- Joined
- Jul 21, 2002
- Messages
- 1,700
Venom: Pretty much any response I would have written JPD, cacoseraph, and conipto covered. I don't dispute that L. reclusa venom is cytotoxic. As you mentioned, it's been medically proven. As was said though, many people live in very close proximity to hundreds, sometimes thousands, of these spiders and are never bitten. A few (I don't have exact numbers) people are bitten every year and even fewer show any serious necrosis. To me, that's not dangerous. I define danger as danger = potential damage * likelyhood of damage (thanks for that, cacoseraph). Would I be concerned if I was ever bitten by one? Sure, a bit. I've never been bitten by one so I don't know how my body would react. Am I worried about finding them in my home? Nope, I invite them in, give them a few free meals, and then release them.
Woah, hang on a minute. I think we may have had our definitions crossed. Are we discussing the "dangerousness" of the spiders, or of their bite? When you say "I define danger as danger = potential damage * likelyhood of damage," are you meaning the potential damage of the time* the likelihood that that extent of damage will occur once bitten; or: potential damage*likelihood that that extent of damage will occur once bitten* likelihood of being bitten? The latter takes into consideration the probability of being bitten: temperament and habits of spider, and not just the maximum potential of the bite and the typical results of being bitten.