Tarantula bites. Tarantula spider: description, photo, poisonous or not? The photo shows a rare blue tarantula

Tarantulas- exotic animals. Requires minimal care. Tarantula - big spider , covered with hairs. There are 900 of them on Earth different types. Habitat: tropical and temperate latitudes: Central and South America, Asia, southern Europe, Australia. IN Russian Federation lives in southern steppes.

Description and features of the tarantula

Phylum - arthropods, class - arachnids. The furry body consists of two parts: 1-head-chest, 2-stomach, which are connected by a tube - a stalk. The head and chest are covered with chitin; the abdomen, on the contrary, is soft and tender. 8 eyes located at the top, reminiscent of a periscope, help you see the area from all sides at once.

The tarantula's feet are equipped with claws for extra traction when climbing, just like a cat's. IN wildlife Tarantulas usually move along the ground, but sometimes they have to climb a tree or other object.

In case of a threat to life, the tarantula uses its hind legs to rip off hairs from its abdomen and throw them at the enemy (if this happens, irritation and itching are felt - an allergic reaction).

Of course, the tarantula itself suffers from such actions, since a bald spot will remain on its abdomen. In moments of danger, they make sounds reminiscent of the vibration of the teeth of a comb. They have excellent hearing. Recognize the sounds of human steps at a distance of up to 15 km.

Tarantulas are brown or black in color with red spots and stripes. In nature there are small, medium, large tarantulas. American spiders reach sizes of up to 10 cm. Ours are much smaller than their overseas relatives: females -4.5 cm, males -2.5 cm.

A tarantula bite is not fatal to humans, but is very painful.

Minks dig to a depth of up to half a meter near water bodies. The stones are removed. The interior of the dwelling, closer to the entrance, is woven with cobwebs, the threads stretch deeper, their vibration tells the tarantula about the events taking place above. During the cold season, the hole is deepened and the entrance is covered with foliage intertwined with cobwebs.

Reproduction and lifespan of a tarantula

In the warm season, adults are busy searching for a mate. In males, the instinct of self-preservation is dulled, so they can be seen even during the day. When it finds a female, it taps its legs on the ground, vibrates its abdomen and quickly moves its limbs, announcing its presence.

If she accepts advances, she repeats his movements. Everything else happens at lightning speed. After transferring the sperm, the male runs away so as not to be eaten by the female, since during this period she needs protein. Then the female falls asleep in her burrow until spring.

In the spring she will come to the surface to expose her abdomen sun rays, then lays eggs (300-400 pieces) in a woven web. Then he puts it into a cocoon and carries it on himself.

As soon as the babies show signs of life, the mother will gnaw through the cocoon and help the spiderlings come out. The babies will be placed on their mother's body in multiple layers until they become independent. Then the mother will resettle the young people, gradually throwing them off of her.

Tarantula nutrition

They actively hunt at night. Big spiders catch , ; small ones - insects. And they do it very carefully. Slowly crawls towards the victim, then quickly jumps and bites. Large prey pursues for a long time.

The photo shows a rare blue tarantula

In fact, they are docile and rarely bite. For such large predator, as a person, the poison will not be enough. The spider will most likely act wisely and will not attack a large, dangerous object.

Tarantulas are easily wounded creatures. They have a lot on their belly thin skin. Falling is deadly for him. Therefore, there is no need to pick up the spider. They produce silk for their web. Females need silk in the “interior” of the burrow to strengthen the walls; males need silk as a packaging material for storing eggs; traps near the burrow are also made from silk.

Tarantulas grow throughout their lives and change their exoskeleton several times. Using this fact, they can regenerate lost limbs. If he lost a leg, he will get it in the next molt, as if by magic.

She may not come out completely the right size. What matters here is age and the time of the previous molt. But it doesn't matter. The leg will grow with each molt, gradually acquiring desired length.

Types of tarantulas

Brazilian jet black – popular house spider . Impressive, jet black, with a blue tint depending on the lighting, its dimensions are 6-7 cm. It is calm, elegant - and one might say, obedient.

