Is there is a common characteristic that poisonous spiders share that makes it relatively easy to identify?
No, Unfortunately there isn’t a common characteristic but the fact that there’s a couple of spiders in most countries that are dangerous makes it pretty easy to remember what they look like and I find that this applies to most countries, USA has only around 4, Aus has only 2 or 3 so once you learn them it’s easy. Some people say that a red colouring marks them as dangerous but this isn’t true as there are several pretty red spiders that aren’t considered dangerous. People can also be allergic to spider bites like they are with bees etc so it’s best to not handle them unless you are an expert or own a tarantula like you do. BTW – Spiders are venomous, not poisonous which means that if you ate one they would not poison you but could inject venom into you, which is how ALL spiders kill their prey. However, in the majority of cases a spider’s bite is no worse than a bee or wasp sting.
