# Can tarantulas kill children?



## Truffs1178 (Oct 29, 2013)

If Ts can kill dogs then are they able to kill small children as well?


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## Poec54 (Oct 29, 2013)

Who knows,people die from bee stings and ant bites.  There's so many variables with the age and health of the person and the kind of spider and where it happens to bite somone.   It's not a topic people are comfortable discussing here, as it's pretty much conjecture.  Act responsibly with your spiders, which includes handling and escapes, and it won't be a concern.

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## SuzukiSwift (Oct 29, 2013)

People have more complex nervous systems than animals


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## Truffs1178 (Oct 29, 2013)

SuzukiSwift said:


> People have more complex nervous systems than animals


I don't understand. Humans may be more intelligent but that doesn't mean our nervous systems are more complex than all animals does it? Different but not more complex.


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## xkris (Oct 29, 2013)

There was a bite report about a obt biting a cat. it survived. 
children? i don't know. its not likely to kill them, but exceptions are always possible.

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## Pandinus97 (Oct 29, 2013)

So far from what Ive researched, there are no recorded deaths from tarantulas. The bite is not as bad as you would think, it will sting for a while depending on teh species or it will sting for days again depending on the species. Those who are allergic to bees or wasps should be more cautious around the T's. Old world tarantulas will have a more serious bite than the new world specimens but not significant enough to kill but enough to make you feel miserable :|


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## Keith B (Oct 29, 2013)

OH NOES! T's CAN KILL CHILDREN! AIEE!  
By this, I mean don't overreact..  By records throughout the ages, the answer would be no.  But T's shouldn't be the focus simply because "big spiders are venemous and scary".  A dog can kill children.. snakes, bees, horses, cat scratch fever can be nasty, heck, even a tortoise if it chomps one in a main artery.. On Monsters Inside Me a girl lost nerve function cause she stuck her hand in a fish tank with an open wound, only because they caught it early.  If they didn't she'd have lost her hand or even perished.  This question comes up a lot, but the answer remains the same.  Decide for yourself if you can handle the risk in the first place, and take precautions like you would with any other animal in the house, whether wild or domesticated.

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## korg (Oct 29, 2013)

Poec54 said:


> Who knows,people die from bee stings and ant bites.  There's so many variables with the age and health of the person and the kind of spider and where it happens to bite somone.   It's not a topic people are comfortable discussing here, as it's pretty much conjecture.  Act responsibly with your spiders, which includes handling and escapes, and it won't be a concern.


I agree. This is just a morbid topic that invites pointless speculation and delivers minimal benefit. The actual answer (nobody knows for sure... don't let kids get bitten) has already been given multiple times just in this short thread and there isn't much more to say. If you're really desperate for more discussion of this you can search the keywords "tarantula" and "children" and find tons of similar threads.

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## Le Wasp (Oct 29, 2013)

Truffs1178 said:


> If Ts can kill dogs then are they able to kill small children as well?


Have there been cases of tarantulas killing dogs that I'm not familiar with?

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## Poec54 (Oct 29, 2013)

Le Wasp said:


> Have there been cases of tarantulas killing dogs that I'm not familiar with?


Yes, pay attention.


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## Kazaam (Oct 29, 2013)

SuzukiSwift said:


> People have more complex nervous systems than animals


People are animals, humans are a member of Animalia.

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## hearsemadam (Oct 29, 2013)

Truffs1178 said:


> If Ts can kill dogs then are they able to kill small children as well?


its "possible" and if the conditions are right, yes a child could be killed by a Tarantula bite.  perhaps that particular child is allergic to that particular tarantulas venom (and who would know ahead of time) and the child suffers an anaphylactic reaction and isnt treated in time.  is it commonplace - no.  can it happen - yes.

children really have no place handling a creature that is venomous, IMHO.  and anyone who cant keep a tarantula safe and secure has no business keeping them, even if they dont have children or other pets in the home.

my $0.02

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## Kazaam (Oct 29, 2013)

A better answer to this question would be another question: indirectly or directly?

All of the causes that have been mentioned in this thread are indirectly.


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## BobGrill (Oct 29, 2013)

Surprised no one has mentioned this, but a child is more likely to kill a tarantula than the other way around.