In the photo there is a coal-black tarantula spider

Originally from Southern Brazil. The climate there is humid, frequent rains. In warm weather (May-September) the temperature rises to 25 degrees, in cold weather it drops to 0 degrees. Due to their slow growth, they mature only at 7 years of age; they live a long time, about 20 years. Cold period spends in a hole, so the bottom of the terrarium is covered with a fairly thick layer of substrate (3-5 inches).

Suitable soil, peat, vermiculite. In nature tarantula lives in the forest floor near stones, hides in tree roots, hollow logs, abandoned rodent burrows, so shelters and depressions are needed in the substrate.

Small crickets are suitable food for young individuals, large ones for adults, other insects, small lizards, naked mice. For this, a shallow container of water (a saucer will do) should be placed in a terrarium (with a volume of 10 gallons, not necessarily tall). They can go hungry for several months.

Well known in Russia South Russian tarantula. Its color is different: brown, brown, red. Habitat: steppe and forest-steppe zone of the south, in last years And middle lane Russia.

In the photo is a South Russian tarantula

Apuleian - poisonous spider. In size, larger than ours. Distribution area: Europe.
-White-haired - the baby is cheaper, but because of its good appetite it grows faster than other brothers.
-Chilean pink - pet stores most often offer this. The most beautiful and expensive type of Mexican singed is prohibited for export from natural places a habitat.
-Golden is a friendly creature, so named because of the bright colors of its huge legs, the size of which grows to more than 20 cm. The new kind and is expensive.

Pictured is Chilean pink spider tarantula

The Costa Rican tabby is difficult to care for, does not bite, but has a bad habit of disappearing.
-Athonopelma copper, now you can buy it, but not in the store, but by order.

Online stores provide the opportunity to see tarantulas in the photo and check the prices.

There are about 1200 species. Almost this family is scattered throughout all countries of the world. There are even species that live in the Arctic.

The toxicity of tarantulas has been known for a long time, but its degree has been clearly exaggerated. Scientists suggest that many cases of severe poisoning, including deaths, occurred not from tarantula bites, but from the bite of the “black widow”, which lives in many southern regions Earth with tarantulas.

In Italy, the tarantula has long been considered extremely dangerous. The nervous disease “chorea,” which was widespread there several centuries ago, was associated with its bites. There were especially many cases of the disease in the vicinity of Taranto, which is why the spider received the name “tarantula”. Moreover, it was believed that the best way to remove poison from the body was through quick, rapid movements. Thus, in Italy the well-known tarantella dance arose: people, as they say, danced until they dropped and remained alive. This reinforced their belief in the need to move if bitten by a tarantula. In fact, a tarantula bite usually represents mortal danger only for small animals.

A geologist from one of the expeditions in the area says that the toxicity of tarantula venom is greatly exaggerated. Aral Sea, who himself, due to his own frivolity, was bitten by this spider. Tired of his athletic boots and left barefoot, he stepped on a spider, which immediately sank its jaws into his leg. The tarantula was immediately slammed down with a boot, and the victim, having read horror stories about tarantulas, decided to calmly wait for death. The pain began to slowly spread down his leg, and then he suddenly felt some improvement. I listened to my feelings: my leg hurt noticeably less.

After a few days, the pain completely disappeared, only some numbness remained in the leg, but it soon disappeared. The man could not understand anything. Having mentally experienced the inevitable onset of death, the geologist only in Moscow, having covered himself with literature, learned that the tarantula is indeed a deadly poisonous creature, but not for people. The idea of ​​a tarantula, which cost a man several difficult hours of saying goodbye to life, was formed as a result of reading the detective story “Tarantula Bite.” The author of the detective story, without familiarizing himself with the scientific literature, wrote a book that misled many readers about the poisonousness of this spider.

Tarantula venom is highly toxic to invertebrate animals, which the spider often feeds on. It can also kill small vertebrates. The toxin is protein in nature. It easily penetrates into the body of animals due to the substances it contains - histamine and hyaluronylase, which increase tissue permeability. Tarantula venom affects smooth muscles, causing them to contract convulsively.

