brazilian wandering spider bananas

Brazilian wandering spiders: Bites & other facts

The spider's name means "murderess" in Greek, which is appropriate for the deadly arachnid.

A closeup-photo of a Brazilian wandering spider, with orange head and black and white-striped legs

Classification/taxonomy

Size & characteristics, bites and venom, additional resources.

The Brazilian wandering spider, also called armed spiders or banana spiders, belongs to the genus Phoneutria , which means "murderess" in Greek. And it's no wonder why — it's one of the most venomous spiders on Earth . Its bite, which delivers neurotoxic venom, can be deadly to humans, especially children, although antivenom makes death unlikely.

Guinness World Records has previously named the Brazilian wandering spider the world's most venomous spider multiple times (though the current record-holder is the Sydney funnel-web spider, Atrax robustus , according to Guinness ). But, as the late Jo-Anne Sewlal, who was an arachnologist at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, told Live Science, "classifying an animal as deadly is controversial," as the amount of damage depends on the amount of venom injected.

Jo-Anne Sewlal was a noted arachnologist from Trinidad and Tobago. While completing her PhD, she received the National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (NIHERST) 2012 Award for Excellence in Science and Technology for Junior Scientist. In 2013, She received a doctorate in zoology from the University of the West Indies. She discovered several species of spiders in her home country, surveyed the arachnids across several countries the Caribbean and appeared as an expert on the topic on The Science Channel. She died of an allergic reaction in January 2020.

There are nine species of Brazilian wandering spider, all of which are nocturnal and can be found in Brazil. Some species also can be found throughout Central and South America, from Costa Rica to Argentina, according to a 2008 article in the journal American Entomologist . Study author Richard S. Vetter, a research associate in the department of entomology at the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, wrote that specimens of these powerful arachnids have been mistakenly exported to North America and Europe in banana shipments. However, Vetter noted, in many cases of cargo infestation, the spider in question is a harmless banana spider (genus Cupiennius ) that is misidentified as a Phoneutria . The two types of spiders look similar.

The taxonomy of Brazilian wandering spiders, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) , is:

Kingdom : Animalia Subkingdom : Bilateria Infrakingdom : Protostomia Superphylum : Ecdysozoa Phylum : Arthropoda Subphylum : Chelicerata Class : Arachnida Order : Araneae Family : Ctenidae Genus : Phoneutria

Phoneutria bahiensis
Phoneutria boliviensis
Phoneutria eickstedtae
Phoneutria fera
Phoneutria keyserlingi
Phoneutria nigriventer
Phoneutria pertyi
Phoneutria reidyi
Phoneutria depilata , according to a 2021 study published in the journal ZooKeys , which found that Phoneutria boliviensis actually included two separate species from different habitats.

Brazilian wandering spiders are large, with bodies reaching up to 2 inches (5 centimeters) and a leg span of up to 7 inches (18 cm), according to the Natural History Museum in Karlsruhe, Germany. The species vary in color, though all are hairy and mostly brown and gray, although some species have lightly colored spots on their abdomen. Many species have bands of black and yellow or white on the underside of the two front legs, according to the University of Florida .

A beige Brazilian wandering spider crawls toward a green leaf on a forest floor

These arachnids "are called wandering spiders because they do not build webs but wander on the forest floor at night, actively hunting prey," Sewlal told Live Science in an interview conducted in 2014, before her death. They kill by both ambush and direct attack.

They spend most of their day hiding under logs or in crevices, and come out to hunt at night. They eat insects, other spiders and sometimes, small amphibians, reptiles and mice.

Research into one species of Brazilian wandering spider, Phoneutria boliviensis , revealed that these spiders eat a mix of arthropods and reptiles. DNA metabarcoding, a technique that examines the DNA and RNA in a sample, of the guts of 57 spiders identified 96 prey species, including flies, beetles, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, locusts and crickets, according to research from the University of Tolima and the University of Ibagué in Colombia . Some of the female spiders also ate lizards and snakes.

