Brazilian wandering spider breeding. Brazilian wandering spider: what is dangerous, where does it live. other mammals of Brazil

And again today we turn to our beloved Guinness Book of Records. We open the section about insects and find "The most poisonous spiders in the world." The palm among them is shared by the Black Widow and the Brazilian wandering spider. Let's talk about the last one.

He owes his leading position aggressive behavior and powerful neurotoxins contained in its venom. In a healthy person, the bite of a Brazilian spider causes a severe allergic reaction, but with a timely visit to a doctor dire consequences can be avoided. But for children and people with weakened immune systems, its poison is deadly. The bite is accompanied by sharp pain and causes symptoms of intoxication and paralysis of the respiratory muscles. The man is just suffocating. Death can occur within 2-6 hours.

Here is one sad example. It happened in an ordinary Brazilian family with small children. Curious brother and sister climbed into the attic, and there, among the boxes, a Brazilian wandering spider found temporary shelter. The children found an unusual "animal" and decided to play. Then the spider, without hesitation, grabbed the 3-year-old girl's hand. When the brother tried to throw him away, the spider bit the boy. He was saved, but the girl did not live to see the arrival of doctors.

Maybe everything would have worked out if the children had not bothered the spider. He doesn't attack people first. Only in cases of self-defense. But the problem lies in the fact that brazilian spider loves to live in people's houses, in particular in closets and boxes with things. So people need to be extremely careful.

And now let's talk about where the spider got its name from - Brazilian wandering. With the first word, everything is clear - according to the place of residence. Wandering was attributed to him because he never sits still. In addition, he does not weave webs, like all eight-legged relatives.

An interesting fact is that the Brazilian wandering spider loves to eat bananas. For which he received another name - a banana spider. But still, its main menu is made up of smaller relatives, insects, lizards and even birds!

But, despite its terrible reputation, this spider can benefit humanity, in particular its strong half. The fact is that its poison contains the toxin Tx2-6, which contributes to the appearance of a prolonged and painful erection. In addition, some victims of the spider claimed that after being bitten by a spider, the quality of their sexual life. Animal experience has confirmed scientists' suggestion that the use of this toxin in medicine can help treat impotence. Well, at least some benefit from this spider.

Brazilian wandering spider - he is a soldier, runner, wandering spider,. Belongs to the Ctenidae family of runners. Reads 8 types. The natural range covers the South, Central America. As a pet, it is found all over the world. In 2010, he entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most poisonous.

Appearance description

The Brazilian wandering spider grows to a size of 15 cm, which is equal to the size of the hand of an adult. Assigned to . The color is varied - gray, brown, black, red, brown. The body is divided into the abdomen, cephalothorax, connected by a thin bridge. Long powerful 8 pieces. Well-marked mandibles. The photo is located below.

The whole body is covered with small, dense hairs. The legs serve as an instrument of movement, are the organs of smell, touch. On the head, providing a broad outlook.

On a note!

Wandering spider sees in different directions but does not have good eyesight. Perceives silhouettes, shadows, responds well to movement.

Lifestyle

The Brazilian spider runner got its name because of the characteristics of life, certain qualities. The animal moves quickly, jumps well. Lives on trees, in most cases, these are bananas. The burrow does not stand, constantly moving from one place to another in search of food.

On a note!

The Brazilian spider forms powerful trapping webs. The diameter of the largest reaches 2 m. The threads are so strong that they freely hold birds, lizards, snakes, and small rodents. Fishermen put it in several layers and use it to catch fish.

In search of food, the Brazilian wandering spider often crawls into residential buildings. Hiding in lockers with dishes, things, shoes, in the corners of rooms. Since in such conditions it does not weave a web, it does not betray its presence in any way.

Food

The main diet is insects, snails, small ones, caterpillars. Often the victims are small birds, rodents, lizards, snakes. The spider soldier lies in wait for the victim in the shelter. At its sight, it takes a characteristic pose - it rises on its hind limbs, lifts its front legs up, pulls its middle ones forward, spreads it to the side. He waits for the right moment, rushes to attack.

