Venomous Creatures - ARACHNIDS

Venomous means poisonous! If you get bitten by a spider, get a grown-up to catch it. That way, if you need to go to the doctor, you can show him what bit you. Most spider bites won’t make you sick, but a few will, so watch out!

Black Widow Spider (Latrodectus mactans) is known for being black with a red hour-glass shape on its belly. This is only true for the girls, which are 1 inch long. The boys are only ½ inch, and they do not have an hour glass. These spiders like to live under logs, rocks, and woodpiles. The female often eats the male after they mate; that’s why she’s called a "widow". She protects the egg cases she hangs in her web, but when there are no eggs, she would rather run than bite you. Black Widows weave a funnel-shaped web to catch insects. If you get into a web accidentally, the spider will bite you too. These bites don’t hurt much, but they can make you very sick in a few hours.

Brown Recluse Spider (Loxosceles reclusa) is also called a "fiddleback" because it has a dark brown fiddle-shaped mark on its yellow head. Its back and belly are brown. It likes to live in attics, closets, and garages. Outside, they stay under piles of rocks, wood, and leaves. If they are disturbed they won’t run away, THEY WILL BITE. The bite doesn’t hurt much, but if you think you’ve been bitten by a brown recluse, go to the doctor immediately. If you don’t, in 2-4 hours, you will be in serious pain.

Scorpions may have been the very first arachnids (scientists have found scorpion fossils from 250 million years ago!) The really big and dangerous ones live in Arizona, not Florida. Scorpions look like a lobster with a sharp stinger on the end of their long, skinny tails. They have two large claws which help them hold onto their prey (insects and small mice). Most scorpions are nocturnal (active at night). They hide under logs or rocks during the day. If you’ve been seeing scorpions around, be sure to shake out your shoes before you put them on!

Resources:

"Black Widow Spiders." Http://www.desertusa.com/july97/du_bwindow.html. (12/12/97).

"Brown Recluse Spiders." Http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology/factsheets/brownrec.html

Foster, Steven and Caras, Roger. Peterson Field Guide to Venomous Animals and Poisonous Plants. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1994.

"Hey, A Brown Recluse Spider Bit Me." Http://kidshealth.org/kid/games/brown_recluse.html

"Scorpiones." http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthpoda/arachnida/scorpiones.html. (1/15/98).

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