The Sydney Funnelweb Spider, as the name would suggest, is native to Sydney, Australia. They are found only within a 160 kilometer radius of Sydney. However, there are other species of funnelweb spiders found in Eastern Australia, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.

In the wild, Sydney Funnelweb Spiders feed on beetles, cockroaches, snails, millipedes, larvae and small vertebrates such as frogs. They catch all of their food from their web, which is made entirely of dry silk. Insects land on the silk and are unable to move on the slick web. The spider, however, can move with ease to kill the insect. While females are homebodies, remaining in one area until they are forced out, males roam around to search for a mate. The most common place to find a Sydney Funnelweb Spider is in lush areas beneath rocks and logs. They can also be found beneath houses and in gardens and compost heaps. They are drawn to regions with high humidity and low temperatures. Their name derives from the shape of their web, which is spun from silk into a funnel shape. The bite of the Sydney Funnelweb Spider is poisonous. They are one of the most deadly spiders in the world and will not hesitate to attack.

The Sydney Funnelweb Spider has large fangs, which are capable of piercing a human fingernail and large venom sac. The males grow to 25mm and the females are slightly larger, reaching on average 35 mm. They are a shiny blue-black in color and they have fine hairs covering their abdomens. Along with being smaller, the males are also slimmer and have longer legs.

Along with being smaller, the male Sydney Funnelweb Spider is also the more toxic of the two. In many cases of Funnelweb bites, there are no symptoms. Different animals react to the bite of the Funnelweb Spider differently, and humans are very sensitive to the venom. Some signs of Funnelweb Spider envenomation include: nausea and vomiting; numbness around the mouth; profuse sweating and salivation; muscle spasm; confusion and irrationality; widely dilated pupils. If a bite from a Sydney Funnelweb Spider occurs, medical attention should be sought immediately.

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Sydney Funnelweb Spiders reproduce near the end of summer or in early fall. The males have testes and a tube, which leads to a small opening. The male spiders weave a small, silk mat and then discharge sperm onto it. The females then take in this sperm and either use it or store it. A female Funnelweb Spider can lay up to 500 eggs, though it usually has only 90 to 160 healthy eggs at a time. It has been reported that the female Sydney Funnelweb Spider will sometimes eat the male Funnelweb to feed her eggs if she is hungry. Males are sexually mature when they are about four years old, while females take a little longer. Except for when mating, the Sydney Funnelweb Spider is a solitary animal.