In the body of vertebrates, there are striated muscles (these are the motor muscles of the arms and legs) and intercostal smooth muscles, which have a different structure. Intercostal smooth muscles line many organs, i.e. they are located where slow and smooth contraction is necessary.

Venoms of a tarantula of one of the species living in South America, have a strong effect on the tissue surrounding the bite site. Having a high local effect, poisons cause deep cell damage - necrosis in and around the bite site, and a person almost does not feel pain when bitten. Necrosis translated from Greek means “death.” Under the influence of toxic substances, tissue cells where the poison has penetrated are destroyed. The area of ​​necrosis has a whitish-grayish color. The tissues lose their structure and become a shapeless mass.

Tarantula is a genus of araneomorphic spiders belonging to the wolf spider family. They live mainly in arid areas such as steppes and deserts. During the day they hide in holes, and at night they go out hunting. Spiders scour the ground in search of insects. Tarantulas, unlike many other species, do not weave webs, but use the web only to strengthen their homes.

There are more than two hundred species of tarantulas in the world, inhabiting temperate and tropical climate. Some of them live in Russia.

Etymology of the name

This name comes from one of the varieties of spiders that live near the city of Taranto. According to local residents fifteenth century, spiders were the cause of the disease, called "Tarantism". According to legend, the bite of this spider infected an unusual disease that led to inevitable death, and the only possible way to heal there was a special, very energetic dance - the tarantella (known to this day). It was common to think that dance should draw all the strength out of the “patient” along with the disease.

Description of appearance

Tarantulas have a double, shaggy body and two pairs of four paws. It consists of two parts - the cephalothorax and abdomen. The spider's head has eight eyes that allow it to look around 360 degrees. Almost all subspecies are black or brown in color (there are bright exceptions).

American tarantulas are much larger than other species, they can reach ten centimeters, with a paw span of up to thirty centimeters. Tarantulas, which lived much shorter in Europe, rarely reach five centimeters. Males are smaller than females.

Many tarantulas are confused with other large spiders, for example, tarantulas (most people consider them to be tarantulas). This opinion is fundamentally incorrect, since the tarantula belongs to mygalomorphic spiders. Over time, the error became entrenched in society and culture.

The appearance of these beauties can be appreciated in the photo.

Lifestyle

The spider spends most of its time in a hole dug by its own efforts. Tarantula burrows can reach 25 centimeters deep. Inside each burrow, a wall of leaves and cobwebs is cultivated. To protect against rain or before the onset of winter, the spider goes deeper and closes its “hut” with web and earth.

The tarantula is a predator, and therefore is often in search of prey. Spiders hunt mainly at night, sometimes during the day, waiting for prey near their home. Almost all careless insects fall under the insidious mites of tarantulas, among them: caterpillars, mole crickets, crickets, beetles and others.

Tarantulas prefer to be located as close to “home” as possible; they painstakingly protect their territory, protecting yourself from strangers. In cases where the spider needs to move away from the hole, it ties itself to it with a web to make it easier to find its way home. The only option to force the creature to leave its home territory is mating season, at this moment the spiders forget about everything and lose their heads. As a result, they are able to go a long way in search of a suitable female.

Reproduction

If the male managed to find a worthy candidate, he decides to hit on her. After a short courtship, the spiders enter into a relationship. Unfortunately, this relationship is not destined to end long and happy life. At the moment of mating, the male must be as careful and tense as possible, because after this process is completed the female will try to bite her “suitor” and give them dinner. The fate of the male depends on how quickly he reacts (many manage to escape). The female, having already been fertilized, continues to live alone.

Tarantula

Eggs spider lays in her hole. At an early stage, they are stored in a cocoon, which she drags along with her throughout the entire “gestation” period. Even after birth, baby tarantulas live on their mother’s back until they become more independent (they learn to hunt and crawl).

Known species

Poisonous or not?

