The Brown Recluse Spider is what Scares Californians the Most (But should it?)
Ask the average Californian to list the spiders which scare him or her most, the list would probably look something like this;
Tarantula – kind of scary
Tarantulas are well known because some can be as big a single wide trailers and have legs as hairy as a middle-aged, gypsy can-can dancer. They also have fangs which makes them kind of like the Edward Cullens of the insect world. There are found in California. Are they scary? Sure, to some people. If you have a fear of spiders bigger is defiantly scarier and tarantulas are big. But if you know anything about spiders you would know that while they do have poison, they can’t kill you with a bite unless you’re highly allergic to it. For most people, tarantula bites are on par with a bee sting.
Black Widow – really scary
Swimming after eating, texting while driving and black widow spiders are a few of the things your mother will warn you about. They should, because the Black Widow spider is the most poisonous spider in North America and commonly found in California. The good news, only the female packs a poisonous punch. The bad news, can you tell the difference between the male and the female? People rarely die from a Black Widow bite but that does not make your mother a liar.
The Brown Recluse – get me out of here!
Ironically, the Brown Recluse isn’t even a native to California although it is believed that the occasional Brown Recluse spider may hitchhike into the state via a shipment of product from the Midwest. So why are Californians so afraid of the Brown Recluse when there are (virtually) none here and there are (virtually) no confirmed bites from a Loxosceles reclusabut anywhere in the state?
This is partially fueled by the internet. We have all seen the photos of the horrific wounds that can be caused by the Brown Recluse spider bite. They look like something out of a gory science fiction movie with really good special effects. They make the rounds in e-mail and sensationalized internet stories. Also, it seems that everyone in California knows someone or knows of someone who has supposedly been bitten by a Brown Recluse. These all turn out to be bites from other spiders, other insects or really nasty zits but it does make for interesting conversation.
So while the Brown Recluse may scare the pants off of us in California, clearly the myth is much bigger than the reality.
The brown recluse spider is one of the spookiest spiders on the planet. These videos will show you all about this fascinating venomous spider, and what a brown recluse really looks like.
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Please know that some of these may be graphic and show spider bites in graphic detail. If you have a fear of spiders or gross out easily, you may want to pass on these. Here are the best brown recluse spider videos on youTube.
Everyone and their brother is afraid of the dreaded venomous snake bite when they see a snake. While it is true that some snakes are highly venomous and can kill you, the odds of this happening are very slim indeed. There are a number of reasons for this, and among them is what is called a dry bite. This is a snake bite where the snake does not actually inject any venom into the bite site.
Among snakes there are venomous and nonvenomous types. The venomous snakes are the primary dangers, and the vast majority of them are broken into the elapids and the vipers. Among nonvenomous snakes, the only real dangers are the huge constrictors. Their bites deliver no venom, but can cause infection and the larger constrictors can kill via suffocation.
Among venomous snakes, the most common in the United States are the vipers. The only elapid in the US is the coral snake. The vipers are your rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and copperheads. Vipers are noted by having large hypodermic like fangs that are hinged. When the snake strikes outwardly, they then stab the victim and inject venom.
Among the vipers, dry bites are somewhat unusual. It has been estimated that around 20 percent of viper bites are dry. While these figures are far from hard and fast, they give an idea about how you can get bitten by a rattlesnake and have no ill effects. (always assume the snake has injected venom and get medical attention though)
Among the elapids, the dry bites are often much more common. The reason for this is partially because of the fact that many elapids have rear fangs that are much smaller than their viper cousins. They make up for this by having more toxic venom in many cases. Still, the fact that they have more trouble biting cleanly as a group means more dry bites.
Why do snakes deliver dry bites? Some think it is because they are conserving their venom for prey they can actually eat. Some say that it is because their supply may have been just used on a prey item. Some say it is just an accident and the snake did not bite cleanly. The truth? Probably a combination of all of these in some form or fashion.
Even a dry bite can cause medical problems however. All snake bites carry a risk of infection. For this reason, you should get any snake bite checked out by a medical professional as soon as possible. Better safe than sorry, dry bite or not.
In South America, we think of jungles and rainforests, and we think of snakes. South America has some of the most fascinating snakes in the world, and some of the most dangerous as well. Venomous snakes in South America are found in all the various habitats, and do come into contact with people on occasion. Here is a look at several venomous South American snakes:
Common Mussurana – This venomous reptile can be found throughout the bulk of South America, and grows to about 7 feet in length. They are found primarily in forestlands near water, and they are often seen swimming in the river. They are rear fanged snakes that are only mildly venomous. Among venomous pet snakes, this one is a common target for owners.
Lancehead – Commonly called a fer-de-lance, the lancehead is among the most dangerous snakes in the world. Though their venom is not the most powerful in the world by any means, they are around people. Lots of people. This leads to a large number of snakebites, and the bite is a serious enough one to kill. Because of this, the South American population fears this snake. They are great at hiding in camo, and will not hesitate to bite when cornered or bothered. They grow to about five feet long and have long fangs to deliver their venomous bite.
Western Coral Snake – This snake is not often encountered, and is very similar to the species found in the United States. The coral snake is ringed with red, yellow and black down the length of their body, and they have small rear fangs to deliver venom. While the bites are rare, coral snake bites are very serious. A coral snake is a member of the cobra family.