While their bites are powerful and painful, "their bites are a means of self-defense and only done if they are provoked intentionally or by accident," Sewlal said.

A gray brazilian wandering spider sits on a green leaf over a large white egg

In the Brazilian wandering spider, just as in most spider species, the female is larger than the male. Males approach females cautiously when attempting to mate, according to the biology department at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse . Males perform a dance to get females' attention, and males often fight each other over the female. The female can be picky, and she often turns down many males before choosing a mating partner. Once she does pick one, the male needs to watch out; females often attack the males once copulation is finished.

The female then can store the sperm in a separate chamber from the eggs until she is ready to fertilize them. She will lay up to 1,000 eggs at a time, which are kept safe in a spun-silk egg sac.

Brazilian wandering spiders typically live for one or two years.

Brazilian wandering spiders' venom is a complex cocktail of toxins, proteins and peptides, according to the Natural History Museum in Karlsruhe, Germany. The venom affects ion channels and chemical receptors in victims' neuromuscular systems.

After a human is bitten by one of these spiders, he or she may experience initial symptoms such as severe burning pain at the site of the bite, sweating and goosebumps, Sewlal said. Within 30 minutes, symptoms become systemic and include high or low blood pressure , fast or a slow heart rate , nausea, abdominal cramping, hypothermia, vertigo, blurred vision, convulsions and excessive sweating associated with shock. People who are bitten by a Brazilian wandering spider should seek medical attention immediately.

Their venom is perhaps most famous for triggering painful and long-lasting erections . For that reason, in a 2023 study, scientists reported that they were testing the venom in humans as a potential treatment for erectile dysfunction in those for whom Viagra didn't work.

However, these bites are rare, and envenomations, or exposure to these toxins from a spider bite, are usually mild, Vetter said. For instance, a 2000 study in the journal Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo found that only 2.3% of people with bites who came to a Brazilian hospital over a 13-year period were treated with antivenom. (The other bites did not contain enough venom to require it.) Most of the bites were from the species P. nigriventer and P. keyserlingi in eastern coastal Brazil. About 4,000 bites reportedly happen each year in Brazil, but only 0.5% of those cases are severe, according to a 2018 study in the journal Clinical Toxinology in Australia, Europe, and Americas . Meanwhile, 15 deaths have been attributed to Phoneutria in Brazil since 1903, the 2018 study reported.

"It is unlikely that the spider would inject all of its venom into you, as this venom is not only needed as a means of defense but to immobilize prey," Sewlal said. "So if it did inject all of its venom, it [would] have to wait until its body manufactured more before it could hunt." That would also leave the spider vulnerable to being attacked by predators.

Furthermore, Sewlal pointed out that venom production requires a lot of a spider's resources and time. "So if the spider were to attack frequently and use up all of its venom, it [would] be safe to assume that it has a ready food supply to replace the energy and resources used. This situation does not exist in the wild."

Learn more about Brazilian wandering spiders from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse .
Read about several species of Brazilian wandering spiders, including several images of the arachnids at the University of Florida .
Find a spider in your bananas? It may or may not be a deadly species, according to the University of California, Riverside .

This article was originally published on Nov. 20, 2014.

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Jessie Szalay is a contributing writer to FSR Magazine. Prior to writing for Live Science, she was an editor at Living Social. She holds an MFA in nonfiction writing from George Mason University and a bachelor's degree in sociology from Kenyon College.

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Brazilian Wandering Spider Facts

Brazilian wandering spider profile.

There are more than 50,000 species of spider, and the vast majority are less dangerous than a honeybee. Almost none are aggressive, and of those with medically significant venom, only a small percentage are capable of causing death. So, on the whole, arachnophobes are just being a bit silly.

But there’s one spider that vindicates all of these fears, and few animals are as globally renowned to be a serious threat to human lives as the Brazilian Wandering Spider .

Brazilian Wandering Spiders are actually 9 species of spider in the same genus ‘Phoneutria’, one of which is found in Central America, with the rest in South America.

