Karakurt spider. Description, features and habitat of karakurt. Karakurt - the most dangerous inhabitant of Crimea (4 photos) What to do if bitten by a karakurt

Spiders (arachnids) are silent killers, causing instant death of their victim in the event of an attack. Patient and prudent arachnids (all spiders belong to this class) weave trapping murderous nets from invisible sticky threads. Up to 30 thousand species of spiders are known. They live next to a person - in the house, forests, fields, reservoirs. And, of course, a spider bite is not uncommon, especially if a person is in the habitats of spiders.

All spiders are poisonous. Poison glands are located on two head appendages - chelicerae. They need poison to kill and digest the victim. The main prey is insects. In some tropical spiders, the net reaches 2 m in diameter and can even interrupt the flight of a small bird. They feed on frogs, mice, small birds, fish, and even their brethren - cannibalism among spiders is quite common. Most spiders are not capable of causing significant harm to humans. Although the poison is strong, its small amount and underdeveloped injection mechanism limit the number of species dangerous to humans. For people, only those that can pierce the skin are dangerous. The most common species include karakurt (black widow), tarantula, scorpion, hermit spider, cross spider, tarantula spider, house spider.

spider bite the next day

Most spider bites share common characteristics such as a small blister (blister) in the middle, swelling and swelling surrounding the bite site, and a large circle of redness. On the outside of the bite, the redness is paler. It's important to note that a spider can only bite once, so if you have multiple bites, it's likely that someone else didn't bite, or several spiders at once. A typical spider bite resolves within a few days and, in most cases, does not require special attention.
However, if the bite site looks different - a large bubble appears, bright redness spreads quickly to the sides, blueing of large areas of the skin - these are serious signs that you need to respond immediately and contact a medical facility urgently.
In the photo you can see the differences - what a bite of a safe spider looks like and a bite that is dangerous to health.

What to do if bitten by a spider

1. First of all, don't panic! Although all spiders look scary, there are only about 12 species whose bite has a serious effect on humans or animals. The two most dangerous are the black widow spider and the brown recluse.
2. Check the wound. After the bite, pay attention to the bite site for redness, swelling, and burning pain. There may be abdominal pain, vomiting, headache, fever, dizziness. The most dangerous reactions are shortness of breath and shock. If there is anything more than just a bite mark, slight redness and pain, you need to call an ambulance or see a doctor.
3. Spider identification - if it is possible and safe to do so. Some spider bites require serious treatment, including antitoxins. If you are unable to identify the spider, this will be helpful in determining the appropriate treatment. It will help a lot if you can catch the spider in a jar or box (just remember about safety). Or at least take a picture of him and show the photo to the doctor.

First aid for a spider bite

1. To reduce blood flow in the affected area, it is necessary to fix the arm or leg with a belt or scarf - as in a fracture. This will prevent the poison from spreading rapidly into the bloodstream and spreading throughout the body.
2. Wash the bite with soap and water. Whether the spider is harmless or poisonous, rinse thoroughly as soon as possible. Even an ordinary spider can infect a wound when bitten.
3. Apply a cold compress or ice to the bite site.
4. Drink plenty of fluids - this will ensure that the poison is quickly eliminated through the kidneys.
5. Take a pain reliever such as analgin or ibuprofen.
6. As well as an antihistamine drug that will reduce allergic symptoms - itching, burning, rash.

If you suspect you've been bitten by a venomous spider, you can put a tight bandage over the bite if it's on an arm or leg, making sure you haven't completely cut off the circulation.

The goal is to slow the spread of the poison, not stop blood flow to the limbs. If the bite is on another part of the body, apply cold and get to a medical facility immediately. Hospitalization is required for most of these types of bites.

recluse spider bite

One of the four spiders whose bite is dangerous to humans is the recluse spider. The brown recluse is generally not aggressive and generally bites humans as a defense mechanism, usually when a human's leg or arm is accidentally brought too close.

The brown recluse has a clear violin pattern on its back in the middle part of the body - pictured.

Recluse spider venom contains powerful cytotoxins and hemolytic enzymes that destroy red blood cells. Although the sting is usually not painful at first, there is a burning sensation similar to a bee sting during the first few minutes after the sting.
A small white blister may also appear at the site of the bite.