Interesting!

Spider runner injects poison, saliva. The first substance paralyzes the prey, the second turns the insides into a liquid mass, which the predator then drinks. Insects die almost immediately, frogs, rodents, snakes after 15 minutes. The Brazilian spider soldier hunts at night, during the day it hides away from sunlight under stones, in crevices, in tree leaves.

reproduction

Runners lead a solitary lifestyle, gather in pairs at the time of mating. The male coaxes the female with food. Such manipulation is necessary so that the spider simply does not eat it. After fertilization, the "boyfriend" must immediately hide, since a hungry female can start her hunt.

After some time, a wandering spider lays eggs in a cocoon formed from a web or on bananas. Cubs are born after 20 days, crawling in different directions. Up to a hundred small spiders are born at a time. An adult lives on average 3 years.

Human danger

The British wandering spider is one of its huge family. Toxic substance interferes with work nervous system causes spasms. Possible consequences bite:

• abdominal pain;
• nausea;
• weakness;
• vomit;
• diarrhea;
• dizziness;
• temperature change;
• arrhythmia;
• headache;
• increased blood pressure;
• breathing difficulties, shortness of breath.

Redness, swelling, pain, burning appear on the spot.

The situation is especially dangerous for young children, people with weakened immune systems, the elderly, and allergy sufferers. The venom of the Brazilian wandering spider can kill a child in 15 minutes, an adult in half an hour. Anxiety symptoms develop within 20 minutes after a predator attack. However, with the provision of qualified assistance, the condition is normalized. Call ambulance should be taken immediately if breathing difficulties occur.

Poison in high concentration leads to muscle failure, disruption of the heart, breathing becomes difficult. Death occurs as a result of suffocation. There is an effective antidote - Phoneutria. With its introduction, human life is not in danger.

Benefits of the Brazilian Wandering Spider

The animal is kept as a pet all over the world. Attracts unusual appearance, large sizes. In artificially created conditions, the runner lives up to 3 years, reproduces, feeds on insects.

The poison contains a powerful PhTx3 neurotoxin, which is used in medicine in strictly metered concentrations. The substance has a beneficial effect on male potency. Based on the poison, effective medicines are made.

One of the most dangerous spiders on our planet brazilian wandering spider, or as it was popularly called "banana" for the love of these fruits, and for the fact that it lives on banana palms. This type very aggressive for humans. The venom of the animal is extremely strong, because it contains PhTx3 neurotoxin in large doses.

In small quantities, this substance is used in medicine, but at a high concentration of this substance, it causes loss of muscle control and cardiac arrest. So it’s better not to meet this species, and when you see it, don’t touch it nearby and hurry to leave.

Origin of the species and description

Phoneutria fera or the Brazilian wandering spider belongs to the genus Ctenidae (runners). This species was discovered by the famous Bavarian naturalist Maximilian Perty. He devoted many years to the study of these spiders. The name of this species is taken from the ancient Greek φονεύτρια, this term means "killer". This type of spider got its name for its mortal danger.

Video: Brazilian wandering spider

Maximilan Perty combined several species of P. rufibarbis and P. fera into one genus. The first species is slightly different from the typical representatives of this genus, and is its dubious representative.

This genus includes several species:

• Phoneutria bahiensis Simó Brescovit, opened in 2001. Lives in and mainly in parks;
• Phoneutria eickstedtae Martins Bertani was discovered in 2007; the habitat of this species is also the warm forests of Brazil;
• Phoneutria nigriventer was discovered back in 1987 and lives in Brazil and North; Phoneutria reidyi lives in, in warm forests and parks;
• Phoneutria pertyi was discovered in the same year, lives in tropical forests Brazil;
• Phoneutria boliviensis habitat Central and South America;
• P.fera lives mainly in the Amazon, and in the forests of Peru;
• P.keyserling is found in southern Brazil.

