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2 People Dead After Swarms of Venomous Spiders Invade Indian Town
This suspicious article is making the rounds on the Web.
I am reflexively skeptical of any article about spiders that contains the words "deadly" and "aggressive." (If this spider is swarming, where are the pictures?) Also suspect are claims that "arachnid experts" have not only failed to identify the species, but apparently can't distinguish between families of mygalomorphs.
This suspicious article is making the rounds on the Web.
I am reflexively skeptical of any article about spiders that contains the words "deadly" and "aggressive." (If this spider is swarming, where are the pictures?) Also suspect are claims that "arachnid experts" have not only failed to identify the species, but apparently can't distinguish between families of mygalomorphs.
NewsCore said:Teams of Indian arachnid experts have flocked to the town, hoping to identify the species, but so far they have drawn a blank.
They say it could be a tarantula, a black wishbone or even a funnel-web spider -- or it could be a whole new species.
One thing they agree on is that it is not native to the area as there is no record of venomous spiders in Assam. The black wishbone and funnel-web are native to Australia.
NewsCore said:Dr. Anil Phatowali, superintendent of the town's hospital, said they had not administered antivenin as they could not be certain the spider was venomous at all.
He also pointed out other factors may have contributed to the two reported fatalities.
"All the bite patients first went to witch doctors, who cut open their wounds with razors, drained out blood and burnt it. That could have also made them sick," Phatowali said.