One of the most important questions related to tarantulas is whether they are poisonous or not, are they dangerous to humans? Despite the mass of legends, a lot of misinformed people and confusion with other species of spiders, the tarantula is believed to be dangerous. Yes, the spider is poisonous, and its poison can kill, but only animals. A tarantula cannot harm a person, and its bite will be similar to the sting of a bee or hornet. Moreover, the tarantula will not look for you and attack, despite the fact that it is a predator. You can provoke him to attack only by invading his territory or destroying his house (banal self-defense).

It is important to understand that you should not deliberately invite a spider to attack, which is unknown to you. At certain times of the year, for example, in spring, at this time the venom of spiders gains strength (it is more toxic) and some individuals with their bite can lead to unpleasant consequences. An infected person may experience nausea, dizziness, and the like (not fatal, but creepy and unpleasant).

The degree of danger varies depending on the time of year:

• Spring - at this time spiders wake up and have a rather weak poison;
• Summer - they are completely awake, the poison intensifies several times;
• Autumn - the strength of the poison declines again due to the approaching hibernation.

Tarantula as a pet

Tarantula is a wonderful pet. The spider does not ask for a lot of food, is quite unpretentious to living conditions, is relatively safe (poisonous, but calm and flexible) and interesting. They are also very beautiful, for example, the black Brazilian version. In general, these creatures are very popular, many people buy American spiders, and some get by with South Russian ones.

Choosing a spider preference should be given to a female, since they can live much longer.

Numerous sources indicate aggressive behavior tarantulas, but this behavior is not the norm for them. In most cases, a large tarantula spider will never attack anything larger than itself first. Most often they bite in self-defense. And as many victims and scientists testify, a tarantula bite is similar to a wasp sting. The amount of toxins they produce may not significantly affect human health. Except for people with severe allergic reactions and children.

Thus, answering the question of how harmful a tarantula bite is for a person, we can safely say that the life of an adult is not threatened by the bite of this spider.

If a tarantula has bitten a child or a person with a pronounced allergic reaction, first aid for a tarantula bite should be provided immediately. In this case, you should immediately call an ambulance or take the victim to a medical facility.

As summer approaches, they mature, become more active and aggressive, and the toxicity of their poison increases. By the beginning of June, it is noted that toxicity increases 3 times. The maximum toxicity of spider venom, and therefore the danger of a tarantula bite, occurs during mating and migration and continues throughout the summer. And only with the arrival of autumn the toxicity of the poison begins to decrease.

Why is a tarantula bite dangerous?

A tarantula bite can cause:

• redness and swelling at the site of the bite;
• local pain;
• general malaise;
• some drowsiness;
• rise in temperature;
• severe dizziness and even nausea.

What to do if you are bitten by a tarantula

The site of a tarantula bite should not be burned, scratched or cut, as this can cause infection. First of all, the bite site should be washed with regular soap, or better yet, with antibacterial soap and treated with an antiseptic. You can apply cold to reduce the pain. Helps remove toxins a large number of water, and antihistamines will relieve the allergic reaction. With a sharp deterioration general condition or if small children are bitten, it is better to immediately call an ambulance.

Which tarantula bite is most dangerous?

More than 200 species of tarantulas are known to science, and the Apulian tarantula is considered the most poisonous among them; it reaches 70 cm and lives in warm countries, such as Italy and Spain and others.

The most aggressive and fastest is the South Russian tarantula. It is common in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. In case of danger, it can jump up to 20 cm. Representatives of this species are not recommended for beginners and those who do not know their habits well.

The best pet tarantula is the Brazilian one. jet black tarantula. He lives for at least 20 years and has a quiet, calm character. With its presence it can easily decorate any zoo, home interior or living corner.

Since all types of tarantulas are very toxic, it is not recommended to work with them without protective gloves.

And if you want to learn more about the tarantula spider, be sure to read. And we described in detail about keeping a tarantula at home.

Going to places where you constantly warm climate, you need to be very careful. Representatives of such flora and fauna can be dangerous to humans, including the tarantula. This is an arachnid representative that has a rather terrifying appearance.

There are often cases when spiders protect their own offspring and attack people, biting them. Therefore, you need to know what to do if you are bitten by this arachnid creature.