Bushmaster – The longest viper in the world is also the most feared by South Americans and with good reason. The Bushmaster is a very large (9 ft) venomous snake, that is not shy about biting and injecting a deadly venom. The thing about the bushmaster is, that even if you get medical help, you might still pass away from a serious bite. They are also masters at staying hidden, so many people never see them until it is too late. Also, this large snake delivers a large amount of venom to go along with that bite, so it is a very bad thing to get bitten.
Copperhead snakes are among the most common venomous snakes in North America. They are found all over the country, and are dangerous if they bite us. The vast majority of people bitten by a copperhead snake will not die, but they will experience serious pain and swelling. Still, any snake bite deserves immediate medical treatment. This is an assortment of copperhead snake videos that I have found on YouTube. I hope you enjoy these copperhead videos as much as I have.
The python trapper that was caught staging the capture of a giant python faces some serious charges in Florida. The whole idea behind the python release and capture was supposedly about bringing some important attention to the problem of exotic animals being released into the wild. The problem is, the animal was released by the trapper himself.
While the python trapper certainly went about it the wrong way, his message of pythons and other dangerous animals being released into the Florida wild is very valid. Every year, people in Florida and other parts of the United States release these animals as they become too difficult to keep as pets. The truth is, they should never have been pets in the first place.
Pythons, for example have been released in the Everglades. These pythons have already reproduced and now number in the estimated tens of thousands. When you consider that larger pythons such as the rock python and reticulated python are capable of killing a full grown man, the danger becomes apparent. That is not the only danger, however. They also eat all of the food in the area and cause the local wildlife to suffer. In extreme cases, they can be wiped out all together.
While his methods were certainly messed up, he certainly had the right message. Do not release these animals into our wild, or else we will have major problems down the road.
Along the open woodlands and grasslands of Northern Australia, one can find a very dangerous snake called the taipan. The taipan is among the most venomous snakes in the world, and has the capabilities to kill humans with a single bite, sometimes in as little as thirty minutes. What truly makes the taipan dangerous, however, is the fact that they are highly aggressive biters.
Taipans have been known to literally throw themselves into their bites. They strike with such ferocity that it sometimes appears that they are lunging. When you combine that ferocity with the potent venom that the taipan has, you can quickly see why it has earned the reputation of one of the deadliest snakes in the world.
The taipan is generally about five feet in length and they have a variable coloration. They can be sand colored or even jet black depending on a number of factors. They usually eat small mammals. An interesting note about the taipan is that they became very prolific due to the poison toads that were introduced into Australia. Because many frog eating snakes died when they ingested these toads, the taipan had less competition for habitat and food. Because of this, the taipan is considered common in it’s range of Northern Australia’s coastline.
Copperheads are not exactly the most dangerous snakes on the planet, so when I came across one the other day I did not think too much of it. I was more fascinated by the beauty of this snake than any real concern over the venomous bite that it possessed. Still, having studied snakes my entire life, I had a healthy doses of respect for the little copperhead serpent.
First of all, I was shocked to see one here in North Carolina so deep into November. I have never seen one outside of the summer months personally, though it is not unusual to hear of them. I was walking down a dirt road that runs alongside my home. There is a slight ditch beside that road, and I was tooling around hoping to find the black snake that I had seen around my home several times over the summer. That is when I came across this copperhead snake, slithering around in the base of the ditch.
The color of the copperhead was a brilliantly bright, almost pink color in the background, with the typical dark hourglass looking bands down the length of the snake. The copperhead was the absolute prototype of the copperhead. Perfectly colored and beautiful.
What was interesting about this copperhead was that it made absolutely no attempt to strike. It did not even curl up into the typical strike pose that pit vipers like the copperhead are known for. This copperhead had absolutely no concern over me or if he did, he certainly did not show it. It simply did everything it could to get away from me with no worries.
After a good fifteen minutes of messing with the copperhead, I finally let it go on it’s way. Figures that my experience could not be documented by camera, as I did not have it with me. By the time I went to the house and came back, the copperhead had made it’s way to where ever it was headed. Still, it was a nice encounter that just shows that copperheads are not the aggressive snake that many say they are.
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Black widow spiders are among the most creepy to most people. Why? Well, they are potentially dangerous for one thing. They have the reputation of eating their mate after sharing intimate relations. And then they have that odd looking red hourglass on their belly as well that seems to scream danger. Whatever the reason, most people can not look at a black widow spider without wiggling just a little bit. I consider it my job to provide plenty of spider wigglies to all those folks, as well as some interesting material for all you folks out there that love spiders.
Here are the best black widow videos I could find on YouTube, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Now get to wiggling!
YouTube allows us to see things up and close and personal that we would normally never get the chance to see at all. Certainly wild animals are a part of that. Here at Snakes and Spiders, we particularly love all the snake videos and spider videos that can be found on YouTube. Some of them are simply breath taking, and others are kind of terrible. We have waded through all the junk and found the best of the best. Here are the best rattlesnake videos that can be found on YouTube. Enjoy!
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The python trapper that was caught staging the capture of a giant python faces some serious charges in Florida. The whole idea behind the python release and capture was supposedly about bringing some important attention to the problem of exotic animals being released into the wild. The problem is, the animal was released by the trapper himself.
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