Additional symptoms usually develop two to eight hours after a recluse spider bite. Sometimes it takes up to 12 hours before bite symptoms develop. Signs:

• severe pain at the bite site
• severe itching
• nausea
• vomit
• fever
• muscle pain

local symptoms

Initially, you can see slight signs of redness at the site of the spider bite.

In most cases, after the skin at the site of the bite hardens, the formation of scar tissue can take several days. More severe local reactions also occur and can cause blistering, discoloration of the skin, and necrosis of the skin area.

Treatment

Because The reaction to the bite of a hermit spider can be sudden and severe, it is necessary to contact specialists for treatment. A visit to the doctor should not be delayed until symptoms appear, see a doctor as soon as possible.
If possible, capture the spider and bring it to a doctor or emergency room for evaluation.

There are no known antidotes for brown recluse stings, so a doctor may prescribe pain relievers, antihistamines to relieve itching, or recommend ice packs to reduce pain and swelling.

spider bite

The cross is a small creature harmless to humans that lives quietly, preying on insects that fall into their nets. The sharp poisonous fangs of the cross are primarily a hunting tool and serve as a defense against other spiders. The victim, falling into a trap, is quickly paralyzed by poison, and then the spider devours it.
The cross spider looks quite harmless - it is distinguished by its characteristic pattern of a cross on its back. The color varies from green to gray, depending on the habitat. The cross is very common - it lives almost everywhere.

A human bite can only be accidental. Their teeth are unable to cut through hard skin, but thinner areas of the body are not a problem. Most often, this situation can occur during a walk in the forest, picking mushrooms or trips. Crosses grow quickly and at the end of summer they can grow to an impressive size.

They stretch webs between trees at the height of a human face. An inattentive mushroom picker gets into the net being laid and completely destroys it. Then the insect willy-nilly tries to escape or hides under the clothes. At the moment, we can inadvertently pin down an insect and that's when the spider bites.

Sometimes these situations occur during sleep. Spiders are nocturnal creatures and often move in search of good hunting grounds. A sleeping person, feeling a slight tingling on the body, instinctively trying to scratch, crushes it, exposing himself to a bite. Erythema or swelling may occur on the body in the spider bite area. Usually these symptoms go away on their own.

The poison of the cross does not cause any harm to a person. However, people who are allergic and sensitive to spider toxins should consult a doctor.

tarantula bite

The bite of a tarantula (Lycosa, Theraphosidae) is not dangerous to humans, but may be accompanied by pain and swelling. After being bitten, the animal performs a defensive maneuver, shedding hairs from its abdomen. Fine hairs, falling into the eyes and on the skin, cause pain and an urticarial rash. A variation of the tarantula is the tarantula spider.

The bite of a tarantula spider

There are 400 species of tarantulas of different colors. Cobalt blue to gray or dark brown, sometimes black. The tarantula reaches sizes from 9-10 to 17-23 cm, although its body is no more than 10 cm. The rest falls on the legs.
Tarantulas live a very long time - from 25 to 40 years, but this depends on the sex of the spider. He is one of the most terrible spiders (outwardly) - his weight is 80 grams! The tarantula does not weave a web like other spiders, but pursues its prey with its long legs and paralyzes it with poison. It feeds on small insects - grasshoppers, beetles, spiders, even small lizards.

Incredibly, the spider has eight eyes - two in front and two each on the left, right side and back! They usually dig holes in the ground and build a house there.

Tarantulas are venomous, but most types of venom are not strong enough to seriously harm someone.

The bite of a tarantula can be compared to the stings of a wasp or a bee. In most cases, it is harmless, although an allergic person may react like a bee sting.
Recently, some began to start a tarantula spider as a pet. A human bite can happen through negligence when trying to escape a spider from a terrarium.
First aid for a tarantula bite is no different from other bites - you should consult a doctor if there is an allergy or signs of infection of the wound.

Karakurt bite

Karakurt (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) - a poisonous spider, lives in Moldova, Crimea, Central Asia. For humans, females are dangerous, which have a pair of tubular poisonous glands located on the upper jaw. The poisonous segment (chelicer) ends in a movable sharp claw with an opening for the duct of the poisonous gland. The female has a spherical dense black abdomen with reddish spots. The length of the karakurt is about 10 mm.

