Brazilian spider soldier vs black widow. Where does the Brazilian wandering spider Phoneutria live? Wandering soldier spiders, one of the most venomous spiders on Earth

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The most poisonous spider in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is considered " brazilian wandering pau to". This spider got its name because it does not sit in one place and does not weave cobwebs, but actively moves in search of food. Another extremely dangerous spider is the Black Widow, which can be found in the Caucasus and Crimea.

Brazilian wandering spider ( Phoneutria) - fast, very active and most importantly - poisonous. Brazilian name of the animal: aranha armadeira, aranha de bananeira (aranha armadeira, aranha de bananeira) - armed spider or banana spider.

This spider deservedly received its telling name: it does not weave webs, like most spiders, because it does not need it. The wandering spider never lives in one place, but always roams. It is unpleasant for a person that sometimes he enters houses. In South America, these spiders are often found in clothes or in boxes with things and food.

A wandering spider is found only in America, and even then most often in tropical and subtropical regions. There are two types of Brazilian wandering spiders - these are jumping spiders, which pursue their prey with jerky jumps, and running spiders. The latter run very fast, but lead a nocturnal lifestyle, and during the day they sit under stones or hide in some other place, including in people's houses.

The Brazilian wandering spider loves to feast on bananas, and will not miss the opportunity to climb into a box with this fruit. For his predilection, this spider received another name - a banana spider. But the main food for him is still not fruits. It hunts mainly on other spiders and insects, and it also happens that it attacks birds and lizards that are larger than it.

He himself is a rather small predator - only some 10 cm. But his small size does not prevent him from being an excellent hunter and a serious problem for people, and all from the fact that he is able to release a solid dose of toxic poison when biting, which is formed at the ends of the chelicera, in the channels of the poisonous glands.

Maybe poison wandering spider less dangerous than snake venom. He is unlikely to be able to kill an adult healthy person - he will only cause a serious allergic reaction, which modern medicine is able to quickly cope with. But if a Brazilian wandering spider bites a sick person or a small child, then the poison can work faster than an ambulance arrives. Some specimens of this spider are so dangerous that the death of a person can occur within 20-30 minutes if immediate help is not provided.

Fortunately for the people of Russia, wandering spiders they do not live here and are unlikely to ever appear: the climate is not quite suitable. But you still need to remember to be careful when handling these arthropods, in case you still have to meet them.

By itself, a wandering spider does not attack a person. It bites only in self-defense. But the problem is that these spiders love to hide and are very hard to spot. If you find a wandering spider, try to get it out of the house as soon as possible and look through all the boxes and cabinets to see if there is another one in them. If possible, you must be as careful as possible and in no case take the spider in your hands.

Karaku?rt(from the Turkic "kara" - black and "kurt" - a worm, an insect; lat. Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) or a steppe spider - a species of poisonous spiders from the genus of black widows.

Karakurt- spider of medium size (female 10-20 mm, male 4-7 mm), black with red dots on the abdomen. It is distributed in the desert and steppe zone of Central Asia, in the Caucasus, in the Crimea, as well as in Iran, Afghanistan and along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Favorite habitats are virgin sagebrush, wastelands, banks of ditches, slopes of ravines, etc.

For humans and farm animals, only female spiders are dangerous. The bites of the female can be fatal to humans and animals such as camels and horses. The male, having a much smaller size, does not pose a danger to humans, since it cannot bite through the rather thick human skin. It does not pose a danger to animals to the same extent as the female. Mature females are the most poisonous. The poison of the karakurt is not only 15 times stronger than the poison of one of the most terrible snakes - the rattlesnake, but in general is one of the most poisonous substances of organic origin on Earth.

The frequency of bites in some years increases sharply due to the mass reproduction of karakurt. The number of victims increases during periods of migration of female spiders - in the summer months.

Poison karakurt neurotoxic, causes an exceptionally intense release of acetylcholine in the neuromuscular synapses, as well as acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine and alpha-aminobutyrate in the synapses of the central nervous system, as well as intense in the sympathetic-adrenal system.

The most common cause of a bite is the crushing of a spider that accidentally crawled into the clothes or bed of the victim. In most cases, people who are sleeping or resting in shaded places are bitten. Defeats prevail in rural areas and in the field. In cities, karakurt bites are extremely rare.

Karakurt often attacks a person unexpectedly. Especially active in summer at night. The bite is not painful and is often not felt by the victim. There is no local reaction to the poison or it is very weakly expressed - around the bite site there may be a zone of skin blanching (several centimeters in diameter), surrounded by a rim of mild hyperemia. In most cases, there are no local changes and it is extremely difficult to find the bite site. Sometimes a bite is perceived as a needle prick. Due to the low pain of the bite (unlike stings by scorpions, wasps), many victims, especially those bitten at night during sleep, do not associate their sudden illness with a bite of a poisonous insect, seek medical help due to the general manifestation of intoxication.