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## Truffs1178 (Oct 29, 2013)

Kazaam said:


> People are animals, humans are a member of Animalia.


I think you get what he means...

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## hearsemadam (Oct 29, 2013)

Kazaam said:


> A better answer to this question would be another question: indirectly or directly?
> 
> All of the causes that have been mentioned in this thread are indirectly.


this is true, however the OP was vague.


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## The Snark (Oct 29, 2013)

There are two Mechanisms Of Injury, MOI, that can cause death in this case. The effects of the venom itself and one of several forms of shock. I believe the original question is, can the venom alone cause death through the interruption of the physiology of the victim? It appears there are no known cases of that alone but establishing that it has never occurred would be extremely difficult. You can't conduct LD50 tests on humans, etc.
However, shock in it's various forms by itself can cause death and it can manifest itself in conjunction with other circumstances such as foreign objects entering a body as toxins. Determining if shock was the sole cause of a death or a contributor is extremely difficult and most pathology labs don't even have the required equipment to make that determination.

So I think the answer is, the toxins of T's are very unlikely to have ever caused a human death but it is quite possible that a T bite and accompanying shock has occasionally caused human deaths. Keep in mind shock alone, the partial or complete interruption of the circulatory system, without even a body suffering any physical damage, is capable of causing death. (Psychogenic form)


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## Truffs1178 (Oct 29, 2013)

hearsemadam said:


> its "possible" and if the conditions are right, yes a child could be killed by a Tarantula bite.  perhaps that particular child is allergic to that particular tarantulas venom (and who would know ahead of time) and the child suffers an anaphylactic reaction and isnt treated in time.  is it commonplace - no.  can it happen - yes.
> 
> children really have no place handling a creature that is venomous, IMHO.  and anyone who cant keep a tarantula safe and secure has no business keeping them, even if they dont have children or other pets in the home.
> 
> my $0.02


Why assume I can't keep them secure. I'm 16, I don't have kids, I was just curious what Ts could kill. Everyone can stop posting now because I have my answer.


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## herpguy (Oct 29, 2013)

I wouldn't rule out the possibility as far as a Phlogius sp. is concerned.  Their venom isn't very well documented as bites rarely occur, but they are known to be able to kill dogs relatively quickly.
However, I don't want to be one of those people who overly exaggerates how dangerous Ts are.  It's not what the hobby needs.


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## hearsemadam (Oct 29, 2013)

Truffs1178 said:


> Why assume I can't keep them secure. I'm 16, I don't have kids, I was just curious what Ts could kill. Everyone can stop posting now because I have my answer.


I didnt ass-U-me anything about you, I made a statement but...

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## Truffs1178 (Oct 29, 2013)

Oh sorry I thought you were referring to me.

Also what's with the ass-U-me? And no the shoe doesn't fit it's about 5 size too small. I keep my Ts very secure.


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## viper69 (Oct 29, 2013)

Truffs1178 said:


> I don't understand. Humans may be more intelligent but that doesn't mean our nervous systems are more complex than all animals does it? Different but not more complex.


Actually what allows humans to be more intelligent (that difference) is the *complexity* of their nervous system. When you or someone says "different", You have to stop and think what you mean by "different", ie,* what* makes it different, do those differences allow for greater function in one species than another? In some cases, being different, doesn't always mean an animal, or organ is more complex. However, in the case of the human nervous system, being "different', does mean it is more complex.  To give a simple example on the cellular level, simple nervous systems typically do not have a cell type called the interneuron. However, in more advanced nervous systems, such as homo sapiens, they do have these interneurons.

And to give a more macro perspective, jellyfish have nervous systems, as do humans. However, jellyfish aren't capable of the many types of nervous system functions a human can do, why? Because there nervous systems are more simple, they are different, and it is those differences (ie complexity) that allow homo sapiens' nervous systems to do what it does.

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## AzJohn (Oct 30, 2013)

A lot of people are failing to take many things into account on this thread. Venom is designed for a very specific reason. It will effect different animals in different ways regardless of the complexity of the nervous system. Some species will have venom adapted to kill certain predators or prey. Australian tarantulas kill dogs but are harmless to humans, funnel web spiders are the exact opposite. Venom is a very complex thing. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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## viper69 (Oct 30, 2013)

AzJohn said:


> A lot of people are failing to take many things into account on this thread. Venom is designed for a very specific reason. It will effect different animals in different ways regardless of the complexity of the nervous system. Some species will have venom adapted to kill certain predators or prey. Australian tarantulas kill dogs but are harmless to humans, funnel web spiders are the exact opposite. Venom is a very complex thing.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


Very true, and most venoms are composed of many different proteins each having a specific target/effect.


