Common Spider Myths - Busted!

[JohnS]

Who doesn't love a story about spiders? Whether it's got something to do with Comic Book Superhero Spiderman, or just the ordinary insect, the spider always seems to evoke stories that are 'larger than life'! Below is an article that seeks to dispel some common myths about spiders...

Ease your arachnophobia as we bust common spider myths — from funnel-webs to white-tails

By Fiona Purcell

James O'Hanlon says there are "weird" myths about spiders but many species are "harmless".(ABC Far North: Brendan Mounter)

Ask a room full of people if they have a phobia and chances are at least one (and probably more) will tell you they have a strong fear of spiders.

Whether it's their long legs, their scampering movements or the way they seem to always be watching you, spiders give many of us the heebie-jeebies.

And while arachnophobia — an extreme fear of spiders — is shared by many, it's not the case for animal behaviouralist James O'Hanlon, who says these eight-legged invertebrates are fascinating and even cute.

Speaking on ABC Conversations, Dr O'Hanlon debunked five long-held myths about spiders.

Myth #1: We eat spiders in our sleep

One night, when Dr O'Hanlon was a teenager, he discovered a huntsman spider on his face — which he thought was "hilarious".

"I woke up in the middle of the night and had the sudden sensation of something on my cheek," he said.

"Just instinctively, without thinking, I just swiped at it with my hand [and] felt a big thwack [when it landed] — it must have been a decent-sized huntsman.

Upon retelling the story to his friends, some told him the spider must have been drinking his saliva.

Dr O'Hanlon says this is unequivocally a myth, albeit a common one.

"It's not real. I see a lot on the internet some made-up statistic [that] the average person swallows 12.3 spiders in their sleep," he said.

"Again, there's nothing to this.

"[I'm] not sure where it's come from, but there's just this weird myth that seems to perpetuate."

Dr O'Hanlon said spiders don't look to humans to hydrate.

"It's a little egocentric thinking something loves your saliva so much it wants to drink it up," he said.

James O'Hanlon is fascinated by the secret lives of spiders.(Supplied: Mike Terry)

Myth #2: Funnel-webs are the most deadly

Funnel-web spider species inhabit parts of eastern Australia and, for some, are the epitome of an anxiety-inducing spider.

They're large with prominent fangs and hairy legs and have been touted as the deadliest spiders.

Funnel-web spiders are known for their toxic venom and defensive stance.(ABC Far North: Christopher Testa)

But Dr O'Hanlon said this wasn't quite true.

"We actually say they are the most venomous — but not the most deadly," he said.

According to the Australian Museum, in the last 100 years, there have been 13 recorded deaths from funnel-web spiders.

"I think the deadliest title goes to maybe the recluse spiders over in Central America," Dr O'Hanlon said.

"That might be because they're found in very, very remote places in the Amazon where people don't have access to doctors and hospitals very easily."

Dr O'Hanlon said, thanks to the introduction of antivenom in 1981, it's been over 40 years since someone has died from a funnel-web spider bite.

Myth #3: White-tail spiders cause necrosis

If you're particularly cautious about white-tail spiders because you've heard their bite kills the surrounding skin tissue, Dr O'Hanlon said there's no need to feel alarmed.

"It's been busted many, many times before," he said.

"You might have heard that they cause necrotic lesions or gangrene.

"There's absolutely nothing to it."

Dr O'Hanlon said scientists have studied white-tail spiders "extensively" and found no proof that supported the myth.

"They've looked at the chemistry of the venom, they've gone back and looked at all the medical records they could get their hands on, [and there's] absolutely no evidence," he said.

Dr O'Hanlan said it's a myth that a white-tail spider bite causes skin necrosis.(Wikimedia Commons: Fir0002/Flagstaffotos, CC BY-NC)

Myth #4: Daddy long-legs are the most venomous

You've probably seen these delicate long-legged spiders tucked into a corner near the ceiling of your bathroom or living room.

There have often been tales of daddy long-leg spiders, including that their venom is the most deadly of all, but their fangs aren't long enough to penetrate our skin.

Dr O'Hanlon rebuked this and confirmed it's just a myth.

"As far as we can guess, it might come from the fact that daddy long-legs' webs are pretty good at catching other spiders," he said.

"So, maybe, someone has seen a redback [spider] caught in a daddy long-legs's web [and] thought, 'Oh well, if it's tough enough to take down a redback it must be more venomous than the redback'.

"But that's not how venom works. Chances are it's actually just the web that tangled the redback and left it there."

In fact, Dr O'Hanlon said scientists have found the venom from daddy long-legs is "really, really benign".

