hey there! welcome to the new episode of Curiosity! A series in which we will answer some of the questions that makes us all curious.
One of the largest rain-forest in the world! Amazon Rain-Forest. It's no wonder why is it home to the unimaginably mysterious and super deadly creatures. Amazon Rain-forest makes half of the rain-forest of the world alone making this an exclusive habitat for over 16000 species. Also, according to scientists , every 3rd day, a new species is discovered in Amazon. Animals found in Amazon are fascinating and mysterious in their own ways. They are well- adapted as well. Well, for humans , most of the animals are friendly and love to interact but some of the animals are not to be messed with. The wandering spiders are one of them.So, What makes the wandering spiders one of the deadliest and mysterious creatures of amazon. Let's Find out.
The Brazilian Wandering Spiders
These are exclusive spiders of Amazon. One of the most deadly and most venomous spider on Earth. These spiders belong to the genus "Phoneutria" , which literally means murderers in Greek. Also , this spider has get a world record to be the most venomous spider on Earth. These species are large , having body up to 3 inches long and leg reaches out up to 6-7 inches long. All of the species are generally hairy, but might have different colors with black spots on their belly.
They have very unusual-behavior
Why are they Called the Wandering Spiders? , well, its because this spiders show totally different behavior from other spiders. They don't build their web , in fact they wander around the jungle at night (being nocturnal) and hunt for preys. Either they attack by ambushing or direct killing. Also, they have very unusual defenive posture , holding their frontal legs high. This charter is also used to confirm , that they are wandering spiders.
Fig: Unusual behavior - defensive position (Credits)
Nick-name Banana Spider
These spiders have got a nick name "the banana spiders". This is because they are mostly found hiding in banana plants. Also they are claimed to be found in the banana shipments. In 2005, a man was bitten by these spiders which was claimed to be from the banana shipments. Later, the man was rushed to the hospital for treatment. Also, in 2003 , a family claimed to photograph the spiders which was later identified as The wandering Spiders.
Fig: Wander spider in banana shipments (credits)
They are very Deadly
The wandering spider's Venom contains different and complex form of proteins. These complex proteins are the potent neurotoxins also know as PhTx3 toxin. This toxin is very deadly, because it inhibits Calcium channel. If the Calcium channel is blocked, there is no release of Glutamate and hence no re-uptake of calcium by the neural synapses.
After someone is actually bitten by these spiders, they might feel burning pain at the site which later leads to intense pain and inflammation. Within half an hour , the blood pressure becomes very high, the heartbeat increase,blurred vision occurs, nausea , abdominal cramps .Further more, the neuro-toxin causes loss of sensation, loss of muscular control, shortening of breath and finally,asphyxiation.
Also, despite of intense pain and other deadly complications, these toxins released from these spiders also causes a painful Erections to humans. This is because, the venom of these spiders boosts NO(nitric oxide) , which increases the blood flow, hence causing a very painful erection.
But, are they really any dangerous to humans?
Although they are one of the most venomous spiders on Earth. The bites from these spiders are very rare to humans, and even if it bite , There is very less chances it will inject all of it venom into the body. According to a Study , Only 2 % of bites contained enough venom to treat them with anti-venom. They generally don't inject all of their venom because venom production is a time-taking process and requires a lots of resources, which leaves these spiders vulnerable to the predators.
At least 14 people are killed till now by these spiders.
They are great hunters
The amount of venom needed to kill a small mice is about 7 μg. Compared to other venomous spiders like Black Widow, this is very less and very effective. The back widow injects about 110μg subcutaneously to kill the prey. This is what make these spiders most venomous and particularly to mice. Due to this they generally hunt small mice. But insects like crickets and mantis, lizards , and even bigger animals animals like tree Frogs are not able to escape these deadly creatures.
That's it for this episode guys. hope you liked it, if you did, Upvote and comment you thoughts below. There's much more to come do, dont forget to follow me. Thank you
Stay Curious.
References used:
[1]- The Wandering Spider - Wikipedia
[2]- Brazilian Spider - Live science
[3]- News - Spiders
[4]- Phoneutria species
Last five Episodes:
Curiosity | What Causes Earthquakes? The Science of Earthquake.
Curiosity | What causes Auroras ? The Northern Lights
Curiosity | Is Telekinesis Possible?
Curiosity | How does Caffeine Keep you awake?
Curiosity | Can a Volcano Wipe out Humanity?