Many people are afraid of spiders. But fear of them is not always just a phobia. Despite the fact that the northern Russian climate does not create ideal conditions for the life of insects and arachnids, the southern territories have everything necessary for their life and development.
There are spiders throughout the country that should be avoided and feared, as they can cause significant harm to human health. And even more than that, certain species can threaten life. It is worth considering the 5 most dangerous arachnids in order to remember them once and for all.
Fifth place - phalanx
Spider - phalanx
A spider called phalanx is also called salpuga. It does not have its own poison, but this does not make it safe. This creature willingly attacks people, and its bite is dangerous because there are a lot of microorganisms on its mandibles. If there is a bite that feels quite painful, it is necessary to squeeze the blood out of the wound in order to wash it in this way and reduce the risk of infection. This spider is active at night; the chances of getting bitten during the day are negligible. Lives in the southern regions of the country.
Argiope or orb weaving spider
What do poisonous spiders of this genus look like? The spider reaches 3 cm, the female is larger and has a bright color. The cephalothorax is protected by dense hairs, and the abdomen is striped. The legs are long, with yellow rings. The appearance resembles the color of a wasp. Males are not bright: dark in color. Angiopes live in colonies, which is quite a rare occurrence.
They settle where there is a lot of vegetation, stretching nets between branches. The nets are interesting because of their unusual patterns. And the predator is in the center, waiting for prey. Their food is insects. They kill their victims with poison, wrap them in webs and eat them quite quickly.
They reproduce until they molt, after which the female eats the male to replenish protein reserves for reproduction. She makes several cocoons in which she lays eggs, and then dies. The offspring spend the winter in cocoons, and in the spring they begin independent life.
An angiopa's bite is not fatal. The female will only bite if disturbed. The bite is painful, the skin around the wound quickly turns red and swells, and goes numb. The tumor will disappear in 2-3 days. The bite is dangerous if you are allergic to insect bites. Previously, representatives of this species lived only in the south of Russia, but now they can be seen in the northern regions.
Advice: If you are bitten by a spider, try not to panic, remember the simplest first aid measures if you are in the forest: treat the wound, apply something cold or simply raise your hand up to drain the blood, drink water or any other liquid.
Fourth place - bag spider
Bag spider
The bag spider, or bagworm, is also a southern resident who chose the Rostov and Volgograd steppes as its habitat. Its bite causes very severe pain, which does not go away for a day or more, but the attack of this creature does not create serious harm to health.
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Heiracanthium or golden spider
The poisonous spider for humans is Cheiracanthium. The yellowish, pale spider is small in size - 5-10 mm. The abdomen is oval in shape. Males have elongated chelicerae (jaws) and long forelimbs. The web is formed by the anterior and posterior warts.
Lives in bushes and plant thickets, but can also live among stones. The golden spider hunts at night. As soon as the insect touches the hunter's paw, he immediately attacks. Its food is small insects.
Reproduction occurs without preliminary courtship. Spiders mate after molting. The fertilized female makes a closed shelter from plants rolled up inside. Stays nearby all the time, trying not to leave the cocoon without special reasons. Sometimes the hatched offspring devours the parent.
Heiracanthium is very poisonous. Spiders have poisonous channels in the chelicerae, with the help of which they inject poison. When bitten, the following signs are observed: • severe, burning pain that goes away over time; • swelling and redness of the bite site; • blisters appear at the site of the bite; • nausea and vomiting; • fever and headache. Quickly after a bite, it is important to take an analgesic, wash the wound, and apply a cold compress. You should definitely go to the hospital because the condition may worsen.
Advice : Do not touch an unknown spider with your hands, try to kill it directly on the body (it is better to shake it off carefully), it is better to use gloves when working outside.
Second place - Mizgir
Mizgir spider
Mizgir is a southern Russian tarantula, which is distinguished by its large size and love for a nocturnal lifestyle. Its bite is not capable of killing a person, but it still injects poison. The pain will continue for a long time after the bite, and in addition, severe swelling may appear. An allergic reaction often occurs to injected substances, which also hides danger. But more serious side effects are rare.
Hornets
Hornets are considered the largest wasps in Europe. The working individual of the common hornet reaches a length of 20-25 mm, and the uterus reaches up to 35 mm. Again, only female hornets are dangerous to humans; males do not even have a sting.
