#Banana spider full

One particularly famous case of these venomous stowaways making it to more northerly climes was widely reported in the British press, when in 2005 a man was bitten in the UK and as a result was hospitalized for several weeks. They are nocturnal and tend to feed on mice, small lizards, frogs and large insects, and are able to kill such manageable prey with a single bite.Īs mentioned, wandering spiders are also known as “banana spiders”. The venom of the deadliest species of the Phoneutria genus has been reported as being more lethal than that of the famous black widow spider. While the Brazilian wandering spider has even been included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “world’s most venomous spider”, very few substantiated reports have been received of it biting humans however, its venom certainly has the potential to kill a human, particularly a child, where no venom antiserum is available for timely treatment of the victim.

Two other species of the genus Phoneutria live in the rainforests of Peru’s Tambopata National Reserve. Along with Phoneutria fera, this is the species most closely associated with the widely used common name “Brazilian wandering spider”. The best known member of the Phoneutria genus is Phoneutria nigriventer, because it is frequently found near human settlements and is therefore the species of wandering spider which most often comes into contact with people. Phoneutria means “murderess” in Greek, and these spiders certainly live up to their reputation as the deadliest arachnids in the world. The Brazilian wandering spider is the commonly used generic term for what is in fact a family of eight different species, found in the rainforests of the Americas all the way from Costa Rica to Argentina, including Peru.Īlso known as the “armed” or “banana” spider (for its alarming habit of finding its way into shipments of bananas), this fearsome creature is called the “wandering spider” because instead of building a web and laying in wait for its prey, species of the Phoneutria genus prefer to go in search of their victims.

#Banana spider full

We've asked her to return the product to our store so we can conduct a full investigation,' the company said in a statement.The wandering spider - Found in many of South America’s rainforests 04 December 2018 (3533 visits) Layton and offered a gesture of goodwill.

The spider's venom made headlines in 2007, when scientists started to research if the venom could treat impotence, according to the BBC.Ī spokeswoman for the grocery store, Tesco, where Layton bought the bananas, said they've apologized to the shocked mother of two. This particularly nasty critter is listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's most venomous spider, with a neurotoxin so deadly it takes just 0.00000021 ounces to kill a mouse.Īnd in a most bizarre characteristic, the venom can induce painful erections in males that lasts for hours.

Layton then put the arachnid-infested banana in a sealed container in the freezer to kill the eggs. 'I was so scared - I don't like spiders at the best of times, but have read about the Brazilian wandering spiders and was very frightened about the potential threat,' she told The Telegraph. Layton told the Telegraph that she found the spider's web when she pulled off a banana to hand to her daughter.