Symptoms of poisoning with karakurt poison

After a bite, a small, quickly disappearing speck forms. After 10-20 minutes, severe pain develops at the site of the lesion, which spreads to the abdomen, lower back, and chest. Observe strong mental agitation, headache, dizziness, suffocation, nausea, vomiting, weakness, shortness of breath, cyanosis, tachycardia, arrhythmia. There may be severe salivation. Respiratory arrest is possible.

Black widow bite

The black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans) lives in the United States. The females of this species are very large: the paw span reaches 5 cm, and the body length is 1.5 cm. There is a red hourglass pattern on the black back.

Males are smaller, with a white mark on the back, the small size of the poisonous apparatus and mild aggressiveness make them practically harmless to humans. When disturbed, they fall to the ground, tuck their paws in and pretend to be dead. Black widow females are poisonous from the moment they are born. If they guard the laid eggs or feel imminent danger, they prefer to attack. Spiders use their venom to paralyze prey, from which they then suck out the hemolymph.

The period of postcopulatory passivity of the female allows the male to escape from the partner if she is not very hungry. If the female is hungry, then after mating she eats her "wife", which is why she is called a "widow".

Karakurt poison is a protein with a molecular weight of 130,000. Under the action of the poison, ion channels are formed in the presynaptic membranes of nerve cells, through which Ca 2++ ions enter the cell. Under the influence of the toxin, exocytosis of synaptic vesicles is facilitated and the release of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), norepinephrine, and acetylcholine is enhanced.

Changes in intracellular homeostasis and an increase in the content of biologically active substances in the blood affect the functional state of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

In case of poisoning with karakurt poison, clinical manifestations develop within 30 minutes. The victim usually feels the sting and describes it as a "puncture". Severe pain is noted in the spider bite area, erythema and increased local sweating gradually increase.

Bite karakurt degree

When bitten by a black widow, there are three degrees of severity of the disease.

• I degree; moderate soreness at the site of the bite, there are no general clinical manifestations of intoxication, all laboratory parameters are normal.
• II degree: muscle pain in the bitten limb. Spread of pain to the abdomen when a leg is bitten or to the chest when a hand is bitten. Profuse sweating at the site of the bite. Vital signs are normal.
• III degree: generalized muscle pain in the back, chest, abdomen. Strong mental excitement. Headache, dizziness, suffocation, nausea, vomiting, weakness, shortness of breath, cyanosis, arterial hypertension, tachycardia, arrhythmia. General profuse sweating. Strong salivation. Respiratory arrest is possible. In blood tests, an increase in the content of creatine phosphokinase (CPK), leukocytosis, proteinuria is noted. In the absence of treatment, the maximum severity of symptoms lasts for 12 hours, the duration of intoxication is 48-72 hours.

in the photo on the left - a bite at the beginning, on the right - on day 3

Muscle spasms and tension in the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall sometimes lead to an erroneous diagnosis of peritonitis and the performance of unnecessary laparoscopy.

scorpion sting

The scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus) is a venomous spider that is widespread throughout the world. In Russia, lives in the southern latitudes. A feature of the structure of the scorpion, unlike other arthropods, is the presence of pedipalps with claws, at the end of the abdomen there is a curved sharp sting, where the duct of poisonous glands opens. The most dangerous is the black scorpion, its size is 50-100 mm.

Scorpion venom binds to sodium channels in cell membranes, causing reactivation of neurons. This is accompanied by an elongation of the neuronal action potential in the synapses of the autonomic nervous system, which leads to an increase in the content of catecholamines, renin and aldosterone in the blood.

Symptoms of poisoning from a scorpion sting

The bite causes severe pain, which quickly spreads along the nerve trunks. The victim screams in pain, a sharp weakness develops, convulsions of individual muscle groups occur, blood pressure rises, the body is covered with cold sticky sweat. An urticaria rash appears in the bite area. In severe cases, motor excitation develops, arterial hypertension turns into hypotension, tachyarrhythmia, ventricular extrasystoles, vomiting, profuse sweating, priapism, salivation occur.

