Brazilian wandering spider – Deadliest spider in the world

 

Spider wasp “towing” its prey (photo: “Bugguide.net”)

On a bicycle ride today I had my second encounter with a Brazilian wandering spider.

It was a scene that seemed to come right out of a Animal planet documentary. I had stopped to have a snack, when something caught my eye: about 10m in front of me I saw something that looked like a huge insect crossing the street. I went closer to check it out and to my surprise it was a big black wasp “towing” an even bigger spider to the other side of the road.

I immediately remembered a documentary I once saw about these wasps (spider wasp, Tarantula hawk, Pepsis wasp), that sting the spider to sedate it in order to stay fresh and take it back to the nest, where they deposit an egg on the spider’s body. When the larva emerges from the egg, it has a juicy, still alive, but harmless spider to feed on. Nature sure seems a little gruesome sometimes, no?

I wanted to take a picture with my (very old) cellphone before the duo disappeared in the grass on the other side of the street, but when I got too close, the wasp flew off and it kept flying around me for a few minutes like a fighter jet  to scare me away.

The sedated Brazilian wandering spider as it was sitting on the side of the road.

When I finally got my phone out and took a (Ok, kinda crappy) picture of the spider – which was moving a little but wasn’t going anywhere since it was sedated – the wasp was gone, probably off to find another victim. It’s weird, but I actually felt sorry for the defenseless spider.

A fairly large section of the “first aid” chapter of the guiding course I took in Rio de Janeiro, was about snakes and spiders, and at first sight, I had a hunch that this was a Brazilian wandering spider (known in Brazil under the name “Armadeira”) , which is considered the most venomous and deadly spider in the world. Apart from being able to kill a human, the venom also has a very uncommon side effect: it can cause very long lasting but painful erections (priapism).

The Brazilian wandering spider is all the more dangerous because it doesn’t run away when approached, but will aggressively – and very fast – attack anything it considers a threat, and that includes humans. These spiders live in highly populated areas in Brazil and are often found inside houses. They are one of the reasons why you should always check your shoes or clothes before putting them on.

So, with the wasp gone, I was left alone with my Brazilian wandering spider, and I decided to take it home. One of my three water bottles was empty, so I put the unfortunate creature in there for the 50km ride back to Volta Redonda.

Once home, I discovered that the spider had some kind of wound to its abdomen (probably from being dragged over the hot asphalt) and had been loosing fluid, which made the abdomen look a little deflated. I had hoped to keep it for a while, to see whether it eventually would “wake up” from its sedation, but now I guess that will not happen anymore. (RIP)

 

Brazilian wandering spider: those fangs are impressive and have no problem puncturing human skin. this is one critter to be VERY careful around.

Brazilian wandering spider – The ruler shows this one is about 10cm, but they can grow up to 17cm.

This was yet another reminder for me of the more dangerous side of Brazil, and that these Brazilian wandering spiders, among other venomous animals, like snakes, are indeed out there and something to be reckoned with.