General toxic phenomena develop rapidly, 5-30 minutes after the bite, and rapidly progress. The severity of poisoning varies from relatively mild, quickly transient forms to extremely severe, sometimes fatal cases. For pronounced forms, excruciating muscle pains are characteristic, combined with paresthesias in the limbs, lower back, abdomen and chest. Patients are excited, often covered with cold sweat, fear of death is expressed, the face is tense, hyperemic, sclera " poured"blood, facial expressions are poor, the facial expression is suffering. Often there is lacrimation. Soon after the bite, a sharp muscle weakness develops, especially of the lower extremities, as a result of which patients have difficulty moving or cannot stand at all. Excruciating pain syndrome (breaking, pulling and tearing pains of different localization) are combined with pronounced muscle tension.

The abdominal muscles are often very tense, which, together with dryness of the tongue, intestinal paresis (peristalsis is weakened, gases do not escape), pronounced leukocytosis and an increase in body temperature to 38 ° C and above, mimic the picture of an acute abdomen (there are cases of erroneous surgical intervention with karakurt bites). Nausea and vomiting may also occur. However, the correct diagnosis is easy to make when considering other symptoms. Tension and dysfunction of the muscles of the extremities, back, occipital (head thrown back, positive Kernig's syndrome), their tremor and convulsive twitching, dysfunction of the respiratory muscles (saccadic breathing), spasm of sphincters - narrow pupils, urinary retention with an overdistended bladder, increased blood pressure (toxogenic karakurt hypertension) - create a very characteristic picture of the disease and allow you to make the correct diagnosis.

In extremely severe cases excitation replaced by apathy, depression, confusion (sometimes with psychotic reactions), collapse and progressive shortness of breath with symptoms of pulmonary edema (crepitus and moist rales, foamy sputum).

Some sick a rosaceous rash appears on the skin. The acute phase of intoxication is especially characterized by the phenomenon of layering pains of different nature and localization on top of each other, combined with a feeling of fear, excitation, sharp muscle weakness and tension of various muscle groups, disturbances in peristalsis and urination, increased blood pressure and body temperature. In mild forms of poisoning, painful phenomena stop by the end of the first day, in moderate and severe forms, they can last 3-4 days.

Right after the bite but no later than two minutes later) you can cauterize the bitten place with a flammable match - from heating, the poison that has not had time to be absorbed is destroyed. This method is indispensable away from medical care. In other cases, urgent hospitalization is required. Otherwise, the bite can lead to the most disastrous results.

Brazilian wandering spiders are the most venomous spiders on the planet. They belong to the genus Phoneutria, which consists of several spider species. Several of these species, including Phoneutria nigriventer, Phoneutria keyserlingi and Phoneutria fera, are called Brazilian wandering spiders.

The term "Brazilian wandering spider" actually refers not only to one spider, but to a number of extremely venomous spider species found mainly in South (especially Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Suriname, Peru and Guyana) and Central America. They belong to the genus Phoneutria, which is a member of the venomous spider family Ctenidae.

The Brazilian wandering spider is a highly venomous and aggressive spider. It is also known as the "banana" spider (because these spiders are often found in bunches of bananas). The Brazilian wandering spider "roams" the ground in the jungle rather than living in a burrow or building a web.

Brazilian wandering spider species

According to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), the venomous spider genus Ctenidae contains the following species of Brazilian wandering spiders: Phoneutria fera, Phoneutria nigriventer, Phoneutria bahiensis, Phoneutria boliviensis, Phoneutria eickstedtae, Phoneutria keyserlingi, Phoneutria pertyi, and Phoneutria reidyi.

All species of Brazilian wandering spiders are mostly brown in color, hairy, and have a black belly patch. These spiders reach large sizes, with a leg span of about 15 cm and a body size of up to 5 cm.

These spiders are nocturnal hunters, so they spend most of the day hiding in crevices or under logs and come out at night to hunt. They feed on insects, small reptiles, amphibians, mice and other smaller spiders.

Brazilian wandering spider - bite and its consequences.

The bite of a Brazilian wandering spider can cause full-blown poisoning or be limited to a few painful skin punctures. The two most famous and dangerous species of wandering spiders are Phoneutria fera and Phoneutria nigriventer.

Brazilian wandering spiders are known for their aggressiveness as well as their strong bite venom. However, it is interesting that this behavior is actually a defense mechanism.

