We know that spiders can, for example, use people's ears as "home," and everyone must have heard of statistics about how many of these pets humans swallow in their sleep, right?
There are those who claim that the number comes to tens a year, while others assure that only four of these pets will stop at our mouths during the hours of rest. In addition, there are those who say that this story of eating spiders during sleep is nothing more than a myth.
According to Henry Nicholls of the BBC, with this imprecision in mind, the news portal decided to ask the netizens on the BBC Earth page on Facebook if they believed that people actually swallow spiders during sleep, and how many would be.
Evidence
According to Henry, medical records from various parts of the world prove that there are cases of people suffering from spider bites during sleep. Studies of the incidents have pointed out that most attacks occur on the arms, legs, hands, and feet, but on some occasions, they may occur on the face.
Netizens who accessed the BBC's Facebook page seem to confirm what was discovered by the studies. One of the cases reported, for example, was that of a person who woke up with thousands of prickles on his face after an ootheca broke out during the night releasing an endless number of spiders on his bed. In other words, there is no shortage of evidence that these animals roam our beds occasionally.
But can they come into your mouth?
While there are many articles out there that attest that human-related statistics by swallowing spiders during sleep are nothing more than myths, the BBC has collected some reports that contradict these publications.
One of the netizens said that in the morning, while brushing his teeth, he tasted a little weird, and when he spits, he saw some paws that looked like an arachnid. Another said that one day when he woke up, he noticed something strange in his mouth and discovered that it was a small spider. Did those reports make you nervous? Well, you do not have to worry - nor go to sleep with your mouth gagged!
In addition to collecting internet stories, BBC staff also talked to some experts on the subject to reassure the most ardent arachnophobes. Among the professionals consulted is Dave Clarke, who heads the invertebrate department of the London Zoo. According to him, most predators simply would not risk attacking a larger animal, simply not to take the risk of getting worse.