Summer Writing Workshops 2016


Read More From
This Publication

Spiders Can Be Deadly to Humans


Spiders are one of the most feared of all insects. However not all spiders are harmful to human. Only spiders that produce venom are harmful to humans. And even those only attack humans when they feel threatened and need to defend themselves. Most spiders use venom, a type of poison, to kill their prey.

Venom is injected into prey through a spiders’ fangs. There are two kinds of venom that cause serious effects. One is a paralyzing nerve poison, and the other can cause ulcers and gangrene. There are 30 venomous spider species that are dangerous to people, but most spider species only kill insects and small prey.

In the Middle Ages, people thought spider venom was dangerous, and they believed they could get the poison out of their body by dancing. This dance was called the tarantella, and originated in southern Italy.

Two interesting species of venomous spiders are the Brazilian wandering spider and the violin spider. The wandering spider is a good hunting spider that has powerful venom. When it is about to attack, it raises its front legs to show its dangerous jaws. Its jaws hold enough venom to kill up to 225 mice. There have been recorded incidents of people who have died from this type of spider bite. The violin spider, is much smaller than the wandering spider: on the other hand this spider tends to live in peoples’ homes, and people hide in their clothes and beds. The violin spider is part of the recluse family. Bites from this type of spider can cause ulcers, especially near the wound, and sometimes death in humans.

It’s important to know about spider venom because certain kinds of spiders can be deadly to humans. Luckily, for the most part, spiders won’t bother you, if you don’t bother them.

[Source: The Big Bug Book ]

Name

Location

Email

Comment