Like all spiders, it belongs to the type of arthropod arachnids. Family: Ctenidae Genus: Phoneutria.

Appearance and features

The Brazilian wandering spider is a fairly large arthropod. In length, an adult reaches 16 centimeters. In this case, the body of an arthropod is about 7 centimeters. The distance from the beginning of the front legs to the end of the hind legs is about 17 cm. The color of this type of spider is slightly different, but in most cases it is a dark brown color. Although there are spiders of yellowish and red shades. The entire body of the spider is covered with small, dense hairs.

The body of the spider is divided into the cephalothorax and the abdomen, which is connected by a bridge. Has 8 strong and long legs, which are not only a means of transportation, but also act as tools of smell and touch. The legs often have black stripes and spots. The legs of a spider of this species are quite massive, somewhat similar to claws. There are as many as 8 eyes on the head of the spider, they provide the spider with a wide view.

Interesting fact: The banana spider, although it has so many eyes and can see in all directions, does not see very well. He reacts more to movement and objects, distinguishes the silhouettes of objects, but does not see them.

Also, when examining the spider, pronounced chewing can be noted; during an attack, they are especially visible. When attacked, the spider demonstrates lower part of his torso, on which bright spots are visible, to scare away enemies.

Where does the Brazilian wandering spider live?

The main habitat of this species is America. Moreover, most often these arthropods are found in the tropical forests of Central and South America. Representatives of this species can also be found in Brazil and northern Argentina, Venezuela, Peru and Havana.

Spiders are thermophilic, the jungle is also considered the main habitat of these arthropods. There they are placed on the crowns of trees. Spiders do not build their own escape and holes, they constantly move from one habitat to another in search of food.

In Brazil, spiders of this species live everywhere except, perhaps, only the northern part of the country. Both in Brazil and in America, spiders can crawl into houses, which terribly frightens the local population.

They like warm and humid tropical climate. Spiders of this species do not live due to the climate. However, they can be found accidentally brought from warm countries in boxes with tropical fruits, or spider lovers to breed them in a terrarium.

AT last years this dangerous animal is increasingly being kept at home as pets. At home, they can live all over the world, but it is not recommended to start them because of the extreme danger of this species. Also, spiders do not live well in captivity, so you need to think carefully before getting such a pet.

Now you know Where does the Brazilian wandering spider live?. Let's see what he eats.

What does the Brazilian wandering spider eat?

The diet of this type of spider includes:

• various small insects and their larvae;
• snails;
• crickets;
• small;
• caterpillars of small sizes;
• various fruits and fruits of trees.

Also, the spider is not averse to eating small birds and their cubs, small ones such as rats, hamsters. wandering spider dangerous predator. He lies in wait for his victim in a shelter, and does everything so that the victim cannot notice him. At the sight of the victim, the spider rises to its hind legs. Raises the forelimbs, and places the middle ones to the side. This is how the spider looks most intimidating. From this position, it attacks its prey.

Interesting fact: The wandering spider injects poison and its own saliva into its prey during the hunt. The action of the poison completely paralyzes the victim. The poison blocks the work of the muscles, stops breathing and the heart. The saliva of the spider turns the insides of the victim into a goo, which is then drunk by the spider.

For small animals and rodents, death occurs instantly. Snakes and larger animals suffer for about 10-15 minutes. It is no longer possible to escape the victim after a spider bite, death in this case is already inevitable. The banana spider comes out hunting at night, during the day it hides from the sun under the leaves on the trees, in crevices and under stones. Hiding in dark caves.

It can wrap its dead victim in a cocoon of cobwebs, leaving it for later. During the hunt, spiders can hide in the leaves of trees in order to be invisible to the victim.