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## Kazaam (Oct 30, 2013)

Truffs1178 said:


> I think you get what he means...


It means nothing since it's untrue.


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## Kroogur (Oct 30, 2013)

There is an old saying that goes:  Never assume because then you make an ass out of u and me. meaning it's rarely a good idea to make assumptions because they can often times be wrong both on your end and for the other person involved in your assumption.


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## Le Wasp (Oct 30, 2013)

Poec54 said:


> Yes, pay attention.


Thanks for the update.


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## WadeG (Oct 30, 2013)

Yes, some species of tarantula can kill a child.  Their body mass and immature biologic defenses are easily overwhelmed by such toxins.  However as others have stated it depends on the size of the child, the amount of venom, and from what genus/species of tarantula, as well as the available medical interventions.


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## viper69 (Oct 30, 2013)

WadeG said:


> Yes, some species of tarantula can kill a child.  Their body mass and immature biologic defenses are easily overwhelmed by such toxins.  However as others have stated it depends on the size of the child, the amount of venom, and from what genus/species of tarantula, as well as the available medical interventions.



Do you have data to support that claim of "can kill" excluding allergic reactions (ie shock-induced death) because no one knows that until it happens? It is my impression there are no recorded human deaths by a tarantula bite. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened mind you.


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## Poec54 (Oct 31, 2013)

viper69 said:


> It is my impression there are no recorded human deaths by a tarantula bite. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened mind you.


+1.  Most tarantulas live in the tropics, often in countries were hospitals and doctors are in short supply.  Many times people don't know what species bit them, and record-keeping wouldn't be anywhere near western standards.  For people living in villages and remote areas, providing hobbyists with bite reports would not be considered a priority.   I'm sure they believe no one would be particularly interested in what happens to a villager in a rain forest, or that anyone would be crazy enough to keep these animals in their homes.  Snake bites are far more serious of a health hazard, and the record-keeping on them in tropical countries is typically poor.

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## Thistles (Oct 31, 2013)

I'm too lazy to look it up, but I thought someone died of Tularemia after a T bite. Obviously not the direct cause, but still...


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## Keith B (Oct 31, 2013)

Meh.. I'd consider myself fortunate to die from a bite.  At least I'd be remembered for something, cause it wouldn't happen again for another 500 years, give or take a few thousand..


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## SuzukiSwift (Oct 31, 2013)

Kazaam said:


> It means nothing since it's untrue.


Just so everyone is clear, I was actually unclear whether my first comment was accurate or not and I do apologise, the main idea was to discourage this particular topic...

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## Gel (Oct 31, 2013)

-=Rant On=-

I find it perplexing that people who say "oh noes you have kids and keep those bugs!?" wouldn't think twice about household chemicals under the kitchen sink,open electrical sockets, trip hazard objects on the stairs, a dog that outweighs their children, car keys on table easily in reach of curious children, open swimming pools, propane BBQs in the backyard, sharp objects, the chemical and preservative infused foods their kids are eating, letting their kids walk to school, petting zoos, etc. I could go on.

In most cases, these "bugs" don't pose any more threat then anything else around us. It's unfortunate that lack of education and prejudice cloud peoples perceptions.

-=Rant Off=-

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## Keith B (Oct 31, 2013)

SuzukiSwift said:


> Just so everyone is clear, I was actually unclear whether my first comment was accurate or not and I do apologise, the main idea was to discourage this particular topic...


Yeah I was like "aww mannn.." when I got on and saw this topic bumped to the top.  My last post was actually sarcasm about it, cause suddenly being bit and dying sounded like a good idea after the Tularemia post.  A person died?  WOW... Dogs kill about 30-35 people annually in the US alone... Maybe I'll get my kid a dog instead cause a person died once... my final post, cause it was fun

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## le-thomas (Oct 31, 2013)

In conclusion, be a respectful, conscientious handler of your animals i.e. don't get bit or lose your spider.

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