Hornet venom has a strong allergenic effect. It contains histamine and some toxins that promote the additional release of this substance from the cells of the affected tissue. Histamine accelerates allergic reactions, so even for people who are insensitive to the components of the poison, a hornet bite will be painful. Hornet venom contains a large amount of acetylcholine, which causes severe irritation of nerve endings and acute pain at the site of the bite.
The reaction to a hornet attack varies greatly from person to person. For some, the allergy manifests itself only as swelling, while for others the temperature may rise, headache and heart rate increase. In rare cases, anaphylactic shock and even death can occur.
Unlike a bee, a hornet can use its sting many times; after one bite, it retains a sufficient amount of poison, the supply of which is gradually replenished.
The most dangerous spider in Russia
Karakurt
And in first place, with a large gap from all other contenders, is karakurt. If you translate this word from the Turkic language, you get a black insect. But this is not a worm at all, and in addition to its black color, it has red spots. The coloring of karakurts is remarkable; it immediately attracts attention and should cause concern. Red spots on the black back are visible from afar. In fact, only the females of this species are poisonous, and the males do not pose a serious danger. And females are also easy to distinguish - they have a red pattern on their abdomen that resembles an hourglass . Read more about this pack in our article: Karakurt spider.
This spider differs from all others in that it has a truly dangerous poison that can bring not only discomfort, but also death. While less poisonous spiders only bring pain and discomfort with their bite, this one is capable of killing a horse with its venom. After a bite, severe pain is felt throughout the body, and in order to save the person, it is necessary to urgently take him to the hospital and provide a special serum. Only after this will the patient have a chance of survival, although the unpleasant consequences and symptoms will continue for some time. The habitat of the karakurt is the south, these spiders live in the Crimea and nearby regions, they live mainly in the steppes.
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There are other spiders in Russia, encountering which does not bode well, but they all only cause pain and discomfort. However, an allergic reaction can also occur to bites, and therefore, if this happens, it is necessary to carefully treat the bitten person and immediately take him to the hospital if the condition begins to worsen.
Anaphylactic shock when exposed to insects and spiders is not uncommon. However, most of the spiders to be wary of are southern creatures, and for the time being this was pleasing. But in recent years, the situation has changed dramatically, and scientists have recorded that the range of spiders, including dangerous ones, is extending further and further to the north. This is associated with climate warming.
Despite the fact that the same phalanx is sometimes encountered in the Moscow region, there is no need to panic. Many scientists believe that this is a temporary phenomenon, and in the future the situation will stabilize, worsening only in particularly hot seasons.
But be that as it may, it’s worth knowing dangerous spiders by sight in order to protect yourself and to protect your loved ones, especially children. After all, a large spider always attracts attention, and increased interest in its person may well provoke an attack. Even though most spiders are nocturnal, you should take the risk of encountering them seriously.
Photos and descriptions of the most prominent representatives
Spiders in Voronezh live in places where there is vegetation and food. You can meet them in nature - forest, river, field, meadow, park, garden, as well as in your own home. House spiders live in the corners of rooms, behind furniture. They are active at night, eating flies, moths, and mosquitoes. They are safe for humans, the main inconvenience is that spiders spin cobwebs almost every night. The most striking representatives of the fauna are found in the wild.
Crosses
Spiders are medium-sized and belong to the orb weavers. At night they weave a large openwork web, during the day they sit in the center of their creation, waiting for the victim. The colors can be different - beige, gray, black, brown, white tones.
Cross spiders
Crosses are classified as poisonous creatures, but their bites do not cause significant harm to humans. Edema, swelling, redness, and pain appear. The skin recovers in 7-14 days. However, individual intolerance to poison occurs. People prone to allergies experience dizziness, weakness, headache, abdominal discomfort, arrhythmia, etc. In this case, medical attention is required.
Spider wasp or Argiope bruennicha
Belongs to the orb weaver family. It has an unusual appearance and bright color. Outwardly it resembles a wasp. The body is elongated, painted with black and yellow stripes. The legs are long and equally striped. Thanks to this camouflage, the paca wasp has practically no natural enemies. Females reach sizes of 15 mm, males are half that size.
They are nocturnal and actively weave fishing nets. They eat insects, their larvae, and small relatives. Argiope brunnich prefers sunny meadows, weaves openwork nets, which then shine under the rays of the sun and attract victims. The hostess herself sits in the center of the web in the “X” position, with her limbs spread apart in pairs.
