa and the Americas

Why It's Scary: Like its relative the black widow, this spider can deliver a damaging, venomous bite. Usually the brown widow's bite is slightly weaker because it doesn't release as much venom.  

Scary Spider News: The brown widows of the world are making themselves comfortable in the United States, especially in Louisiana. The state has had a growing problem with the arachnid and its booming population. (Science Daily)

4. AUSTRALIAN FUNNEL WEB SPIDERS

Location: Australia 

Why It's Scary: Funnel spiders boast large fangs that can easily cause painful bites with a long list of side effects. At their worst, these spider bites can lead to death.

Scary Spider News: These large-bodied beasties have been invading Australian cities and getting aggressive over the past few years. Recent news reports have been warning parents to keep their eyes out for the spiders, since their bites can be especially lethal to children. (Belfast Telegraph)

3. BLACK WIDOW SPIDER

Location: Worldwide

Why It's Scary: The bite of the black widow can be fatal to animals and humans. If you are a male black widow, you are even more at risk. Many species of black widow females are known to eat males after mating.

Scary Spider News: Scientists think they may have found some giant species of the black widow in Vietnam. These creatures were found to measure roughly 6 cm long. (VietNamNet) 

2. BROWN RECLUSE

Location: Southern and Midwest United States

Why It's Scary: The brown recluse lives up to its name by avoiding contact with humans. On the rare occasions this spider does bite, the venom can cause neocrosis. 

Scary Spider News: A Texas college student lost part of her ear due to a brown recluse bite. The injury went into neocrosis causing the girl's face to swell to twice its normal size. After several skin grafts, the ear that rotted away because of the spider bite was reconstructed. (ABC News)

1. BRAZILIAN WANDERING SPIDERS

Location: South America and Central America

Why It's Scary: Guinness World Records named this eight-legged creepy crawler as the most venomous spider in the world. 

Scary Spider News: A Brazilian wandering spider was believed to be spotted browsing through the produce section of a Whole Foods in Tulsa, Okla. The spider was not able to be identified by a professional, but workers believe the spider hitchhiked his way to the states on a batch of imported fruit. (Fox News)