Brazilian banana spider

For some reason, a man has hammered into his head that he is the king of the whole world. That on this planet there is no being stronger and more dangerous than him. But, alas, the reality is that there are creatures capable of seriously shaking his faith in himself. For example, the Brazilian wandering spider Phoneutria, or banana spider.

Meeting with such a formidable opponent often ends up not in the person's favor. And although over the past decade, thanks to medicine, the number of deaths from its poison has been minimized, yet at the moment the banana spider is the most dangerous representative of the detachment of arthropods.

Habitat

This gloomy inhabitant of the jungle prefers a warm tropical climate. Therefore, its natural habitat is the forests of Brazil and Amazonia. Here the banana spider feels like a king, and therefore freely travels from one place to another.

Also representatives of the species can be found in Argentina. A small number of these spiders were seen in Uruguay. Such migration is due to the fact that in recent years the climate has changed a lot - it allowed wandering spiders to expand their habitat.

Distinctive features of the spider

A banana spider, or a Brazilian wandering spider, is different in size. Thus, the length of his body can reach 5 cm, although there have been occasions when the specimens were much larger. But more importantly, his paws reach a length of 15-17 cm. Because of this, he can develop a huge speed for his size.

Most often these spiders have a light brown color, but sometimes it can change to a darker or even scarlet color. In general, the color of this spider depends on its environment, thereby allowing it to perfectly mask itself even in the open space. The whole body of the creature is covered with a small bristle, and on the underside of the legs, several dark bands can be seen.

Another feature is the menacing stance that the Brazilian banana spider takes when it meets an enemy. He stands on his hind legs, ready to pounce at the first opportunity, while his other limbs are raised.

Features of behavior

Banana spider, unlike its relatives, practically does not weave networks of webs. He, like a wild beast, hunts, and his main trump card is speed and reaction. He can easily attack the victim, who runs around the ambush.

Basically, these spiders catch insects, as they are much easier to catch. But small rodents and lizards can also become his food. In this case, the hero of our narration is not at all embarrassed by the fact that the victim can surpass him both in size and in physical strength.

For example, there is evidence that a representative of the genus Phoneutria overcame an adult rat. And all because the banana spider uses a strong poison, capable in a few seconds to paralyze the victim. After that, the predator has only to drag the prey in a convenient place for him, so that no one interfered with his meal.

Eternal wanderer

These spiders never stay in one place for long. Day after day, they cross huge territories in search of new victims. That is why a banana spider is also called wandering or wandering.

The main problem is that in his travels he often wandered to the settlements. And if at night he hunts in the street, then this spider spends his days in shelters, thereby avoiding the great heat.

Quite often a banana spider chooses ordinary people as its home, climbing into secluded corners and poverty. There are times when they were found in shoes and even in bed.

Why is a spider called banana?

Many people are wondering why this spider is called banana. The thing is that this predator likes to arrange ambushes among the bananas' knitting. After all, these fruits lure insects, thereby making life easier for the spider.

The trouble is that people often fall into the same trap. Carelessly taking a branch of bananas, a person runs the risk of immediately receiving a dose of poison in his hand. It also happens that the Brazilian spider, hiding in a box of fruit, can overcome hundreds of kilometers. Therefore, it should not be surprising that sometimes these individuals are found far beyond Brazil and Argentina.

Frequent attacks on people

Unlike their congeners, the banana spider is absolutely not afraid of people. Moreover, he can attack them at the earliest opportunity. This makes it very dangerous, especially for children and the elderly.

The Brazilian authorities understand all the threat that a banana spider carries in itself. Photos of these creatures are regularly shown to children, so that they know their enemy in person. Also they are given special briefings, which tell how to avoid an attack, and what to do if the spider still bites.

And yet people still continue to be terrorized by banana spiders. The reason for this - the high population density in the cities of Brazil, especially in the slum.

What danger is the poison of a banana spider?

Many believe that this spider has the deadliest poison. The reason is that the neurotoxins contained in it cause muscle paralysis. Because of this, breathing is difficult, there is a risk of cardiac arrest.

And although the banana spider during the bite introduces no more than 30% of its poison into the enemy's body, yet even this amount can lead to death. Especially in cases where children or people suffering from cardiovascular diseases become victims.

Fortunately if the victim is on time to turn to the clinic - then a lethal outcome can be avoided. In addition, practically in all medical points of the countries listed above there is a vaccine capable of neutralizing the poison of a wandering spider.

Special side effect

If we talk about the bite of this spider, then one can not ignore one very remarkable fact. Thus, in men affected by the attack of the predator, there is a strong erection. According to doctors, this action can last for several hours, which further complicates the situation in which the poor guy turned out to be.

Some scientists want to use this property of the banana spider's venom to create a new cure for impotence. True, while this is only preliminary research, and all tests were conducted only on experimental mice. And yet, scientists are still optimistic and believe that over time the poison of this spider will not only bring harm, but also benefit.