There is a growing visual impairment, ptosis, involuntary contractions of the muscles of the tongue, speech becomes slurred. Within 2-3 hours after the introduction of poison into the body, breathing is disturbed, pulmonary edema develops. Death occurs with symptoms of increasing acute cardiovascular and respiratory failure.

When assessing the degree of toxicity of arthropod venom, the following was noted:

Spider bite treatment

To reduce the spread of poison from the bite site throughout the body, immobilization of the limb is indicated. Pain is relieved by novocaine blockade, painkillers are administered: non-narcotic and narcotic analgesics. Cold is applied to the bite area.

Hormones, antihistamines are administered: H1 receptor blockers (promethazine (diprazine), chloropyramine (suprastin), etc. and H2 receptors (cimetidine, ranitidine (acylok), etc.), vitamins. Benzodiazepines are prescribed when excited. Serum In severe cases, equine immunoglobulin (IgG) is administered.The antitoxin (from horse serum) prevents the venom from binding to presynaptic membranes and remains effective even 46 hours after the bite.

With a scorpion sting, Ca-channel blockers, ACE inhibitors are prescribed. Propranolol (anaprilin) ​​effectively and quickly stops tachyarrhythmia, but does not improve hemodynamic parameters. With respiratory depression, oxygen is supplied, with the development of acute respiratory failure, artificial lung ventilation (ALV) is performed.

They pose a great danger to humans. But these predators are huge and will not go unnoticed. You should know that creatures that are difficult to notice can pose a much greater danger, because they do not exceed a five-ruble coin in size. One of these is the spider karakurt. In this article you will find a description and photo of the karakurt spider, as well as learn a lot of new and interesting things about this spider from the genus of black widows.

Karakurt looks like a medium-sized spider. Females of karakurt significantly exceed males in size. The female karakurt grows to a size of 2 cm, while the male karakurt has a size of only 0.7 cm.

Karakurt looks quite unusual. The karakurt spider has a black body, and on its abdomen it has red or orange spots of various shapes. Both male and female karakurt have this coloration. Sometimes there may be a white stroke around the spots. Often, when reaching maturity, the karakurt spider can become completely black without spots.

Where does karakurt live?

Karakurt lives in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, in Iran and Afghanistan, along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, in North Africa, in southern Europe and Ukraine. In Russia, karakurt lives in the southern regions. The karakurt spider is especially common in the Astrakhan region, the Krasnodar Territory and the Crimea.

In especially hot periods, this spider can migrate to the northern regions, but in such regions the karakurt lives only until the onset of winter. The most favorable living conditions for karakurt are those areas where there are hot summers and warm autumns. Karakurt lives in desert and steppe zones, on wastelands, salt marshes, slopes of ravines and abandoned buildings.

Karakurt bite

The poison of the karakurt is quite strong, so the bite of the karakurt can be fatal. Fortunately, the karakurt only attacks if disturbed. The poison of karakurt affects both animals and humans. The bite of a karakurt is imperceptible at once and manifests itself within 10-15 minutes. During this time, the poison of karakurt is already spreading throughout the body and the first signs of toxic poisoning begin to appear. Symptoms of a karakurt bite begin with a burning pain that spreads throughout the body. Typically, patients complain of severe pain in the chest, abdomen and lower back.

Also, a karakurt bite has the following symptoms: increased heart rate, shortness of breath, palpitations, dizziness, headache, trembling, vomiting, sweating, spasms in the bronchi and urinary retention. In the later stages of poisoning, a person begins to darken consciousness and delirium. Fatal cases have been recorded in humans and farm animals bitten by a karakurt.

Experts say that people with strong immunity will more easily endure the bite of a karakurt than those weakened by diseases or allergies. It should be remembered that the highest concentration of poison in black widows occurs during the mating season and after laying eggs; in other seasons, bites are less terrible. Males, in principle, do not pose a danger, since they do not have poison and, due to their small size, cannot bite through the skin.

To neutralize the action of the poison of karakurt, anti-karakurt serum is used. Novocaine, calcium chloride and magnesium hydrosulfate are also administered intravenously, which give positive results. If it is impossible to get medical help, you should burn the bite of a karakurt with a burning match. But this must be done no later than 5 minutes after the bite. You can also burn the bite site with a hot metal object. Since the spider bites through the skin to a depth of only 0.5 mm, the poison that has not had time to be absorbed is destroyed by heating. But even after cauterization, you must seek medical help.

