But why spiders?

I was born and raised in the beautiful area known as the Dharug Nation, and have been lucky enough to grow up surrounded by the incredible biodiversity this country has evolved.

I remember as a child, running through our backyard, dodging gum nuts (natures very own lego pieces), playing with sticks and ducking under the many golden orb weaver webs that hung like strands of sunshine.

Pictured: Plebs bradleyi, a female enamel spider. Photographed by Caitlin Creak NSW Sydney.

Spiders are a part of our lives when living in Australia, there is no two ways about it. So why not learn more about them?

As much as I always enjoyed spiders growing up, it was in my second year of studying biology that I truly fell in love. I realized they had complex behaviors and adaptations in order to survive and thrive in all kinds of environments, and that they really are like tiny cats. Watch a video of a spider cleaning itself and I can guarantee you will dislike them a little bit less.

And so, I dove in. All of my assignments for the rest of my undergrad were centered around spiders (where ever possible), I then did an honors working on wolf spiders. With the passion forming and

the momentum pushing me, I applied for a PhD candidature.

I am pretty stoked to be able to study one of the most notorious spiders in the world. The Sydney Funnel Web, Atrax robustus.