Why do Redback Spiders like to hang out in our suburban backyards?
WARRICK ANGUS explains. Photographs Brian Chant Illustration Katerina Sakkas Slim Newton’s 1972 classic hit song touches on one of the mysteries of the spider world – why it is that Redback Spiders, amongst the most notorious of Australia’s spiders, are as much a part of our urban backyard culture as the weekend barbie, yet so difficult to find in untouched native bushland. It all gets back to the science of habitat selection, vital to any animal’s chances of survival.