Livestock suffer from karakurt bites, especially camels and horses. These animals often die from the poison of the karakurt. Once every 10 years, mass reproduction of the karakurt spider occurs, during these years animal husbandry suffers great losses. Now karakurt is destroyed with the help of insecticides, which are sprayed on the soil. Of course, the poison of the karakurt is not aimed at harming humans or livestock, but serves the spider only to get food. Karakurt eats various beetles, flies, locusts, cicadas and grasshoppers.

The karakurt spider is called the black widow, as the female karakurt kills her husband after mating. But the black widow of the karakurt will not survive the eaten husband much, because with the onset of cold weather, the female dies.

Karakurts become capable of breeding at the beginning of summer and begin migration in search of partners. With the onset of heat (July-August), females and males of karakurt arrange temporary networks for mating. After that, the female karakurt is looking for a secluded place to equip the lair, where she can place cocoons with eggs.

Such a place often becomes various depressions in the soil, abandoned rodent burrows, as well as drainage of ventilation systems. At the entrance to the lair, she stretches a chaotically intertwined web. The female karakurt hangs 2-4 cocoons in the den, where they survive the winter.

In April, karakurt cubs will leave their cocoons. With the onset of summer, mature karakurt cubs will go in search of partners. Despite the fact that the karakurt spider is very prolific and has a very strong poison, it still has enemies in nature. The enemies of the karakurt spider are hedgehogs, wasps and riders. Also often comes the destruction of the laying of karakurt eggs by herds of sheep and pigs, which simply trample them.

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• The insect is called the black widow, as the female karakurt ruthlessly eliminates her suitors after mating. With rapid movements of the paws, she braids them with cobwebs and inflicts a deadly bite. Therefore, among the people, the female karakurt is compared with a widow.
• At the beginning of the 20th century, the karakurt was considered a particularly dangerous insect, from the bites of which up to 400 people per year and about 350 livestock died.
• Karakurt spiders, hatched from eggs, live in a cocoon for about six months, and then leave their home. At the same time, they actively eat each other and as a result only the strongest survive.
• Without medical intervention, the spread of spider venom in the human body for more than 3 days is fatal.
• In order to protect herself from enemies, the black widow is able to pretend to be dead in a split second, shrinking and falling to the ground from the web.

Despite the fact that karakurt is considered one of the most poisonous insects among them, I never thought that I would ever write about these spiders, but they also reached the Rostov region, where I live. My city is located on the coast of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov, and for the last three years these spiders have simply not given life to residents of a private sector located by the sea. Now, every summer, a special service walks around the coastal private sector, which catches these spiders, and their egg layings are simply immediately burned out by fire. In our city, there were cases when karakurts bit local residents, people were urgently hospitalized to the hospital! Fortunately, everyone was saved, but the neighborhood with these spiders is very unpleasant and dangerous! They winter well with us, in short, they have taken root well!

The Department of State Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision today, August 11, responded to the information of the WB that in Kyrgyzstan there has been an unprecedented number of victims of the bites of the karakurt spider in recent years and for the first time there was a case with a fatal outcome.

So, as Ulan Ismanov, head of the toxicology department of the 4th city hospital, reported to the editors, as of June 1 of this year, 25 Kyrgyzstanis had already suffered from the bites of a poisonous arthropod. And doctors predict that this figure will double by autumn due to high air temperature and litter. At the same time, there were only 35 such cases for the entire last year. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Kyrgyzstan does not purchase anti-karakurt serum.

As the Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision reminded today, karakurt is a special kind of spiders. They belong to the genus "black widows". A distinctive feature of females is the presence of thirteen red spots on the upper surface of the abdomen. This species has a poison-producing apparatus, which is why the bite of these spiders is a mortal danger to humans.

The toxicity of karakurt poison is also influenced by many factors: seasonal, age, gender, etc. The poison of sexually mature females is especially toxic. Karakurts begin to bite in May - early June. However, bites are also possible in the warm winter season, when their biological clock is disturbed. The peak of spider activity is observed in July-August. At the same time, the toxicity of the poison also increases significantly.

