@Venom100 didn't even have to poke him for the pic (I don't usually but you get the point), he just sat up straight and eventually a full drop of venom fell off his fangs.
I suppose it is only appropriate someone with a username like yours comments on this pic
@RezonantVoid lol yes I had to comment on a venom pic. I don’t see to many of these kind of pics and it’s really cool to actually see them produce it. I feel bad for his next victim during feeding time lol
@Venom100 the bizarre thing about them is I have seen them give a full on envenomation to crickets and release them after a minute, and the cricket will still be alive the following day, although they are quite uncoordinated. I have observed this across several Hadronyche and Atrax species, it seems to have little effect on invertebrates
@RezonantVoid I've observed something similar with a Latrodectus I caught as a child. I didn't know much about caring for one and I threw a house spider into the jar I had it in to see if the widow would eat it. They tussled briefly, the widow bit the other spider, and it convulsed briefly before curling up and becoming still. The widow did not eat the house spider or wrap it up with silk immediately, so I became bored and walked away. Some time later, I came back to find the house spider up and walking about as if nothing had happened.
@wingedcoatl I have read something similar about scorpions. Saying that scorpions could choose how much venom to release. To either stun momentarily or to be fatal. Saying that scorpion stings were almost personal. I wonder if that would be the case? or do the spiders exert the same amount of venom each bite?
@Venom100 You also have to consider that even the same amount of venom could have completely different effects based on the biology of the victim. Woodrats shrug off rattlesnake envenomations that would put a grown man in the hospital, and the rattlesnake has every reason to give that prey item an effective dose, or it goes hungry. Atrax robustus bites a human, say. Humans have no natural predators, and have no molecular defense against venom. The neurotoxins attack the nerves and they go nuts, firing again and again until they die, causing some pretty nasty and potentially fatal symptoms for the human in spite of the venom being a tiny fraction of their bodyweight. A cricket however, might have a few hundred million years of natural selection working in it's favor as a favored prey item for venomous arthropods. It might get speared by the same spider, injected with a tenth of it's body weight in potent neurotoxins, and still shrug it off if the spider doesn't close the deal.
Hello there, why not take a few seconds to register on our forums and become part of the community? Just click here.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.