Spider bites

[MintyWood826]

Weird science/statistics. For every significant spider bite, 5 people are struck by lightning. Deaths in the US per year from: bees and wasps ~45, horses ~35, motor vehicles 37,461 (2016).

I forgot to include that what I talked about was in Australia. I edited that in just now.

 

[The Snark]

I forgot to include that what I talked about was in Australia.

Probably be about the same but just add deaths from disease and blood loss due to those casual evening strolls in the Kakadu while wearing a swimsuit.

 

[Quetzalcoatl Nyarlathotep]

Me too. I didn't think of that when I wrote. What started spider fear, anyway?

People that are afraid of people who are afraid of people.

 

[SonsofArachne]

How often do we read or hear of someone who encountered a spider and the words "Lucky I wasn't bitten"?

You hear the exact same thing with snakes. It's because society teaches from childhood these are dangerous animals that attack on sight. Children hear it from parents, peers, even popular media. Only the open-minded (like ourselves ) seem to be able get beyond this conditioning.

 

[The Snark]

You hear the exact same thing with snakes.

Snakes are different. They kill thousands of people every year. Some, as pit vipers, do attack on sight, or rather infrared detection. Unlike spiders, snakes have a highly effective venom delivery system that works well on mammals. But comparing a just about any spider to a warmed up Crotalid under a bush waiting for anything to enter the strike zone is a little ridiculous. There are really only 2 spiders that actually go out looking for a fight and the means to be lethal, male Atrax and Phoneutria, and neither comes close to snakes aggression wise.

http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/snakebite-envenoming

 

[NYAN]

There are really only 2 spiders that actually go out looking for a fight and the means to be lethal, male Atrax and Phoneutria, and neither comes close to snakes aggression wise.

http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/snakebite-envenoming

I disagree with this. They don’t go out looking for a fight, they go out looking for a mate. They can be very defensive spiders, but not aggressive. They don’t want anything to do with people and would rather not bite them.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

They can be very defensive spiders, but not aggressive. They don’t want anything to do with people and would rather not bite them.

Sure, they are always 'defensive' and never 'aggressive', and you are right saying that they are searching for a 0.1 without the intention to bite random fellas.

Thing is that (speaking in the case of 1.0 A.robustus only, I'm clueless about P.nigriventer) those seems definitely more badass than the average 1.0 MM Theraphosidae (ok, they aren't Theraphosidae, but) doing that same 'quest'. Could be wrong, but that's the impression those given to me.

Another thing to point out is that, the massive urbanization of Sydney of the last decades, played a role... 'munching' vital spaces to those, that's probably a reason why they are often into homes.

 

[SonsofArachne]

Snakes are different. They kill thousands of people every year. Some, as pit vipers, do attack on sight, or rather infrared detection. Unlike spiders, snakes have a highly effective venom delivery system that works well on mammals. But comparing a just about any spider to a warmed up Crotalid under a bush waiting for anything to enter the strike zone is a little ridiculous. There are really only 2 spiders that actually go out looking for a fight and the means to be lethal, male Atrax and Phoneutria, and neither comes close to snakes aggression wise.

http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/snakebite-envenoming

Sorry, no venomous snake attacks humans, for same reason no spiders do. There is nothing to be gained. They will defend themselves, some vigorously, if their space is invaded. Attacking other animals that are too large to eat, and that can easily kill their attacker, with no possible gain would be a negative evolutionary trait that would soon cause extinction of the species that engaged in it.

 

[MintyWood826]

Sorry, no venomous snake attacks humans, for same reason no spiders do. There is nothing to be gained. They will defend themselves, some vigorously, if their space is invaded. Attacking other animals that are too large to eat, and that can easily kill their attacker, with no possible gain would be a negative evolutionary trait that would soon cause extinction of the species that engaged in it.

Why are there so many snake bite deaths then?

 

[Greasylake]

Why are there so many snake bite deaths then?