The reaction of the body to the bite of a karakurt

The bite of a karakurt is not painful, it can be compared with a pin prick. Some bitten people do not even feel it, but after only 10-15 minutes, a burning pain appears at the site of the bite. Spreading rapidly throughout the body, it is given in the joints of the legs, arms and shoulder blades. Very severe pain can occur in the victim and in any lymph nodes. If you do not provide assistance with a bite of a karakurt, pain will persist for several days.

The bite of a karakurt is quite rare, although such cases are recorded from time to time. Karakurt poison refers to toxic albumins. The clinical picture of the bite resembles anaphylactic shock.

The most effective means of treatment is antitoxic antikarakurt serum. After its introduction (intramuscularly 5-10 cubic cm), the patient's suffering subsides, and after 3-4 days he recovers. The main thing is to consult a doctor in time. And be sure to report the bite and demand prompt assistance.

In healthcare organizations, when biting a karakurt, first medical aid (hormonal therapy) is provided and sent to the toxicology department of the BNICTIO for further treatment. It:

1. compulsory inpatient treatment;
2. analgesic therapy;
3. magnesium therapy;
4. symptomatic therapy, if necessary, antibiotics are prescribed;
5. detoxification therapy.

After the poison has entered the body, a person will develop local and general signs of poisoning.

Signs of a local reaction:

1. mild swelling;
2. slight redness;
3. decreased sensitivity at the site of the bite;
4. severe weakness;
5. pain in the legs a few minutes after the bite.

General signs:

1. feeling of fear;
2. hallucinations;
3. severe weakness;
4. psychomotor agitation (groans, screams, unconscious throwing in different directions);
5. muscle cramps or spasms. In severe cases, the symptoms are supplemented by shortness of breath, respiratory rhythm disturbance, hyper- and then hypotension, and kidney damage.

The victims can recover within 7-10 days, on the 3rd-4th day the temperature may rise to 38.5-39°C and a rash may appear. The subsequent development of symptoms depends on the degree of toxicity of the poison and on whether first aid was provided for the bite of the karakurt.

Help with a bite of a karakurt

For the treatment of poisoning, a special hyperimmune serum is used from the bite of a karakurt. It can only be used in a medical facility. But what if the hospital is far away? When bitten by a karakurt, you must immediately provide first aid. This will significantly increase the likelihood of a successful outcome.

1. First of all, you need to suck out the poison from the wound of the victim. This is best done with the help of improvised means that create a vacuum. But if they are not there, you can suck out the poison with your mouth. The poisonous secretions of a spider can enter the circulatory system, so you can help a bitten person in this way, but only if you do not have:

Stomatitis;

Various wounds;

Periodontitis;

caries;

Diseases of the oral cavity;

Gingivitis and other mucosal lesions.

After completing this procedure, rinse your mouth very thoroughly with plain water. Suction is effective in the first 10 minutes. After this time, doing it is absolutely useless.

2. During the provision of emergency care for karakurt bites, a cold compress can be applied to the area where a local reaction has appeared. Any pain reliever will help reduce the pain.

3. Bitten leg or hand? It should be quickly and maximally immobilized so that the poison does not spread in the body. It is necessary to minimize the movement of the victim.

4. For faster removal of the poisonous substance, it is recommended to provide the bitten with a drink (preferably hot). But you need to give him drink in small doses. If a person has chills, severe muscle tension and a feeling of cold, warming of the limbs is allowed.

What can not be done with a bite of a karakurt

Before the victim is given first aid for a bite of a karakurt or a serum is injected, it is absolutely impossible:

1. Make a variety of incisions - neither in the area of ​​​​the wound, nor on other parts of the body. They will not help to remove the poison or alleviate the condition of the bitten. At the same time, incisions are quite dangerous, since they additionally injure a person.

2. When bitten by a karakurt, it is forbidden to apply a tourniquet. This can not be done either above or below the area where a local reaction has appeared.

Karakurt is a compound name: "kara" - black, "kurt" - worm (from Turkic), scientific name - Latrodectus tredecimguttatus. The spider received a different name "black widow" for the dark color of the body and the instant eating of a partner after mating.