When threatened or attacked, they raise their first two pairs of legs, indicating to their predators that they are ready to attack. Their bites are thus an act of self-defense, and they only do so when provoked, either by accident or intentionally.

If you find yourself in a situation where you are bitten by one of these spiders, you may experience symptoms such as sweating, goosebumps, and severe burning pain at the site of the bite.

Within 30 minutes or so, an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), high blood pressure, abdominal cramps, body temperature drops below normal, nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, and seizures.

If you are bitten by a wandering spider, you should immediately seek medical attention from the appropriate facility, regardless of whether there are initial symptoms. This is very important, as the poison can threaten your life.

The venom of these spiders is a complex cocktail of toxins, peptides and proteins that affects ion channels and chemical receptors in the neuromuscular system of victims.

It so happens that the venom that the Brazilian spider Phoneutria nigriventer injects into its prey contains several toxic polypeptide fractions. Some of them have been purified and proven to contain the very potent neurotoxin PhTx-3 and six neurotoxic peptides (Tx3-1-Tx3-6).

The experiment showed that PhTx3 and one of the named peptides TX3-3 act as calcium channel blockers, reducing its amount. A decrease in the amount of calcium affects the entry of glutamate3 and acetylcholine2 into the rat brain.

In simple terms, the venom of the Brazilian wandering spiders affects the brain functions and disorients the victim.

Phoneutria are very interesting spiders, but keeping them in captivity requires a lot of experience in keeping very fast and aggressive spiders. If not, then it is best to stay away from this species because of their dangerous venom. They are easy to keep and unpretentious in food, but require a reasonable and respectful attitude towards themselves.

Wandering spider, runner spider, banana spider - these are all names for the most dangerous arthropod killer on the planet.

The lethal outcome after the bite of this warrior occurs in less than an hour in 85% of cases, which gave him the first place in the Guinness Book of Records and the title of the most poisonous and dangerous of his family.

Description of the spider

Appearances can be undeceiving

This spider won first place in the list of the most dangerous spiders from itself, so let's find out what this intimidator of the animal world of South America looks like.

To begin with, the Brazilian soldier spider never weaves webs and generally loves to constantly change its place of residence, which is why it is sometimes also called wandering.

The Brazilian soldier spider belongs to the genus Phoneutria, a family of running spiders that includes the most venomous members in the world. Fortunately, it has a rather limited distribution.

Due to the constant movement of the spider, its habitat also changes, which affects its color. The most common are sand-colored spiders, which allows them to easily camouflage themselves in the ground. To attract and intimidate the enemy, the area next to the chelicerae has a bright red tint.

The long hairy legs of the spider allow it to reach a size of 15 centimeters., and this is the length of the palm of an adult!

Thunderstorm of the Brazilian jungle

It has received its greatest distribution in the tropical forests of Central and South America, but often likes to climb into human habitation, therefore it is a frequent guest in the mansions of Rio de Janeiro.

The Brazilian Soldier Spider loves secluded places, so it is often found in boxes with things or in wardrobe closets.

And the wanderer has a family

Like all spiders, the Brazilian Soldier Spider is dioecious. Males are smaller than females, and often have a slightly brighter color. They are also characterized by the presence of pedipalps - an additional pair of limbs used in the process of fertilization of the female.

If the male spider is ready for the mating process, then he demonstrates this to the female by performing a dance.

Arthropod banana lovers

The basic diet of the Brazilian soldier spider differs little from the menu of other spiders from this family. They prefer to eat

  • small insects;
  • by their weaker relatives;
  • small lizards;
  • birds accidentally caught in the reach.

The Brazilian soldier spider has been seen to have a fondness for bananas, which is why it has often been found in boxes of the fruit. Because of this, it got its second name: the Brazilian banana spider.

Lethality worthy of a record

The Brazilian soldier spider gained its reputation as the most dangerous spider on the planet, not least due to its aggressive behavior. As soon as a situation arises that it identifies as dangerous, the spider takes a special stance on its legs, threateningly stretching upwards and directing its front paws towards the enemy.

The exponential aggressiveness of the Brazilian soldier spider is associated with its focus on active hunting. During the pursuit of the victim, he can develop a decent running speed for a spider, and is also capable of jumping a considerable distance.

Since the spider loves to enter people's homes in search of a calm, quiet place, his meetings with man is a fairly common occurrence. Unfortunately, they often have a tragic outcome. Especially dangerous is the effect of the poison of the Brazilian wanderer spider on the elderly.