Features of character and lifestyle

Brazilian wandering spiders are solitary. The nature of these spiders is relatively calm, they attack first only during the hunt. Spiders do not attack large animals and people if they feel safe. Phoneutria do not build houses, do not create shelters and shelters. Constantly moving from one place to another. They hunt at night and rest during the day.

Banana spiders are aggressive towards their relatives. Often there are cases of cannibalism. Smaller spiders are eaten by older individuals, the female is able to eat the male after mating with him. Like all predators, they can attack any opponent. Moreover, most often he can defeat even a large victim thanks to a deadly poison.

Spiders of this species are very aggressive. They jealously guard their territory, males can even fight for territory and a female with each other. In captivity, spiders of this species feel bad, experience severe stress, live less than their relatives who live in the wild.

Brazilian wandering spiders run fast, climb trees, and are constantly on the move. The main occupation of these spiders is to weave a web. And unlike ordinary spiders, this species uses the web not as a trap, but in order to wrap already caught prey in it, to lay eggs at the time of mating.

Also, the web is used to quickly move through the trees. This type of spider attacks people only for the purpose of self-defense. But the bite of a spider is deadly, so if you find a spider, do not touch it, and try to take it away from your home.

Social structure and reproduction

As mentioned earlier, Brazilian spiders live alone, and they meet with the female only for breeding. The male offers the female food, appeasing her with it. By the way, this is also necessary so that he is alive and the female does not eat him. If the female eats enough, she may not want to eat the male, and this will save his life.

When the fertilization process ends, the male quickly leaves so that the female does not eat him. Some time after fertilization, the female spider weaves a special cocoon of cobwebs, in which it lays eggs, sometimes eggs are also laid on bananas and leaves. But this is rare, more often the female, in caring for her offspring, hides her eggs in a web.

After about 20-25 days, spider cubs hatch from these eggs. After birth, they spread in different directions. Spiders of this species multiply very quickly, as in one litter, several hundred spiders are born. Adult spiders live for three years, and during their life they can bring quite a large offspring. Neither the mother nor the father takes any part in the upbringing of the offspring.

The cubs grow up on their own feeding on small larvae, worms and caterpillars. Spiderlings can hunt immediately after hatching from the egg. During their growth, spiderlings undergo several molts and exoskeleton loss. For a year, the spider molts from 6 to 10 times. Older individuals shed less. The composition of spider venom also changes during the growth of the arthropod. In small spiders, the poison is not so dangerous, over time its composition undergoes changes, and the poison becomes deadly.

Natural enemies of Brazilian wandering spiders

Spiders of this species have few natural enemies, but they still exist. It is called "Tarantula hawk" it is one of the largest wasps on our planet. This is a very dangerous and scary insect.

Female wasps of this species are able to sting the Brazilian spider, the poison completely paralyzes the arthropod. After that, the wasp drags the spider into its hole. The most amazing thing is that the wasp spider is needed not for food, but for caring for offspring. In the belly of a paralyzed spider, the female wasp lays an egg, after some time a cub hatches from it, and eats the belly of the spider. The spider dies a terrible death from being eaten from the inside.

Interesting fact: Some species of this genus use the so-called "dry bite" without venom being injected, and such a bite is relatively safe.

Birds and other animals in natural environment they are bypassed, knowing how dangerous these spiders are. Because of their venomous nature, Brazilian spiders have very few enemies. However, spiders of this kind do not attack on their own, before the fight they warn their enemy about the attack with their stance, and if the enemy retreats, the spider will not attack him if he feels safe, and decides that nothing threatens him.

Death from other animals, spiders get more often during a fight with large animals, or in the process of a fight with their relatives. Many males die during mating due to the fact that they are eaten by females.

People are just as dangerous to spiders, they are often hunted in order to get their poison. After all, poison in small quantities is used as a means to restore potency in men. In addition, people cut down forests inhabited by spiders, so the population of one of the species of this genus is under threat of extinction.

