Deadliest Spider

At only five inches across, the Brazilian Wandering spider is pretty small, but do not be fooled by the size. There are researchers who believe the breed to be the deadliest arachnid on earth, highly aggressive and extremely territorial into the bargain.  Because it has often been discovered hiding within boxes of the fruit, it is also known as the Banana spider and is an arachnid to avoid contact with.

Actually the generic name for eight species of genus Phoneutria  spiders – this name Greek for murderess – the Brazilian wandering Spiders wander rapidly scurries all over their territories at night, on the hunt for prey, but this genre neither ambush prey or spin webs as other spider species do, so damp forests containing giant webs exist only in the movie world.

Of the eight varieties in this sub-group, two species cause the vast majority of bites, found mainly in the more densely populated areas of the Amazon basin, especially Brazil. The people affected mostly get bitten because the spiders hide anywhere convenient during daylight hours – because they are nocturnal – be it on the forest floor or inside the homes of native peoples.

It seems though, research has revealed, that almost one-third of the bites were not venomous at all, another third only slightly so, so unlike the Australian Funnel Web spider – a relative species that dispenses poison in every single bite – the Brazilian bite only leads to full-blown poisoning sometimes, though it is all dependent upon the size of the victim and if they have existing health issues.

In 2007, in spite of the above facts, the Brazilian wandering spider was quoted in the Guinness Book of Records as the most venomous spider on earth – responsible for more human fatalities than any other, because their poison is such a toxic substance that a mere 10% of a single gram is enough to kill a human being.

These brown, furry, menacing arachnids – in appearance akin to the Wolf Spider of the USA -has large fangs, meaning that bites are extra painful, because large amounts of serotonin within the venom cause irritation, and the other side-effect is that, like the drug Viagra, the venom encourages erections in men, so they die with a hard-on, if nothing else. However you look at it, these are officially the scariest spider on earth, so keep your eyes open.