A special sign of this spider are red-orange markings on the abdomen, sometimes bordered by a white outline.

Quite aesthetic in the photo, without fluff, which is typical for spider varieties, it does not necessarily cause a feeling of disgust or is able to remind of danger. With the age of the animal, spots may disappear, as for Eurasian females, unlike Australian and American ones, which are always spotted, so black spiders should be avoided in their habitats.

A more detailed description of the spider: a spherical abdomen, cephalothorax, four pairs of legs, two pairs of jaws. The upper jaws of the female end in hooks, on the other side of which there are poisonous glands. Sometimes a mature female has yellow stripes instead of red-orange dots. The body length is 1-2 cm, legs - up to 3 cm.

One of the differences between the species is sexual dimorphism: the length of the female is related to the length of the male as 20:7 mm. It is not red hemoglobin (iron) that is responsible for hematopoiesis, but blue hemocyanin (copper), which is why black spiders have blue blood.

There is another type of karakurt - white. With the same physique as black, he does not have a colorful color, as you can see in the photo, but his bite is not so poisonous, and is more often dangerous for children and the elderly.

habitats

The spider prefers warm steppe, semi-steppe, forest-steppe zones of Southern Europe, Central Asia (Iran, Afghanistan), North Africa, southern Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and is found in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Common habitat areas in Russia are Crimea, Altai, Krasnodar Territories, Novosibirsk, Astrakhan, Rostov Regions.

In hot years, karakurts were seen at the latitude of the Moscow region in the process of migration. But usually the Black Widow does not survive the harsh climatic conditions, and such cases are rare. For habitat, the spider karakurt chooses the steppe, arable land, areas near ravines, wastelands, salt marshes.

He avoids open areas, thick grass, wet ravines, hot desert. Uneven rocky surfaces are acceptable for him, similar to the habitat of ferrets and lemmings. Sometimes karakurt is found on abandoned construction sites, but the modern yard is no exception. Karakurt spiders die with the onset of frost in the fall.

Food

This spider feeds on insects caught in its webs. The victims are arthropods that live close to the black widow: grasshoppers, beetles, flies, horseflies, locusts, cicadas and other invertebrates.

These insects are caught more often in horizontal nets. The weaving of the web does not look like a round trapezoid pattern, but more looks like a random chaotic pattern. The spider paralyzes the victim with poison, after which it extracts liquid components from it.

reproduction

In July-August, spiders arrange mating. The male attracts the female with fragrant pheromones. Immediately after the mating games, the spider eats her husband and goes to lay eggs in cozy corners, which are suitable for mouse holes, cracks in the earth's crust, walls of adobe houses, ventilation drainage systems. There the female places her cocoons. Usually the number of eggs reaches 130 pieces. With the advent of autumn, the female dies.

Eggs hidden in a cocoon are reliably stored all winter, and in April they are released with the help of wind, spreading over the flat terrain, expanding the horizons of the species' habitat.

The cubs appear quickly, after ten days, but do not leave the shelter until they eat the supplies left by the mother. Then they move on to eating each other. Only strong surviving individuals remain, which get out of the cocoon in the next spring, and in June-July become sexually mature.

Periodically, strong breeding outbreaks of the karakurt spider occur at intervals of 10–25 years.

Enemies of Karakurt

Herds of grazing sheep and pigs are an unfavorable phenomenon for spiders: eating grass, they trample large areas while simultaneously destroying karakurts.

Sphex wasps eat spiders in a similar way: by injecting poison and sucking.

The riding beetles lay their eggs in the cocoons of the karakurt, and then their larvae destroy the spider offspring.

The bites of karakurt do not harm the hedgehogs, and the hedgehogs do not refuse to feast on them.

bites

The bites of the karakurt are deadly, and 15 times more venomous than a rattlesnake bite, the poison of which is enough to kill 75 people out of 100 bitten. But the spiders themselves do not attack. It is advisable to see the spider in the photo in order to remember what it looks like.

In the first minutes, the bite is not felt and the affected area looks like a small abrasion. Over time, this symptom begins to disappear. Pain appears after 2-3 hours, a sometimes 30 minutes is enough for a person to feel aches, heaviness, malaise.