The content of the most powerful neurotoxin in the poison leads to the fact that the victim has a total paralysis of the muscles, leading to fatal suffocation. A person bitten by this spider feels terrible pains throughout the body and its complete stiffness. As a rule, the subsequent paralysis of the muscles causes death. From time of bite to death can take from 2 to 6 hours.

If you are bitten by a Brazilian soldier spider, you should immediately seek help from a medical facility. Currently, there is an antidote for the bite of this spider, although it also has great toxicity to the body.

Sand wasps are able to dig deep holes in the sand. A full description of the insect can be found at this link.

Good from a killer

But the reputation of the killer did not prevent scientists from finding practical benefits for humanity in him, especially for the stronger half. The reason is that its poison contains the Th2-6 toxin, which contributes to the most powerful, albeit extremely painful erection. Experiments carried out to date have confirmed that the use of this toxin in medicine can provoke the development of a drug that cures erectile dysfunction.

So, perhaps, the Brazilian spider soldier will again fall into the Guinness Book of Records, but now for his contribution to the development of drugs for impotence.

For a long time, the “black widow” held the palm among dangerous poisonous spiders. But she had to share the championship with a dangerous, Brazilian wandering spider. Spider-soldier, runner, banana - this is how the formidable arthropod killer is called all over the world.

Noted in the Guinness Book of Records for its toxicity. Eighty-five percent of bites are fatal. Fortunately, this species is distributed in a limited area.

Brazilian wandering spider

There are two types:

  • jumping - moving in sharp jumps;
  • running.

Appearance and habitat

The arthropod does not weave webs. It got its name because of the constant movement. As a result, its color changes. More often it has a sandy color, reddish-brown, brown-brown.

The cephalothorax is relatively small. The abdomen is large. Long, thick and hairy limbs.

The size reaches up to 15 centimeters, which is equal to the palm of an adult.

Central and South America, its tropical forest part are the most suitable for living. Often watch the soldier spider in houses. Climbs into dressing rooms, hides in shoeboxes or clothing bags. Crawls into things scattered on the floor, and secluded places indoors (closets, basements, utility rooms, garages).

Almost all the time wandering, moving from one place to another. Likes the dark. During this period, he feels better. Actively hunts at night. During the day, it tries to stay in the shade, hides under logs, crawls under stones, looks for secluded places where direct, scorching rays of the sun do not penetrate.

Reproduction and nutrition

Spiders are dioecious. To attract the attention of the female, the male performs a certain dance. The color of the female a little brighter than the male. The male is much larger than the female and has an extra pair of limbs that it uses during copulation.

The banana spider got its name because of its addiction to bananas. Often found in packages with this fruit.

The diet consists of:

  • insects;
  • small individuals of their own species;
  • lizards;
  • frogs;
  • small rodents;
  • strikes small birds that accidentally fly into its reach.

deadly poison

Due to external unattractiveness and love to play hide and seek, meetings with this arthropod are always unexpected and end sadly for the finder. In a man's dwelling comes in search of peace and tranquility. A spider discovered unexpectedly leaves no choice. The state of the soldier spider is always aimed at hunting. The spider is aggressive, but attacks a prey larger than itself only in case of approaching danger. He instantly takes a fighting stance, raising his front paws towards the victim. Runs pretty fast for a spider and can also jump a decent distance.

Its powerful poison causes paralysis of the respiratory muscles, resulting in suffocation and death. From the moment of a bite to death, it takes from 2 to 6 hours.

A bitten person should immediately be shown to a doctor.

First symptoms:

  1. painful bite;
  2. dizziness;
  3. heaviness in breathing;
  4. increase in pressure;
  5. nausea.

One of the victims of the Brazilian spider bite shared his impressions.

In 1998, a 23-year-old boy was sorting boxes of bananas. In one of them, a Brazilian spider lurked. Disturbed, he dug into the young man's arm. As the guy describes his condition: “Bite looks like a pierced thorn, very deep. Immediately there was dizziness, the chest was severely squeezed, which made it difficult to breathe. The pressure rose so that the beats of the heart beat in the chest. He was not taken aback and immediately asked for help. Life was saved. He was discharged from the hospital the very next day.

In modern medicine, there is an antidote for the poison of this killer, it is also toxic and causes certain consequences for the body. For an adult, strong person, a bite causes a strong allergic reaction. It is very scary for children, the sick or the elderly.

For the inhabitants of Russia, a meeting with the Brazilian monster does not threaten, the climate saves. But now many Russians love to travel. Exotic places and tropical latitudes beckon. And they can meet him by visiting Brazil, South America. When visiting such areas, it is always necessary to think about safety. Remember, the Brazilian running spider loves to settle in houses. With special care, you need to check things and boxes in the wardrobes. When meeting, in no case do not make sudden movements and do not pick up. Try to take it out of the room and check the wardrobe for the second time for the presence of other Brazilian soldier spiders.

