Top 5 Most Venomous Spiders In The World

It does not matter whether you are hiking in the forest or even relaxing at your home, you are probably closer to these crawly critters that are lurking around you. For your information, there are over 40,000 species of spiders all over the world.

This makes it very difficult to identify which ones are venomous or not. Similar to snakes, spiders are also one of the feared creatures due to their deadly venom leaving a painful bite and perhaps even death.

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Here we would like to share with you the top 5 most venomous spiders in the world that you definitely avoid.

5. Six-Eyed Sand

Six-Eyed Sand is a medium-sized spider measuring between 2.5 - 5 cm in body length and 10cm in leg length. It is commonly found in sand areas such as South Africa and South America.

It is a spider coming from a similar family to the Recluse spider that is found all over the world. Due to its flat position on land, it is also known as the Six-Eyed Crab Spider. This spider rarely bites anyone but through an experiment conducted, it is capable of killing a rabbit within 5 - 12 hours.

Until today, there have still not been any confirmed cases of its bite and only 2 victims were suspected of being bitten by this spider. In one of the cases, the victim was forced to have his arm amputated due to serious necrosis.

In the other case, the victim died due to excessive bleeding that looked like a rattlesnake bite. A toxicology study showed that the venom from this spider is so potent that it can cause necrotic effects, ruptured blood vessels, and tissue damage.

4. Brown Recluse

The Brown Recluse spider or sometimes known as the violin spider due to its head having the shape of a violin. This spider moves at a very slow pace and always wanders around shaded areas.

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So this means that it likes to stay in your shoes, clothes, and even under the bed. This may lead to accidents happening as the spider thought you are their enemies. Most encounters occurred when the owner is moving boxes or tidying up the cupboard and under the bed.

The Brown Recluse bite is very deadly and has caused death by loss of tissues and infection that follows up after. But reports showed that death only happens to children age less than 7 years old.

3. Brown Widow Spider

Similar to its siblings the Black Widow, Red Back Spider, and Katipo, the Brown Widow has a potent neurotoxin that is able to cause symptoms like Latrodectism. Like most other spiders, Widow has poor eyesight and difficulty moving about when not in their nest.

Brown Widow has long thin legs with a round-shaped belly. There are a few red spots on its stomach whether it is underneath or on top. The males are much smaller than females and have various spot patterns on their stomachs.

They are also less dangerous than females but will attack if threatened. A bite from a Brown Widow rarely causes death but can be quite painful with temporary paralysis. The damage can be permanent, especially to your nervous system, and requires hospitalization for a while.

2. Black Widow

This is one of the most well-known spiders in the world and it can be distinguished by the color and "hourglass" pattern on its stomach. Several species from this spider's family can be found in temperate climates all over the world.

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Before the discovery of the antivenom for this spider, around 5% of its cases led to death. This spider loved to make old and abandoned houses as its place to stay. Between 1950 and 1959, 63 deaths were reported in the US due to the Black Widow spider which mostly occurred inside or around wooden houses.

Thanks to the modern piping and heating system around our house, a Black Widow bite is rarely seen to happen. This spider is not aggressive and will only bite to defend itself. It is one of the most feared spiders as its venom is 15 times more potent than a rattlesnake.

A Black Widow's bite can cause muscle pain, nausea, and diaphragm paralysis that leads to difficulty in breathing. But it is merely a myth that some people believed that the victim will experience serious issues let alone death.

Despite its low death rate, its bite can be deadly to children or the elderly.

1. Brazilian Wandering

Brazilian Wandering is a brown chocolate spider with a relatively large body size like the North American Wolf spider. But it has the most potent venoms in the world. It has the most active neurologic toxin among other spiders and is considered the deadliest spider in the world.

This spider is an active hunter and always wanders around for its victim as its name. You can mostly find Brazilian Wandering in fruits or flowers that you commonly eat. If it was threatened, it will not hesitate to attack but its bite is usually dry without any venom.

A venomous bite will only occur if the spider was pressed onto something or injured. In such cases, the high level of serotonin that contains the toxin will cause excruciating pain that is capable of causing muscle shock.

If an antivenom was not given, the likelihood of the victim dying is high. On top of that, there were also cases where the victims died despite being treated with antivenom. Children are more prone to its bite as it will attract them by jumping and moving their legs.

With a weaker immune system, the children's chances of survival are slim, and can die in just mere minutes after being bitten.

Source:

• IFl Science

• Unansea

Also read: Top 7 Most Venomous Scorpions In The World