Population and species status

The Brazilian wandering spider is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as on planet earth. This type of spider is very dangerous for humans, in addition, sometimes spiders penetrate into people's homes. Insects can often get into the house in fruit boxes or just crawl hiding from the midday heat. When bitten, these spiders squirt dangerous substance PhTx3 neurotoxin. It blocks the muscles. Breathing slows down and stops, cardiac activity is blocked. A person is rapidly becoming ill.

After a bite, a dangerous poison very quickly penetrates into the blood, lymph nodes. The blood carries it throughout the body. The person begins to choke, dizziness and vomiting appear. Seizures. Death occurs within a few hours. The bites of Brazilian wandering spiders are especially dangerous for children and people with reduced immunity. When bitten by a Brazilian wandering spider, it is urgent to administer an antidote, however, it does not always help.

The population of this genus of spiders is not threatened. They reproduce quickly and survive changes well. external environment. As for other species of this genus, they quietly live and breed, flooding the forests and jungles of Brazil, America and Peru. Phoneutria fera and Phoneutria nigriventer are the two most dangerous species. Their venom is the most toxic. After their bites, excruciating conditions are observed in their victim due to the high content of serotonin. The bite provokes hallucinations, shortness of breath, delirium.

Interesting fact: The venom of this species of spider can kill a child in just 10 minutes. An adult, depending on the state of health, can last from 20 minutes to several hours. Symptoms appear instantly and develop rapidly. Death occurs quickly as a result of suffocation.

Therefore, visiting tropical countries, be extremely vigilant when you see this arthropod in any case, do not approach it and do not touch it with your hands. Brazilian spiders do not attack humans, but when they notice the danger and save, they can bite their lives. In America, many cases of human bites by Brazilian spiders are known, and unfortunately in 60% of cases the bites were fatal. AT modern medicine there is an effective antidote, but unfortunately, not always the doctor can be in time for the patient. Young children are especially susceptible to the bites of these arthropods, and they are the most dangerous for them. Often children cannot be saved after being bitten by a wandering spider.

Brazilian wandering spider dangerous but calm animal. Reproduces rapidly, lives about three years and in his life is able to give birth to several hundred cubs. When living in their natural habitat, they get their food by hunting. Young spiders are not very dangerous, but adults, thanks to the poison, are deadly to humans. The danger of poison depends on its quantity. In recent years, more and more people keep these dangerous spiders at home in terrariums, which endanger their loved ones. These spiders are dangerous, remember this and better avoid them.

Walking through the favelas (the so-called slums) of Rio de Janeiro at night is suicide! There are creatures with whom you will be very uncomfortable. Look at this creature - in front of you is an ominous Brazilian traveler spider and jokes are bad with him.

These spiders are very aggressive. In danger, spiders raise their paws, exposing their fangs - this warning should be taken seriously. It is known to be one of the most venomous spiders in the world. Its bite can be deadly, but its venom also has a strange effect on the human genital area.

If you are a man and if you are bitten by such a spider, you will suffer a very painful and lasting erection. Scientists are still debating what effect it has on women, but the male brain takes chemical substances in the venom of this spider for the substances that the brain produces, causing an erection.

Please note that this spider has been able to cause such an effect for millions of years, and people have only recently developed drugs that cause a similar reaction.

This spider has successfully changed its habitat from the jungle to the city and doesn't seem to be leaving Rio anytime soon.

Reference:

The Brazilian wandering spider (Phoneutria, banana spider, Brazilian traveler spider) made it into the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records for being responsible for the largest number of human deaths caused by spider bites. Importantly, these spiders are dangerous not only for their poison, but also for their behavior: they do not sit still and do not weave a web, they wander the earth, hide in buildings, clothes, boots, cars, anywhere; which significantly increases the risk of unexpectedly meeting them and being bitten.

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 looks like South America.

Let's begin with that brazilian spider soldier he never weaves networks and generally loves to constantly change his place of residence, which is why he is sometimes also called a wanderer.