The Mouse spider is indigenous to Australia. They also live in other parts of the world like the USA. Mouse spiders are ground dwellers with burrows that may be more than one metre deep. It lives in arid conditions as well as rainforests and bushlands. Female mouse spiders generally remain in their burrows while the male Mouse spider often wanders about during the day on open ground, especially after rain, in search of a female.

The Mouse spider is a medium to large spider of up to 35 mm in body length. Their carapace is glossy, and they have high, broad heads. They have short spinnerets, located in the rear of the abdomen. Mouse spiders exhibit sexual dimorphism, with female spiders being all black; and male spiders having species-specific coloration. The male Mouse Spider may or may not have a bright red head and elongated fangs.

The Mouse spider is known to cause severe illness, especially to young children. Although normally not aggressive, the Mouse spider will bite if provoked, and should be considered dangerous to humans. Deep painful bite: The Mouse spider has large hard fangs which can cause a deep painful bite. First aid and medical attention should be sought as soon as possible.