During my previous post where I debunked 5 common spider myths, I thought it was very interesting finding myths that many people believe but were (just as the definition of “myth” says) untrue. So, today I thought we’d go for 5 more, and see if enlightens anybody else. :)
1.) Spiders suck the juices from their prey to eat it.
Lots of people believe this one. I did as well, until only a short year or two ago! Unlike most myths, this one does have its basis in fact. You have probably seen many spiders hanging from their webs, small insects caught in their “jaws,” (technically called chelicerae.) They do appear to be acting like mini vampires, don’t they? In reality however, they have literally made small holes in the exoskeleton of their prey, vomited digestive fluids inside, and then commenced sucking it back up with the digested “meat” and organs mixed in. Yeah, it’s a little gross, but I find it fascinating as well. It’s sort of like a… protein shake. ;) When they’re done they simply drop the empty shell.
Large spiders like orbweavers may skip the injecting step and instead vomit the digestive fluids over their prey’s body, something I have witnessed many times with my Cross Orbweaver (A. diadematus.) When these spiders are finished there isn’t anything left that even remotely resembles the critter it once was. It becomes a ball of the harder, less digestible parts and is dropped, something called a bolus.
2.) Spiders have oil on their feet that keeps them from sticking to their own webs.
Now I’ll admit, this one does seem like a perfectly reasonable guess as to why spiders don’t seem to have any problems with sticky webs. The thing is, most spiders don’t make sticky webs to begin with! Yes, it’s true. Jumping spiders (salticids,) wolf spiders (lycosids,) and funnel weavers (agelenids) are just a few families of spiders that I can think of off the top of my head that don’t spin sticky webs.
Those that do, however, don’t have oily feet to combat it! They simply tip-toe around their strategically placed globs of goo and avoid them altogether. If they do in fact ever accidentally step in one, it’s probably no more inconvenience for them than for one of us to step on a wad of gum in a parking lot. ;)
3.) You can always tell a spider bite because it leaves 2 punctures.
This sounds like truth, doesn’t it? Yet it has to be a myth as well, because I’m writing about it here. ;) Spider bites may leave two puncture marks, but not always. Most spiders smaller than a tarantula will leave puncture marks so close together that they look more like one hole instead of two, and since their fangs are so tiny, finding the marks themselves will be next to impossible.
4.) Doctors can tell what bit you from the bite alone.
Doctors are doctors. They aren’t arachnologists! I have read that medical students don’t even get one full day’s training in spider-related topics, so don’t put your faith in them to identify that red bump on your leg.
Also, it is worth mentioning that there are tons of bacterial infections that can mimic ulcers that people typically associate with brown recluse bites, and most brown recluse bites don’t cause such ulcers.
5.) Someone bought a cactus at a local plant nursery and it later exploded, scattering baby tarantulas everywhere.
Let’s end on a just plain weird one, shall we? There’s not an ounce of truth in this one. Tarantulas don’t inject their eggs into cactuses, neither to hatching tarantula egg sacs explode. And, last but not least, baby tarantulas are really harmless and quite helpless when first hatched, thus causing absolutely no reason for alarm.
I hope you liked this post and found it informative (or even amusing.) :) Also, tell me bug-related topics you’d like to hear about in the future in the comments for this post. I hope you’ve enjoyed this read!
1.) Spiders suck the juices from their prey to eat it.
Lots of people believe this one. I did as well, until only a short year or two ago! Unlike most myths, this one does have its basis in fact. You have probably seen many spiders hanging from their webs, small insects caught in their “jaws,” (technically called chelicerae.) They do appear to be acting like mini vampires, don’t they? In reality however, they have literally made small holes in the exoskeleton of their prey, vomited digestive fluids inside, and then commenced sucking it back up with the digested “meat” and organs mixed in. Yeah, it’s a little gross, but I find it fascinating as well. It’s sort of like a… protein shake. ;) When they’re done they simply drop the empty shell.
Large spiders like orbweavers may skip the injecting step and instead vomit the digestive fluids over their prey’s body, something I have witnessed many times with my Cross Orbweaver (A. diadematus.) When these spiders are finished there isn’t anything left that even remotely resembles the critter it once was. It becomes a ball of the harder, less digestible parts and is dropped, something called a bolus.
2.) Spiders have oil on their feet that keeps them from sticking to their own webs.
Now I’ll admit, this one does seem like a perfectly reasonable guess as to why spiders don’t seem to have any problems with sticky webs. The thing is, most spiders don’t make sticky webs to begin with! Yes, it’s true. Jumping spiders (salticids,) wolf spiders (lycosids,) and funnel weavers (agelenids) are just a few families of spiders that I can think of off the top of my head that don’t spin sticky webs.
Those that do, however, don’t have oily feet to combat it! They simply tip-toe around their strategically placed globs of goo and avoid them altogether. If they do in fact ever accidentally step in one, it’s probably no more inconvenience for them than for one of us to step on a wad of gum in a parking lot. ;)
3.) You can always tell a spider bite because it leaves 2 punctures.
This sounds like truth, doesn’t it? Yet it has to be a myth as well, because I’m writing about it here. ;) Spider bites may leave two puncture marks, but not always. Most spiders smaller than a tarantula will leave puncture marks so close together that they look more like one hole instead of two, and since their fangs are so tiny, finding the marks themselves will be next to impossible.
4.) Doctors can tell what bit you from the bite alone.
Doctors are doctors. They aren’t arachnologists! I have read that medical students don’t even get one full day’s training in spider-related topics, so don’t put your faith in them to identify that red bump on your leg.
Also, it is worth mentioning that there are tons of bacterial infections that can mimic ulcers that people typically associate with brown recluse bites, and most brown recluse bites don’t cause such ulcers.
5.) Someone bought a cactus at a local plant nursery and it later exploded, scattering baby tarantulas everywhere.
Let’s end on a just plain weird one, shall we? There’s not an ounce of truth in this one. Tarantulas don’t inject their eggs into cactuses, neither to hatching tarantula egg sacs explode. And, last but not least, baby tarantulas are really harmless and quite helpless when first hatched, thus causing absolutely no reason for alarm.
I hope you liked this post and found it informative (or even amusing.) :) Also, tell me bug-related topics you’d like to hear about in the future in the comments for this post. I hope you’ve enjoyed this read!