Tarantulas live in warm regions. The alpine species has the maximum amount of poisons, which is common in Italy. A female specimen can reach 8 cm in length.

The South Russian tarantula is distributed in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Its size is approximately 1.5-3 cm. This type not so poisonous, but meeting him can also be very unpleasant.

Tarantulas belong to the group of wolf spiders. They do not spin webs to capture their prey. Their hunting resembles the hunting of many predators.

Tarantulas initially look out for their prey, after which they rush at it and inject poison into the body of the caught victim. Food of these arthropods - animals small size and insects.

The breeding season is in May-June. During this period, tarantula venom is the most dangerous. A pregnant female makes a web in her own hole, and then lays eggs in it. The cocoon, along with all the eggs, is attached to the tarantula’s belly. After the appearance of small spiders, they still remain on the mother’s body until they learn to feed themselves.

These arthropods bite very painfully, but their bite is not particularly dangerous to human life.

Females can attack people in order to protect their own brood. In my own way appearance The tarantula is a bit similar to the tarantula spider, but the second one is much larger in size.

Especially dangerous bite tarantula is for children, for the elderly, as well as for people who are prone to developing allergic reactions.

After a bite, a person exhibits the following symptoms:

• In the area where the tarantula bit, 2 small punctures are visible to the naked eye;
• The bite site becomes red, there is swelling of the skin;
• Severe burning and itching appears at the site of the lesion;
• The pain from a spider bite can be compared to hornet or wasp stings;
• A person’s body temperature may rise, but it returns to normal very quickly.

You need to know that the bite of this arthropod poses a danger to humans if an allergy occurs.

In this case, the symptoms are more pronounced and various complications may be present:

• Bubbles appear;
• The bite site swells greatly;
• You feel severe pain that does not decrease or go away even after some time;
• A person may experience a strong increase in body temperature that does not go away over time;
• Severe headaches are present;
• Nausea develops and the person may vomit;
• A bitten person becomes weak and dizzy;
• The heart rate increases, and blood pressure decreases;
• Respiratory function becomes difficult;
• There is a feeling of numbness initially in the legs and arms, and then throughout the body;
• The person may lose consciousness.

Important! If you have any allergic reaction, you need to act as quickly as possible! The injured person should be taken very quickly to a hospital, where he can receive qualified assistance.

After a tarantula bite, you should never leave things to chance. A person who has been bitten of a given insect, you need to urgently provide first aid.

The affected area should be washed with soapy water at room temperature, and then treated with any antiseptic. It could be , .

To reduce pain, apply a cool compress to the affected area. This could be ice or just a bottle (hot water bottle) with cold water.

When the painful sensations decrease, you need to lubricate the affected area of ​​​​the epidermis with an ointment that contains an antibiotic, or an ointment that eliminates inflammation. If you have an antihistamine medication on hand, you should definitely give it to the bitten person.

The limb where the bite occurred can be raised slightly upward so that the swelling does not accumulate in one place. It is strictly forbidden to scratch the place where the bite was, because this can cause infection.

To reduce the itching that occurs, you need to apply a special gel against insect bites to the affected area. It will cool the skin. The patient must be carefully monitored, and as soon as serious allergic manifestations appear, immediately see a doctor.

Attention! The area bitten by the tarantula should not be burned with anything hot. Also, the bitten area should not be cut. Thus, the toxic substance cannot be removed, but an infection can be caused.

Prevention of bites

To avoid such a nuisance as a tarantula bite, it is important to adhere to some rules:

• If you need to stay overnight in an open area, then avoid options where there is a large accumulation of stones and dry branches. Tarantulas may also be found in fallen trees.
• If you are in an area where tarantulas live, be sure to wear closed shoes.
• Be sure to close your tent tightly for the night.
• Before you go to bed, check for spiders in your tent.
• Before you put on your shoes or get dressed, carefully review and shake out your things.
• Be sure to explain to children that catching and playing with a spider they see is prohibited, as it is dangerous. If you tease a spider, it may jump up and deliver a bite.
• If you cannot avoid the bite, you should try to crush the tarantula and smear the affected area with its blood. There is an antidote in their blood.