"The research they've done actually shows it doesn't even work very well on insects," he said.

"It kind of just makes them a bit dopey and sleepy, as opposed to killing them.

Myth #5: All spiders are dangerous

While some spiders are venomous, of the 45,000 spider species worldwide, Dr O'Hanlon said most are "benign".

But he said it didn't stop millions around the world being terrified of them.

"Spider fears are more common than any other type of fear in the world — more than heights, dogs, snakes, flying — spiders come out number one," he said.

"[Psychologists] are really interested in why these little, tiny, frail, benign things can generate such fear."

Some spiders, like this tiny peacock species, grow to just a few millimetres in size.(Supplied: Jurgen Otto)

Dr O'Hanlon said it's generally not a fear of being bitten by a spider that causes an adverse reaction in people.

"The kind of things that are reported are things like hairiness ... [or] 'leggyness,'" he said.

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-09/conversations-spider-myths-busted-funnel-webs-white-tails/102938656

[jay8354]

Doesn't matter about the myths, you come to Oz, you better be prepared!!!

Our Flora and Fauna love to get a bit of red meat from naive tourist. 

[Chibearsv]

13 hours ago, JohnS said:

Don't you see it in his eyes.  Plotting how to take me down.  Innocent and harmless my ass!

[Fuzz]

3 hours ago, Chibearsv said:

Don't you see it in his eyes.  Plotting how to take me down.  Innocent and harmless my ass!

[Fugu]

21 hours ago, JohnS said:

or just the ordinary insect

Don’t let spider-hugger Ken -Attenborough - Gargett spot that, John! 😅

[JohnS]

11 minutes ago, Fugu said:

Don’t let spider-hugger Ken -Attenborough - Gargett spot that, John! 😅

I'm sure Ken is going to love this thread when he sees it! 😂

[TacoSauce]

Oh man... Australia has such a reputation for deadly spiders, that I have suspicions that the admin and mods on this site are actually sentient Australian spiders hiding behind AI generated user pics of humans. The whole cigar business is just a ruse that allows them to subsidize free worldwide travel tucked away in parcels going here and there.

[Ken Gargett]

3 hours ago, JohnS said:

I'm sure Ken is going to love this thread when he sees it! 😂

absolutely. not really keen on ever meeting a funnel web but seriously, if you worried about spiders you'd go insane. so many other things that will cause so much more damage and death. snakes, crocs, sharks, stonefish and on and on. spiders are way down the list. 

[Chas.Alpha]

Australia. The land of Plenty! 🇦🇺 😳

[MickVanWinkle]

I’m typically very logical. Logic plays no part when my fight or flight response turns into fight AND flight.

[Dave O)))]

On 3/10/2024 at 4:49 AM, Fuzz said:

Jumping spiders are so cute. I love watching them scope out the flies when I get one on my clothes.

[Dave O)))]

In Oz it's a common occurrence to have a huntsman living in your car. It's like having a surprise pet. A few years ago I had one living in the car. One day I was driving into town and I felt it crawl on to the back of my neck. By the time I had parked the car, it had crawled on to my face and over my sunglasses. I got out of the car, removed my sunglasses and shook it off into a garden bed. When I came back from shopping it was still where I left it, looking exposed and forlorn. So I took pity on it, picked it up and put it back in my car.

And they all live happily ever after

[TacoSauce]

18 minutes ago, Dave O))) said:

Jumping spiders are so cute. I love watching them scope out the flies when I get one on my clothes.

Does this imply that you are constantly surrounded by a cloud of flies? Or is this just normal in Oz? 

[Dave O)))]

I hope it's okay to share a link to IG. This is one of our "pets" in a tree in our front yard

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNYrhWfF6Zs/?igsh=eWloZXp2NGViODRw

5 hours ago, TacoSauce said:

Does this imply that you are constantly surrounded by a cloud of flies? Or is this just normal in Oz? 

Lotsa flies = Lotsa spiders 😆

[Fuzz]

1 hour ago, TacoSauce said:

Does this imply that you are constantly surrounded by a cloud of flies? Or is this just normal in Oz? 

Surrounded by flies in Aus? Yeah....

[Ford2112]

On 3/9/2024 at 5:47 PM, Ken Gargett said:

 stonefish 

Now I have to go look this thing up. 

[Fugu]

On 3/9/2024 at 11:10 PM, JohnS said:

I'm sure Ken is going to love this thread when he sees it! 😂

I meant to address your little ‘insect’-slip, John. But seems Doc Dolittle didn’t notice either 😅

[cigcars]