Going to travel to any country, study what insects you will meet. Compose yourself drug card what medications you can take and what you can't. Check with your doctor about your health. Most of the unpleasant moments come from our ignorance of our body. Southern countries are a certain risk.

Scientists still found the use of poison for humans. Based on it, drugs are being developed that help our strong half acquire masculine power. The poison of this spider can enter the Guinness Book of Records for the creation of drugs to enhance potency.

The Brazilian wandering spider lives in South and Central America. This large hairy spider is considered the most venomous spider in the world. Brazilian wandering spiders occasionally wander into populated areas and are caught among tropical fruit shipments, so it's good to know their appearance and habits, especially if you happen to be in their range. If bitten by this spider, emergency medical attention is required. However, don't panic! Brazilian wandering spider bites are almost always treatable.

Steps

Appearance and habits of the Brazilian wandering spider

    The length of the spider, together with its paws, is approximately 15 centimeters. An adult Brazilian wandering spider has a body about 5 centimeters long. At a glance, it is easier to determine the total length, that is, the distance from the end of the hind legs to the end of the front legs, which reaches about 15 centimeters. Be careful if you come across such a large spider.

    The spider is most likely to be brown and hairy. Although the color of Brazilian wandering spiders varies, most of them are a dirty brown color, and some have a black spot on the abdomen. The body of all Brazilian wandering spiders is covered with hair.

    Brazilian wandering spiders move quickly. They got their name from the fact that they quickly move through the land of the rainforest. Spiders are capable of attacking their victims with lightning speed, so be careful if you come across a fast moving spider in the range of the Brazilian wandering spider.

    If the spider shows its red jaws, back away slowly. When scared, the Brazilian wandering spider rears up on its hind legs. In this intimidating pose, some species of the Brazilian wandering spider show red hairs around their fangs. This defensive stance indicates that the spider is angry, in which case you should back away carefully and slowly.

    Don't hesitate trying to get a better look at the spider. If you're traveling through South and Central America, or living in areas where Brazilian wandering spiders are found, don't hesitate if you spot a large spider. In case of any doubt, do not try to be sure that it is a Brazilian wandering spider, but move slowly to the side so as not to anger the animal.

    • Don't try to catch the spider. If you suspect a Brazilian wandering spider has wandered into your home or utility room, call wildlife management and leave the building before the experts arrive.
  1. Be careful in dark places. The Brazilian wandering spider is nocturnal and skillfully hides in the forest floor of the tropical jungle. Such a "wandering" lifestyle sometimes leads to the fact that the spider wanders into settlements, where it tries to hide from sunlight in secluded places, for example:

    • in dark closets, closets, and so on;
    • under sheds and in garages;
    • in cars;
    • in unused clothes, shoes, gloves;
    • in kitchen cabinets;
    • in boxes and crates in the attic or garage;
    • in wood.
  2. Be careful when opening fruit packages. This spider is also called a banana spider, as it likes to climb into bananas and can end up in a package with these fruits. Although this happens quite rarely, be careful when unpacking fruit shipped from regions where the Brazilian wandering spider lives.

Biting Prevention

    Wear protective gloves when working in dark areas or carrying firewood. If you live in the Brazilian wandering spider's range, wear long sleeves, a hat and gloves, and tuck your pants into your socks when working in the garage or near woods. It is advisable to use protective clothing also when working in the attic, utility rooms and basements.

    If you have not worn gloves, clothes and shoes for a long time, shake them before use. The Brazilian wandering spider can hide in the folds of clothing and also climb into cozy places like gloves or boots. Shake clothes and shoes lightly before putting them on. However, don't push them too hard, or the hiding spider might get angry or scared.

    • Don't panic if a spider falls out of your clothes or shoes. Move slowly to the side and leave the room.
  1. Before entering dark rooms, such as closets, check them. Turn on the light. If there is no light in the room, take a flashlight with you and inspect the corners and cluttered places.

    Install mosquito nets and doors that close tightly to keep spiders out of your home. The best way to avoid getting bitten in your own home is to keep spiders out! Check all mosquito nets and doors for cracks and holes through which spiders could get into your home. Replace any broken or loose screens and doors.

    • You can also spray insect and spider repellant around doors and windows to keep intruders out.
  2. Do not keep firewood near the house itself. Spiders love to hide among firewood, so don't keep them close to your house. Keep firewood and dry branches in the yard and handle them carefully.

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