World's Most Deadly Spiders
Published in Entertainment at April 18th, 2017 at 6:12 AM
Fear of spiders is in the top 10 of the worlds most common and once you've seen this video, you will either understand or might suddenly have it too. Most spiders are pretty harmless and will run away from you if threatened and 8 legs can run pretty quick too. What is frightening could be that every single spider has a pair of fangs and through them they pass on venom. So what is there to fear? Why do we fear them at all? From the small percent of ones that can cause affliction and pain, there are some terrifying results from their bites and, if left untreated, can cause fatality too.
The Brazilian Wandering Spider
The Brazilian wandering spider holds a Guinness world record for the worlds most venomous. The venom it injects is almost 20 times more powerful than the Black Widow once it gets into the blood stream. The effects of the venom mirror some of the worlds most poisonous snakes. The effects of a bite include loss of muscle control which can shut down the respiratory system which eventually would lead to death.
Other side effects include intense pain from the bite itself, and with those teeth you'd struggle to wonder why, and gentlemen, you might want to stay even further away because it also causes a 4 hour erection. Yep, a 4 hour erection. Although this might sound great to some, its actually extremely painful. As you can imagine, the name of the spider gives a clue as to why its so deadly, in that it wanders around wherever it chooses to go, including houses, shops and even boots or a box of bananas. Fortunately for us an effective antivenom has been developed.
The Hobo Spider
The Hobo Spider can deliver a serious bite to lab animals and their bites can cause necrosis and these bites cause an open wound which may take many weeks to heal. The Hobo spider is aggressive and fairly common.
Which increases the chance of an actual bite occurring. In fact the hobo spider is sometimes referred to as the ‘aggressive house spider’. Previously, this spider was common throughout Europe and went practically unnoticed, only recently popping up in America. Where it differs is that in Europe the hobo spider is not found in houses – other bigger, meaner house spiders keep it out!
The Camel Spider
The camel spider is something you'd only see in a Stephen King film, something you wouldn't wanna meet in a light alley never mind a dark one. The biggest kind can reach 6 inches in length and it looks like an alien from another planet, its powerful jaws making up about a quarter of that. The secret here is that the Camel Spider isn't even a proper spider, they are in fact a type of arachnid known as solifuges. Also known as wind scorpions, solifuges are found in deserts throughout the world.
The reason they feature is because they look so fierce and grow so big. They have thunderous speed and can reach 10mph, their bite isn't venomous but can cause some serious tissue damage and infection can easily set in from their wounds.
The Yellow Sac Spider
The yellow sac spider is one to avoid, this little tiny guy can give quite a nasty bite out. These spiders are only around 10mm long and an ugly yellow colour and are quite widespread around the world. The venom of the yellow sac spider is a cytotoxin, which means it breaks down cells, possibly causing necrosis.
Bites are characterised by an initial stinging pain followed by redness and swelling which can develop into a blister or sore.
The Fringed Ornamental Tarantula
Here is the world's most famous spider, the tarantula, specifically the fringed ornamental tarantula, and they have fangs that use a stabbing action unlike most other species that use a pincer like motion. But everybody knows that despite their terrifying demeanour, tarantula bites aren’t so bad, right? Well it may be true that most tarantula bites are no worse than a bee sting, however the fringed ornamental tarantula are renown for having a particularly nasty bite.
The bite from one of these is reported to have caused excruciating pain, and extreme muscle cramping in some cases. One bite victim ended up in the emergency room after experiencing severe spasm and chest pains. So whilst there have been no confirmed fatalities from this tarantula it certainly carries a potent venom and injects it by the bucket load.
Mouse Spiders
This Australian spider is one of 12 species of mouse spider, which come from Australia, and there name comes from their soft furry abdomens and not from the fact they might eat mice, although I’m sure they would. Armed with huge fangs and a venom that is similar to that of the deadly Sydney funnel-web spider this spider is every bit as dangerous as it looks.
Whilst the mouse spider is potentially dangerous it is far less aggressive than the Sydney funnel-web plus it often gives ‘dry bites’, i.e. without venom. Therefore it appears lower on this list than its meaner cousin.
The Six-Eyed Sand Spider
The six-eyed sand spider, whose scientific name means ‘murderer’, is certainly an assassin. It hunts by burying itself in the sand and waiting for its unsuspecting victim to wander by at which point it pounces. In trials it was shown that the venom from a bite was fatal to rabbits in as little as 5 hours. The venom is both hemolytic and necrotic meaning it causes blood vessels to leak and destruction of flesh.
How dangerous is this spider to humans? There have only ever been two suspected cases of bites to humans and neither were conclusively attributed to the six-eye, but results show whatever caused the bite was extremely dangerous. Combined with the fact it can survive for a year on one meal it probably isn’t the biggest threat to humans.
The Black Widow
Its quite possible that, after the tarantula, the black widow is the most famous and easily recognised arachnid on earth, distinguished by its bright red spot. And its venom is potent, more so than any other spider but one.The only reason these spiders don’t top the list is because they are smaller and deliver less of it. The effects of this lethal toxin range from burning pain to a systemic condition known as latrodectism.
Symptoms include general pain and swelling spreading from the affected area, abdominal cramps, nausea and sweating to name a few. This condition occurs in around half of bites and was often fatal in the very old and young before anti venom became available.
The Brown Recluse
The Brown Recluse is a lover of the sun and heat so if you're in the colder parts of the world, you're safe enough and on a positive note, the recluse is so called as it is relatively shy and not regarded as aggressive. Their small fangs also make it less likely they will deliver a significant dose of venom.
Their venom is effective at destroying tissue so if you're bitten, unless you seek aid, you're going to be looking at amputation pretty soon after. Their venom is particularly know for its necrotic values, which translates to it destroys flesh. There is no anti venom to speak of and treatment is to simply keep the open wound free from infection as much as possible.
The Sydney Funnel-web
The Sydney funnel-web is an extremely aggressive species of spider, it will actively seek to attack predators, including humans, and will strike several times when its attacks something. The funnel web doesn't have the most potent of venom but its the quantity it delivers that causes serious damage. Its fangs are also truly impressive, the largest and sharpest of any spider, inch for inch, and is actually longer than some snake species.
They can bite through leather too. Within minutes of being bitten the victim may suffer extreme symptoms such as muscle spasms, palpitations, vomiting, confusion and swelling of the brain. In some cases death has followed in as little as 15 minutes after the bite occurred. An anti venom does exist though, so breathe easy.
