The Countries To Avoid If You Hate Spiders

Along with heights, a fear of spiders has to be one of the most common phobias humans have. Most experts believe it is because in our evolutionary past we dealt with poisonous spiders and therefore we developed a phobia of them as a survival mechanism. These days, spiders are all over the world and they come in many shapes and sizes, along with degrees of poison. So if you hate spiders, you should probably stop reading now but if you hate spiders, you should also keep reading to know the countries to avoid.

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The Giant Huntsman Spider is justly named since it is the largest spider in the world in terms of leg span. Its leg span is a very large spider with a leg span of one foot. One foot may not seem like much compared with birds, rodents and more, but for a spider it is downright terrifying. First discovered in 2001 in Laos, over the past ten years, over 1,000 new species have been found in the entire Greater Mekong Sub-region. Many were very surprised that a spider this large went undiscovered for so long. As the World Wide Fund for Nature said, “Some of these species really have no business being recently discovered.”

Experts believe that it is a cave-dwelling spider because of its pale color, so make sure you stay out of the caves in Laos!

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Okay, the Giant Huntsman Spider is big, and while it is the largest spider, it may not be the scariest one that you come across. That title goes to Goliath Birdeater, which is found in South America and primarily in Brazil. It is a member of the tarantula group and was believed to be the largest spider in the world until the Giant Huntsman was discovered. The reason that it was named the Goliath Birdeater Spider is because explorers in the 19th century witnessed it eat a hummingbird.

With a leg span of 11 inches and a weight of six ounces, it is a deep-burrowing species found in swampy areas. Sadly for the males, females will mate with them and then kill the mates and the females will typically live for as long as 25 years. This spider may be large, but it is pretty harmless to humans beyond giving them a heart attack. Most describe the venom from the spider to feel like a wasp sting. The species typically eats insects, but it has been found to eat rodents, lizards, bats and even some snakes.

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Okay, another big reason to avoid Brazil if you hate spiders. Not only do they have a very large spider, they have a very poisonous spider. In fact, they have the most venomous spider in the world; The Brazilian Wandering Spider.

The Brazilian Wandering Spider is a highly aggressive and venomous spider found all over South and Central America, and especially in Brazil.

It is called the Brazilian Wandering Spider because it wanders the jungle floor at night, instead of staying in a web. During the day, the spider can be found in termite mounds, fallen logs and in banana plants. It will also hide in dark and moist places in or near where humans live.

If you are bit by this spider, the neurotoxin will cause you to lose muscle control, your breathing will become labored and eventually you will become paralyzed and asphyxiation will begin. Not only that, you can expect intense pain and inflammation due to the venom. One odd thing that the bite also causes is an erection that will last for many hours, will be very uncomfortable and may leave you impotent.

Since the spider wanders, it is very dangerous to humans, especially in areas that are densely population. It will hide in clothes, cars, boots and in boxes which leads to sudden bites on hands and feet when it is surprised. It can also travel around the world in banana crates, where it ends up in grocery stores. This happened in Bridgewater, England when a man was bitten by one of the spiders. He survived but it took him an entire week to recover.

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While Australia only ranks ninth in terms of contact with venomous spiders, per capita, at .14 deaths per 1,000,000 people, it is still a place with plenty of deadly spiders. In fact, many feel that Australia may have the most deadly spiders on Earth.

Just some of the spiders found in Australia that can harm humans include:

• The Australian Funnel-Web Spider is one of the most dangerous in the world and will often bite rather than run away. It is typically found within 100 km of Sydney and its toxin is highly toxic to primates. Males have more potent venom than females and are often encountered in the summer time. Bites from the males have resulted in death if medical attention is not sought.

• The Redback Spider does not bite often but when it does it is highly toxic and dangerous for the elderly and children. Roughly 20 percent of those bitten by the spider require treatment. There have been no deaths since 1956 when the antivenom was created and most of the bites are from female spiders. Typical symptoms usually involve mild pain that is short-term. Of course, bites can also cause extreme pain and sweating, as well as swelling and swollen lymph nodes. Other issues that can result from the bite include seizure, coma, respiratory failure and more depending on the person who was bitten.

• The Mouse Spider is a burrowing spider that has a deadly venom, which can cause serious harm to humans. Severe symptoms can develop, which require emergency medical treatment but bites are rare and there have been no recorded human deaths.

• The Australian Huntsman Spiders are not very aggressive but they will defend their nests and make threat displays to humans who tread too closely. They can move rapidly and they will often enter houses. IF you are bit, they symptoms are very unpleasant but not life-threatening.

• The White-Tailed Spider is not as dangerous as other spiders, but it is still not pleasant to be bit by one. Its bite usually causes the same type of symptoms as a bee sting, but on occasion nausea, vomiting and headache can develop.

Spiders are not very pleasant for most of us and while only a few are truly dangerous to humans, we all fear them. Whether it is a Daddy Long-Legs or a Huntsman Spider, we all feel fear when we come across a spider. If you live somewhere like Canada, then you don’t have too many big spiders, but if you live in Brazil, Laos, or Australia, you may deal with spiders that truly do make your skin crawl.

Author: Craig Baird — Copyrighted © roadtickle.com