Wasp spider and sack spider
Sak
Residents of the region raised the alarm because of one incident that occurred in the Talovsky district. A seven-year-old boy was bitten by an unusual spider. The child's hand was swollen and his health worsened. Spent 7 days in the hospital. Information spread throughout the region that poisonous spiders in the Voronezh region began to attack people. The answer was provided by experts, assuring that there is no reason to panic.
The sak spider became a poisonous creature. Other names: yellow, heyracantium. A predator with a bright color and unusual appearance more closely resembles a scorpion. The legs and abdomen are amber-yellow, the cephalothorax is red. The chelicerae are bent into the shape of fangs or claws. Before rushing to attack, it takes a fighting position - it rises on its hind limbs. Females reach sizes of 1 cm, males are slightly smaller. Together with the leg span it reaches 2.5 cm.
In Europe it is one of the most poisonous. Lives among dense vegetation in dry areas, under stones, in bushes. Spider venom is not fatal to humans, but causes an allergic reaction of varying degrees of intensity. The bite is more difficult for children, people prone to allergies, and people with weak immune systems. The reaction depends on the individual characteristics of the organism.
Possible consequences of a bite:
- burning pain;
- edema;
- redness;
- swelling;
- tumor;
- increased body temperature;
- diarrhea;
- nausea;
- vomit;
- headache;
- dizziness.
In some cases, blood pressure increases, heart rate increases, and breathing becomes difficult. Medical attention required. Bites on the body disappear within a few weeks.
Cross
About 30 species of crossed spiders have taken root in Russia. They entered forests, gardens and parks, some of them taking refuge in abandoned buildings. These 4-centimeter spiders are hardworking by nature: every two days they disassemble their old web and create a new one in its place. They are not dangerous to humans, but in rare cases their bite can cause a burning sensation in the wound area and short-term discomfort.
Do Argiopes bite?
There is a category of people who definitely need to stick their hand somewhere: into an anthill, into a bee hive or a wasp’s nest. Such inquisitive characters do not ask questions about whether certain representatives of the fauna bite; they can experience everything first-hand.
For the rest, we inform you that if you put your hand into a web, intentionally or accidentally, the spider will immediately react and bite. The sting of argiope is quite painful and comparable to that of a bee or aspen. The fact is that the wasp spider has quite strong jaws, and it is able to bury them quite deeply under the skin. In addition, do not forget about its poison.
Many people ask whether Argiope Brunnich is poisonous or not? Of course it is poisonous, because with its poison it kills its victims. Another thing is that in most cases this poison is practically not dangerous for humans.
The consequences of careless spider testing on reaction speed can be different. Most adults experience slight swelling of the skin around the bitten area, which disappears after an hour or two and does not even itch
In some cases, redness and swelling may subside only after a day, and the bite site itself may be very itchy.
It’s another matter if a spider bites a child or a person with an increased allergic reaction to the spider’s venom or the fact of the bite itself. In this case, there may be more pronounced dangerous symptoms:
- severe swelling of the bite site;
- increase in body temperature to 40-41 degrees;
- nausea;
- dizziness.
In this case, naturally, you need to immediately interrupt your walk and immediately contact the nearest medical facility or ambulance substation, where the person will be provided with competent emergency medical care.
We present a video of how the Argiope spider sucks out its prey. The stablimentum is clearly visible in the center of the web:
23.08.2016
We decided to get up at five in the morning to climb the dune and return before it got hot. Walking on sand is not easy: your feet constantly fall through and slide down. But our efforts are rewarded with stunning views from above. The entire sand is lined with animal tracks that can be read like a map: a darkling beetle crawled, and a jerboa jumped.
We find the mink of the long-eared roundhead - the same one that I dreamed of seeing. We dig it up: already 15 centimeters from the surface the sand is wet and cool, and here is the owner of the hole! She opens her mouth with displeasure, showing off her “ears,” but as soon as she realizes that she won’t be able to escape, she begins to vibrate and within a couple of seconds she buries herself back into the sand.
At the very end of the route we came across a fox hole - from there two surprised and frightened eyes looked at us. We moved away from the entrance, and the fox instantly ran away. Nice meeting.
Long-eared roundheads (Phrynocephalus mystaceus) are very large roundheads, reaching 12 cm in length. The main feature of these lizards are their “ears” - folds of skin at the corners of the mouth. The skin here is permeated with blood vessels, and when the roundhead tries to scare a predator, its vessels fill with blood and the “ears” acquire a frightening purple-red color. Long-eared roundheads are typical inhabitants of sand dunes, where they dig shallow, straight burrows in which they hide from the heat. Photo: Ilya Gomyranov/Schrodinger's Cat
19.08.2016
The desire to visit this place arose in me exactly ten years ago, when as a schoolboy my mother and I came to the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University to join the circle of young naturalists.