Bite symptoms:

• body aches, mostly the muscles of the chest, abdomen, lower back;
• difficulty breathing, which can lead to cardiac arrest;
• rapid pulse, shortness of breath, dizziness, tremor;
• weakness and vomiting;
• nervous exhaustion, depression;
• clouding of consciousness, impaired perception;
• pallor of the face;
• lacrimation;
• sweating;
• heaviness in the chest.

Timely treatment provides improvement in twenty days. Asthenia and weakness sometimes persist for up to two months.

Extremely dangerous bites of karakurt during the breeding season and after laying eggs, when the concentration of their poison increases. They pose a great threat to people with low immunity and a painful allergic reaction.

Male karakurt are not able to bite through the skin of humans and some animals, therefore they are not dangerous.

Actions after a bite:

• since the spider is only capable of biting through the skin by half a millimeter, it turns out to be effective immediate cauterization of the skin(in the first 2 minutes, but no later than 10), so that the poison cannot spread throughout the body;
• sometimes the solution is applying ice to the affected area of ​​the body before treatment, to contain the speed of the spread of the poison, as well as immobilization and complete rest of the victim;
• urgently go to the hospital for antidote, which is found in the regions inhabited by the black widow.

A single dose of serum costs about 37 thousand rubles. In case there is no antidote, an injection of potassium permanganate (5 ml 0.1%) with the same compress at the site of the bite or magnesium sulfate 10-15% is acceptable, which will alleviate the patient's suffering. Good results are given by novocaine, calcium chloride, magnesium hydrosulfate.

Auxiliary measures after taking the antidote are:

• hot bath to relieve muscle pain;
• drinking plenty of water to dissolve toxins;
• rubbing with alcohol;
• enemas;
• painkillers and sleeping pills to help recover the victim (Analgin, Diphenhydramine, Ketanol);
• antihistamines that reduce swelling (Suprastin, Agistam, Loratadin, Claritin).

Without medical intervention, death is possible in a day or two. The number of deaths after a bite of a karakurt is 4-6%, which occurs due to late admission to the hospital, a person's predisposition to intoxication, including diseases and weakness of the immune system.

Animal bites

Horses and camels are most sensitive to the bite of a karakurt, the consequence for them can be fatal.

Reptiles, amphibians, dogs, sheep, pigs, hedgehogs are not susceptible to the bite of a karakurt.

Circumstances of the bite

Most often, a spider attack occurs when the nests or trapping nets of the animal are violated, when the human body is pressed against the spider. This is possible while picking flowers, mowing grass, relaxing on the ground, and spending the night in nature.

There are cases of spiders entering barns, woodpiles, rural buildings and latrines. If the dwelling of the karakurt is flooded during the period of heavy rains, it is possible that he will enter the house in search of a new dwelling.

Bite protection

Rules for preventing contact with a spider:

• for parking during rest, choose an area unsuitable for karakurt habitation (excluding many rodent burrows, vegetation with cobwebs, depressions in the soil);
• do not walk barefoot in places of a possible settlement of a black widow;
• do not spend the night in the steppe zone on bare ground, use tarpaulins and air mattresses;
• when clearing a place to rest, collecting firewood for a fire, you must wear gloves and tuck your pants into boots;
• when a spider is found on clothes, do not touch it with your hands, but knock it down with a click, shake it off;
• it is not recommended to move stones and walk at night on rocky terrain;
• it is better to close the tents, and when going for a night's rest, shake out sleeping bags and check the tents, which also applies to shoes;
• do not touch the inner wall of the tent;
• dig a tent by building a groove around;
• wild grasses in the countryside can be inhabited by karakurts and tarantulas, and shoes left in the garden will be a good condition.

Returning to the description of the barbaric custom of karkurt spiders to kill males who have served their time, I would like to mention the observation of the researcher Professor Pavel Iustinovich Marikovsky, who kept notes in his diary from nature and recorded the behavior of spiders in the photo. Not one day lasts importunate mating courtship from the side of several males at once. They prevent the female from eating, arrange fights, and if she kills them ahead of time, this does not bother the males at all. As a result, the female is forced to leave the dwelling along with the boyfriends waiting for her, but such measures are temporary.