Description, photo, lifestyle of the hermit spider

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

It has been about 400 million years since the first spider appeared on planet Earth. At the moment there are already more than forty thousand species. Spiders are not insects, they are a separate class and a separate order - arachnids.

In the order Spiders and in the class Arachnids there is a family of poisonous creatures - hermit spiders. They pose a great danger to humans, since their bite is invisible, and the poison is very toxic. The most poisonous of this family is the brown (or brown) recluse spider. If your place of residence is where this malicious creature lives, you need to be able to recognize it.

Brown Recluse

One of this family is brown, or brown spider (hermit), its photo is presented below.

These creatures are distinguished by their toxic venom. After an insect bite, complete tissue necrosis occurs in this place. The "lucky ones" who are lucky to have such a neighbor as a brown spider (hermit) are residents of the eastern United States.

This poisonous creature of nature is not one of the friendliestindividuals, but, nevertheless, it is distinguished by activity and moderately intrusive character. Maybe the brown recluse would have remained an unremarkable arthropod to this day, but the strange property of its venom attracted the attention of scientists to it. Professor Binford explains that these spiders have been using their venom for about 120 million years.

Habitats of the eight-legged "monster"

This species of spider is found throughout the midwestern United States, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. They have not yet reached California, but representatives of the genus Looseness live in those places. In Hawaii, there is a red hermit spider (see photo below). It is related to the eight-legged "monster".

Global warming could cause this arachnid species to move further north. So to get acquainted with its representatives in detail will be just the way. Currently, Georgia, the Mediterranean and southern Russia are considered favorable habitats for the hermit spider.

Spiders love to hide in tree roots, in animal burrows, in general, where there are shady places. Over time, the recluse spider can be increasingly found in the garage, basement, toilet and attic space, as well as in sewer manholes. Hermits began to behave as full-fledged neighbors of people, settling in apartments and houses.

Appearance of a little hermit

The brown spider is small in size. When the legs are in a straightened form, the length of his body is 6-20 mm. This deadlythe recluse spider is not always possible to notice, because it is very small. Females are larger than males.

The body is predominantly brown, sometimes gray and dark yellow individuals can be found. The brown hermit spider is also called the violin. This was facilitated by the fact that the pattern, located on the head and chest, very much resembles this musical instrument.

A distinctive feature of this species is the presence of 6 eyes instead of 8. Small sensitive hairs can be seen on the abdominal part and paws. The legs of the hermit spider are quite long and thin. When he is at rest, his legs are wide apart.

Lifestyle

By way of life, brown recluse spiders are nocturnal predators. They are engaged in the extraction of food in the dark. Males come out of their web and go on night raids to explore distant territories. Females do this not very willingly, they usually prefer to hunt near their home. For the rest of the day, the nocturnal little hunters sit in a secluded place.

Food for the brown recluse is everything that falls into the traps, the role of which is played by the web. The prey is mainly small insects and other spiders. It is not difficult for hermits to get food, it does not require much work. Scientists face an unsolved mystery about why then nature endowed this insect with a potent poison. Eight-legged "monsters" live calmly, withoutneeds do not bother anyone.

Reproduction

The female brown hermit spider, choosing a secluded place away from prying eyes, begins to lay eggs in white cocoon sacs. In each such cocoon, woven by the female from the web personally, there are 40-50 eggs. The pouch size is about 7.5mm in diameter.

After numerous young brown recluse spiders, many molts occur before adulthood. They change their outfit 5-8 times. These creatures painfully endure such a procedure, it is unpleasant for them. It is possible that this is why hermits show anger and bite painfully.

The discarded spider outfit is quite hard, it can be stored in the ground for a long time. Experienced specialists use it for identification during the study of insects of this species. Under natural conditions, the brown recluse spider can live 2-4 years.

The bite of a hermit spider is a danger to humans

For people, the most terrible animals, oddly enough, are poisonous spiders. They can quietly approach their prey and deliver a "stab in the back". It is clear that no one wants to be in her place! In the same row among the most dangerous arthropods in the world are hermit spiders. The poison of these animals is of delayed action, its manifestation can be seen only a few hours after the bite. At first, a person feels a slight tingling or burning sensation. Then everything will depend on how much poison has entered the body. In the event that it got a lot, after 5-6 hours the bite site will beginswell and a blister will appear. Symptoms include:

• Heart failure.

• Intestinal problems (disorder).• Annoying cough and runny nose.

Tissue necrosis often develops after a spider bite. It is facilitated by the content of many enzymes in the poison. Necrosis of the subcutaneous tissue delays the healing process for a long three years. It is possible that the bite can lead to the death of the victim, which is often observed in young children and the elderly.

Precautions

Although this is a poisonous creature and non-aggressive, if you disturb it, you can't wait for mercy: it bites - it bites! It is better to avoid such a situation in time and protect yourself from the deadly poison. To do this, adhere to the following recommendations:

• Thoroughly clean the house, removing the cobwebs in time.

• Avoid the formation of cracks in the walls, if they appear, cover or plug immediately.

• Before putting on any things, they should be carefully inspected.

• Before going to bed, it is also necessary to inspect the bed.• There should be no trash and boxes under the bed, but it must be placed not close to the wall.

If you follow the above rules, it is quite possible to avoid the attack of a dangerous creature that can bring big trouble.

Necessary care for a brown spider bite

When a brown spider bites, everything possible should be done without delay to stop the spread of poison. You can put ice on the site of the bite. Be sure to treat the woundone of the antiseptics and of course seek medical help.

Previously, during treatment, the damaged area of the skin was removed surgically. Currently, therapy is carried out with the help of antibiotics. If a person applies on time, the serum is injected.