Spider myths:A new one!

[MyNameHere]

I still love the one about the couple who vacation in Mexico, and buy this big cactus to take back home to the good ole USA-don't laugh; I've actually had someone SWEAR this happened to their hairdresser's sister's boyfriend's third cousin, so it HAD to be true, right?....Before the man can ask why, though, the humming suddenly intensifiies, and with a loud POP! the entire cactus just explodes, sending a horde of hundreds of thousands of big, hairy TARANTULAS scattering all over the couple's house!
pitbulllady

"OMG, My Brother just emailed me and said this very same thing just happened to his girlfriends old college roommate's uncle's dog walker's mom's best friend's daughter's new boyfriend's stepdad!"

Let me guess...when the tarantulas escape from the cactus they don't run for the nearest dark place to hide, do they? Nope, those crazy T's, they'll run right up your leg straight on up to your neck to bite you right on your "juggular" (sic) vein. Those poor people must've been COVERED in those NASTY SPIDERS!!! Yuck! ;P

 

[JohnxII]

Oh and check this out too if you have time.

Some of those are already mentioned by the above posts, but here are some other titles excerpted under "Just Plain Weird Stories":

• Near East "camel spiders" anaesthetize sleeping humans and eat their flesh.
• A deadly, exotic spider lurks under airport and airplane toilet seats.
• You swallow an average of four live spiders in your sleep each year.
• Spiders drink moisture from the mouths or lips of sleeping humans.
• Spider eggs may turn up in human hairstyles, skin sores, or in bubble gum.

 

[senor ocho]

Yep, the ol cactus yarn. An ex-girlfriend of mine swore it happened to her mom. She even talked about the cactus shaking and pulsating. I can't imagine why I didn't hold on to THAT one.......
-chris
www.krazy8sinvertebrates.com

 

[Mattyb]

My favorite myth: "daddy long legs" are the most venomous spiders in the world but their fangs are too soft to pierce human skin.

Yeah i hate that one too...and most people don't even know that daddy long legs are NOT even spiders....lol....yes they are arachnids, but they are not spiders

 

[Yog-Sothoth]

Never underestimate what stupid humans will believe. Americans are force fed BS about animals all the time by the media. Just look at 2 recent movies demonizing sharks and anacondas. Both of these movie were advertised heavily on the disovery channel and animal planet and actually incorporated into their "informative shows" STUPID!

 

[DiSTuRBeD]

Agreed upon that note. Anyoen got any idea of what spider they based this on? lol

I think Stromatopelma... in the wild there have been reports that someone who was climbing a tree (for coconuts) got jumped by a Stromatopelma that lived in the tree, and it attacked him more then once...

Grtz
DiS

 

[MilkmanWes]

My favorite myth: "daddy long legs" are the most venomous spiders in the world but their fangs are too soft to pierce human skin.

They actually put this to the test on Myth Busters (Discovery Channel). They milked some daddy longlegs and injected rats and there was no difference with the controls. Then they let themselves be bit and there were real bites but there was no effect.

The end result was they prooved it to be Myth.

 

[Greg Wolfe]

The myth continues...

The myths abound, what people believe makes me dumbfounded.
When push comes to shove Loxosceles reclusus, Loxosceles laeta and the infamous L. mactans are one little monster to revere, albeit if we have to sit on one.

 

[Malhavoc's]

Well heres a good actual none myth. A women got bit on the back of the leg-by something-and the docter sliced it drained it packed actualy nice sized hole with guaze and then gave her antivenom.. now its my understanding that you can only recieve spider antivenom once in your life meaning it wouldh ave to be a serious bite..but.. if the docter doesn't know what bit her and not even sure it was a spider why give her that precious venom?

 

[MizM]

Yeah i hate that one too...and most people don't even know that daddy long legs are NOT even spiders....lol....yes they are arachnids, but they are not spiders

They are actually harvestmen! There is SO much we don't know... I even got in trouble with the ATS for calling L. mactans "black widows"! NOT an accepted common name!! But try to tell the general public THAT!!

 

[Malhavoc's]

And what is the 'accepted' commen name?

 

[MizM]

And what is the 'accepted' commen name?

widow spiders

 

[Jeri]

Then how do you distinguish between the Black, Brown and Red Widow?

Jeri

 

[MizM]

Then how do you distinguish between the Black, Brown and Red Widow?

Jeri

By their color!!! SOWWY Jeri, I just COULDN'T resist that one!!

Quoted from "How Bad Information Invades Kid's Books", Dr. Robert Gale Breene III , Artesia, New Mexico USA

From Forum Vol. 6, No. 6

"Black widow is not a common name. Widow spiders contain the species in the genus Latrodectus. In the US, there are three widow spiders that are mostly black, one that's mostly brown, and one that's largely red. They mention some of this also, but continual references to black widows makes it confusing.

On pages 38-39 "In the 1960's, entomologists changed the genus name black widow." Try the 1980's, and we changed the common name for the genus, not the genus name, and we're arachnologists, yikes!"

 

[Jeri]

So they're all just Widow Spiders. You say red Widow instead of Red Widow, or black Widow instead of Black Widow. It's confusing and clairifying at the same time.

Jeri

 

[woijchik89]

If only it were real. I hate these dissapointing statements. They tell you of a awsome spider that I would just ADORE and when I hear about it I sigh knowing it could never be true

 

[MizM]

So they're all just Widow Spiders. You say red Widow instead of Red Widow, or black Widow instead of Black Widow. It's confusing and clairifying at the same time.

Jeri

Yup! Just like everything else arachnid!!!!