Oklahoma Spiders That Bite

Don't mess with a spider and it won't mess with you, the old saying goes. Spiders don't hunt human beings. With few exceptions, they don't have long or strong enough fangs to penetrate our skin. Even if they do, most of the 20,000 U.S. species of spiders' poison has little to no effect on human. The exceptions, however, pose enough of a threat to warrant arachnophobia.

Brown Recluse/Fiddleback

• Less than an inch in length, the brown recluse, a.k.a. the fiddleback, packs one of the strongest punches in the arachnid world. While there has never been a documented death from the fangs of the fiddleback, its bite can cause severe tissue damage, sometimes requiring a skin graft. Its toxin can eat all the way down to muscle tissue. Like almost all spiders, brown recluse spiders don't bite unless disturbed. Bites typically occur on unsuspecting hands in dark crevices. The creature

  inhabits environments inside and outside the home, in storage boxes or beneath rocks, for example. Symptoms can include redness and itching around the bite, and eventually headaches and fever. Not all victims react immediately to a bite, as the pain may not be felt for hours. Healing takes six to eight weeks.

Black Widow

• The notorious black widow, with its trademark red polka-dot abdomen, is one of the most recognizable and feared creatures in the country -- and for good reason. The spider injects a neurotoxic venom that can cause partial paralysis and in rare cases death. While the bite itself is little more than a prick, within minutes a victim feels excruciating pain throughout the body. Symptoms can include delirium, spasms and difficulty breathing. Recovery takes one to five days.

Tarantula

• While easily the most visibly frightening spider, the tarantula is relatively harmless. While the large, intimidating arachnid delivers a powerful and painful bite, its poison has little effect on humans. Tarantulas can be tamed and kept as pets, but it's advised not to disturb them in their natural habitat. Besides its large fangs, the spider has a second defense mechanism: It can shoot barbed hairs from its abdomen. Fortunately, those don't harm humans either.

Wolf Spider, Jumping Spider and Orb Weaver

• All three of these common spiders are capable of biting a person, but none pose a hazard, and they only strike when threatened. The wolf spider, a nocturnal hunter, is the largest of the three and often inhabits dark storage spaces, like those found in a garage. Orb weavers, or garden spiders, come in a variety of sizes, produce circular webs and are found in a variety of environments. Because it preys on pest insects, the species is considered beneficial to humans. Jumping spiders are day hunters and best recognized by their Spider-man-like abilities -- pouncing from long distances while ejecting a strand of web. It's a formidable attacker in the insect world but is rarely large enough to bite humans.