How to Recognize the World's Deadliest Spiders

More than 37,000 types of spider are recognized worldwide. In North America alone there are about 3,800 species. Spiders are easily distinguished by their eight legs, and most also have eight eyes. Though many are poisonous, only a few are deadly.

Things You'll Need

• Camera/camera phone
• Spider bite first aid kit

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Instructions

• 1

  Be especially careful if you are traveling to Central or South America. Brazilian wandering spiders, also known as banana and armed spiders, are native to the region. The Guinness Book of Records claims that this is the world's most venomous spider. Aggressive and highly dangerous, the adult spider is dark brown and can grow to a leg span of 5 inches, with a body length of almost 2 inches. They wander the jungle floor at night in search of prey. Most human bites occur from picking bananas because the wandering spider likes the cool shade of bunches of bananas. The spider's venom is so lethal that it would take only 0.006 mg to kill a mouse. Symptoms include excruciating pain leading to death without antivenin.

• 2

  Beware the crimson hourglass. The black widow is easily recognizable by its black, shiny body and crimson hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen. Native to the United States, the black widow reaches ½ inch long. It lives in woodpiles, under stones, in thick undergrowth and crawl spaces. Bites lead to local pain, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, increased blood pressure and fever. Antivenin has been available since 1956.

• 3

  Look out for telltale markings. The brown recluse of fiddleback spider is native to the southern United States. It can be identified by the yellowish violin shape on its upper body just behind the head. Symptoms of a bite include severe local pain, burning sensation, nausea, vomiting, fever and muscle pain. The site of the bit eventually blisters and the skin around the are may become necrotic. No antivenin is available. Such bites are treated with painkillers, steroids, antibiotics and antihistamines.