People don't look where they step or check to make sure that watering hose they're reaching for is actually a watering hose.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Sorry, no venomous snake attacks humans, for same reason no spiders do. There is nothing to be gained. They will defend themselves, some vigorously, if their space is invaded. Attacking other animals that are too large to eat, and that can easily kill their attacker, with no possible gain would be a negative evolutionary trait that would soon cause extinction of the species that engaged in it.

There's only one problem: often their space is also the space of everyone else. All you need is to walk innocently a la Mr. Magoo, without bad intentions etc, near where a Black Mamba, well hidden, lives, and... Zac! chances that the snake will tag you are higher, because considered you as a territorial menace. They are different, of course, than spiders.

Why are there so many snake bite deaths then?

Because they hate the sight of

 

[SonsofArachne]

Why are there so many snake bite deaths then?

There was actually a study a few years back in the US where they looked into the circumstances behind every venomous snake bite in the US - 99% were doing something TO the snake when they were bit, trying to catch it, kill it, or playing with it. 1% accidentally did something to the snake, stepped over a log, etc.

In third world countries many people walk bare footed, often at night, and work in fields and forests. So they tend blunder into them.

Snake just want be left alone. Why do you think so many venomous snakes have warning devices? Rattlesnakes rattle, cobras hood, coral snakes have bright warning colors, all are saying "leave me alone"

 

[SonsofArachne]

There's only one problem: often their space is also the space of everyone else. All you need is to walk innocently a la Mr. Magoo, without bad intentions etc, near where a Black Mamba, well hidden, lives, and... Zac! chances that the snake will tag you are higher, because considered you as a territorial menace. They are different, of course, than spiders.



Because they hate the sight of

So who's to blame? The (supposedly) intelligent human who blunders into them, or the unintelligent animal who's minding its own business?

 

[The Snark]

I knew my post would be misunderstood. Only humans go out and pick fights. Animals present hazards in varying degrees by simply following their normal routines. You know what I mean.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

So who's to blame? The (supposedly) intelligent human who blunders into them, or the unintelligent animal who's minding its own business?

Simple: no one

 

[SonsofArachne]

I knew my post would be misunderstood. Only humans go out and pick fights. Animals present hazards in varying degrees by simply following their normal routines. You know what I mean.

That's why I objected to your use of the word "attack". It makes it seem that snakes are looking for trouble.

 

[SonsofArachne]

Simple: no one

If you live where venomous animals are found you should use your big human brain to take precautions against getting bit. I was turning over logs once and got bit by a phidippus audax because I grabbed a knot on the log without checking to see if anything was on the other side - MY fault, not the spiders'.

 

[MintyWood826]

So who's to blame? The (supposedly) intelligent human who blunders into them, or the unintelligent animal who's minding its own business?

I was going to say something else, but what @Chris LXXIX is better. The human steps on a snake and the snake defends itself. <-- In that scenario at least. Sometimes you can't just see snakes that are hidden where you're walking. And hey, what are you supposed to do if you live in a third world country and a highly venomous snake got into your house without you realizing? Ok correct me on that ^ I don't know.

I wasn't trying to say that snakes go out of their way to bite humans, but that potentially dangerous snakes are more dangerous than potentially dangerous spiders like @The Snark was trying to say I think.

 

[Greasylake]

"I didn't know they had sprinklers out here." - my friend just seconds before he realized he had walked right over a rattlesnake.

 

[The Snark]

This spiders vs snakes thing can best be explained using criminal terminologies.

MMO. Means, Method and Opportunity. Required in all 'assault' crimes. Assault is defined as offense contact, physical, verbal, or otherwise conveying a threat.
Phoneutrai and male Atrax cross paths with humans by entering human occupied areas and have a great degree of MMO coupled to tacit assault -capability- the rare tag happens.
On the other hand, numerous snakes have real and present MMO near continuously whenever in human occupied areas. Assaults take place de-facto.

HOWEVER, enter culpability. Neither snakes nor spiders have culpability. About 99.9% of the times when an animal has culpability coupled to an assault it is protecting their territory or young or pack mentality as found in coyotes, dingos, and domesticated dogs.