The toxicity and reaction time of a spider’s bite is directly correlated to the person’s weight, amount of venom injected, and tissue vascularity. Those with undeveloped, underdeveloped, or compromised immune systems such as children, the elderly, and the infirm are particularly susceptible to toxic venom.
Black Widow
The female Black Widow spider is shiny black with an red hourglass mark on its back and is about the size of a paper clip. It is found throughout the United States, but prefers warmer regions. The bite is 15 times more venomous that an rattlesnake’s but is painless, resulting in a red fang mark. Symptoms include back and abdominal pain and cramping, nausea, labored breathing, tremors, high blood pressure, sweating, inability to urinate, chills, and fever. Although Black Widows are considered one of the deadliest spiders in North America, bite fatalities are rare. If the bite is fatal, death is caused by cardiac failure.
Brazilian Wandering Spider (Banana Spider)
Known as the deadliest spider in the world, the Brazilian Wandering Spider lives on the ground and in banana trees of the jungles of Central and South America. It’s also found in South American homes, hiding in people’s shoes, hats, and clothes. This fast and extremely aggressive spider often stows away in banana crates transported to the United States. Its bite causes extreme pain, cold sweats, heart irregularities and priapism in men (prolonged erections requiring medical intervention).
Brown Recluse
Also known as a Fiddle-Back Spider, the Brown Recluse is brown with a violin-shaped mark at the back of its head. Its bite is not painful and many victims are unaware they’ve been bitten until itching, high fever, and an ulceration appears. The resulting ulceration may take years to heal and can result in limb amputation.
Redback Spider
Redback spiders are black with a red or orange stripe on their backs. Indigenous to Australia, the female Redback Spider’s painful bite results in perspiration, weakness, nausea, and vomiting. Death results without anti-venom treatment.
Tree-Dwelling Funnel-Back Spider
Predominantly found on Australia’s east coast, the Tree-dwelling Funnel-Back spider is either shiny black or brown. The male’s bite is five times more deadly than the female’s. When threatened, this spider will rear up and expose its fangs. Bites result in salivation, twitching, perspiration, and eventual death without immediate medical intervention including anti-venom treatment.
Sources
Buzzle. Symptoms of Spider Bites (accessed January 2, 2011)
National Geographic. Black Widow Spider (accessed January 2, 2011)
Scienceray. Five Deadly Spiders of the World (accessed January 2, 2011)
Serita Stevens and Anne Bannon, Book of Poisons (Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer’s Digest Books, 2007) 132-134.
Spiderz Rule. Wandering Spiders (accessed January 2, 2011)
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