I saw a photograph by Evgeny Dunaev: a long-eared roundhead in the Astrakhan desert. Her open mouth and red “ears” were imprinted in my memory for the rest of my life. I really wanted to see her, to see this sand dune - a childhood dream, supported by stories and pictures. And a few months ago Dunaev, now not only a teacher, but also a best friend, wrote to me: “Will you go to Astrakhan?” Did I even think for a minute, doubt? There was only desert in my head, I was jubilant with delight. Then plans changed, and we went to Dagestan, to the largest Sarykum dune in Russia.
We are standing on the platform of the Kazan station, it is pouring rain. The Moscow-Makhachkala train departs.
The Sarykum dune is the largest in Russia and one of the highest isolated sand massifs in Eurasia; its height is 245–252 meters. Strictly speaking, Sarykum is not a dune: its crest regularly moves according to the will of winds blowing from the west and northwest in winter, and in the opposite direction in summer, so the term “dune” is more appropriate here. The origin of Sarykum remains a mystery; scientists regularly put forward hypotheses regarding the appearance of a “sand mountain” among the rocks and clayey steppe. Photo: Ilya Gomyranov/Schrodinger's Cat
Black Eresus
The beautiful ladybug spider inhabits vast territories of Russia, found from the Rostov region to the Novosibirsk region. Having chosen a burrow once, the black eresus rarely leaves it. To take this step, sexually mature males are driven by reproductive instinct, and caring mothers crawl into warm cocoons with future spiders in the sun. Eresus can only bite in self-defense. The consequences will be extremely unpleasant, but not fatal. At the moment of the bite, the person feels severe pain, then numbness. Brief sensation of sensitive pressure.
Killer Soldier (Brazilian Banana Spider)
Since 2010, the recognized leader has been the Brazilian banana spider. He is also called a traveler, soldier or runner. He never stays in one place for a long time, does not weave a web. The killer with furry legs can reach 15 cm. Most often it has a sandy color, which allows it to camouflage perfectly on the ground. Only the canine-cheliceral area is bright red. Males are smaller in size and more pronounced in color. They express their readiness to mate with an original dance.
Traveling spiders do not have a permanent habitat. They move through the tropical jungles of Central and South America. They are often found in bananas, which is how it got one of its nicknames. While wandering, the soldier spider crawls into houses, where it hides in secluded corners: closets, closets. They also crawl under things thrown on the floor, into shoes or cars.
That’s why most bites happen due to a person’s inattention or carelessness.
Banana spider venom contains a powerful neurotoxin. It causes severe pain and inflammation, paralysis. If help is not provided in time, death from suffocation is possible. Some sources note that in 85% of cases, when poison enters the circulatory system, it leads to heart failure. Scientists have found a use for spider poison and use it to create a medicine against male impotence.
Silver spider
The only inhabitant of the underwater arachnid in Russia is widely distributed in the Caucasus, Siberia and the Far East. He is almost never on the ground and rises only to take in another portion of air and take it home in a cocoon. This small spider, only 1.5 cm long, can bite, but only if provoked. At the same time, it will release a little poison, and in this case the person is not in danger. Maximus: The bite wound will hurt for several days.
30.08.2016
We are sitting at the station in Makhachkala, waiting for the train, surrounded by the unusual bustle of the city. Then again a couple of days of travel and Moscow. Meeting with family, endless tasks and concerns: every trip leaves many impressions, emotions and shots in the camera.
Ilya Gomyranov is a biologist and wildlife photographer. Winner, laureate and finalist of photo competitions “Golden Turtle”, The Best of Russia, “The Art of Science”. Participant of more than 20 expeditions - visited the tundra and subtropics, the Middle and Far East, Africa and the New World.
Types of spiders in the Voronezh region
Experts say that Voronezh spiders do not pose a danger to humans. They themselves are shy. They prefer to quickly hide out of sight rather than attack. They bite only when there is a threat to their own life. This happens when a person purposefully or accidentally presses on the body of an animal.
All spiders have venom glands that inject poison into the body of the victim. Paralysis occurs almost instantly. The main diet is insects and their larvae. The arachnid family plays an important role in nature - it regulates the number of garden, forest, vegetable, and agricultural pests.