Brazilian Wandering Spider Facts Overview

These spiders are called wandering spiders because of instead of spinning a web to wait for food, or occupying a lair, they spend their night wandering in the leaf litter of the jungle floor for prey.

The sensitive hairs on its body help detect vibrations of passing prey, and it will feed on insects, lizards, frogs and any animals as large as itself.

During the day they will hide under logs, rocks, or inside termite mounds and banana plants. They will also sometimes wander into urban areas and homes, where they can come into contact with humans.

Brazilian wandering spiders are aggressive , dangerous and frightening. For once, this is an animal you should be wary of.

The females are larger, around 50% heavier than males, and produce more venom, and this might be a clue as to why their Greek name translates to “ Mudress” . These spiders will often stand and fight and have an intimidating threat display.

The potency of their venom is one of the reasons they’re so dangerous, and their ability to hide away in fruit and shoes explains why most bites are on extremities.

Interesting Brazilian Wandering Spider Facts

1. armed spiders.

In Brazilian, these are sometimes known as armed spiders, on account of their elongated front legs.

They can convey quite a bit of information with these legs, and as wandering spiders, use them to get about the forest, looking for food.

2. Banana Spiders

They’re also sometimes called ‘banana spiders’ on account of their status as a stowaway on popular fruit imported from the tropics.

This is becoming less common as stricter regulations ensure there’s less contamination of fruits, but there’s always a chance your next bunch of bananas will have a family of these spiders living inside it.

3. They have the largest venom glands of any spider

Females produce more venom than males, but both sexes have enormous venom glands. These glands are even more impressive when you consider the size of the spider is significantly less than the largest around.

The venom glands of the Brazilian Wandering Spider are over a centimetre long, and this is all housed inside the bright red chelicerae (mouth parts) which they are quick to display whenever they get upset. 1

4. They’re aggressive

These spiders can grow quite large and have long, brightly-coloured legs. Unlike most spiders, they’re known to stand their ground when threatened and are far quicker to bite than many other species.

They’ll still try to scurry away where possible, and they’re not out to get anybody.

But where most other species will flee, the wandering spiders’ aggression does make it more likely to be involved in incidents.

Most bites are on fingers and toes, a sign that they’re being stepped on or grabbed inadvertently. When the spider feels cornered, it’ll rear up on its back legs and waves its colourful arms around as a warning.

Then it’ll sway side to side, beckoning you to have a go. Anything foolhardy enough to call this bluff gets a wealth of envenomation effects. 2 3

Brazilian Wandering Spider threat display with front legs raised

5. They give some men erections

There are ways to accomplish this with fewer side effects, but a bit from a Brazilian wandering spider does come with a certain Viagral quality.

This isn’t as fun as it might sound. Prolonged erections in this manner are likely to harm and destroy muscles and blood vessels in the penis and could cause irreparable damage.

Besides this, the assault on the central nervous system that comes with envenomation by this spider doesn’t sound worth it. 4

6. And some people die

This assault brings with it a whole host of unpleasant symptoms. Seizures, foaming at the mouth, inability to speak, collapse, and a host of other miserable experiences.

Paralysis is possible, as is cardiac shock. Blood vessels can burst in the brain, or anywhere else, and in many cases, this can be enough to kill a person.

This spider has one of the most potent venoms of all, and there are multiple legitimate records of death as a result of bites.

7. But they’re rarely fatal

While the Brazilian wandering spider is potentially one of the most dangerous spiders in the world, there is some evidence to suggest it gives a dry bite, defensively.

This means that despite exceptionally toxic venom, the amount actually injected is less than some of the other contenders, and this is what makes it typically less lethal than the Australian funnel webs.

These spiders are classified as Dangerous Wild Animals and would therefore require a special permit to keep. Bites from wandering spiders are common in South America, but antivenom is often readily available, and they rarely result in death.

In most cases, lethal bites are cases of a very young or very old victim, and few people of healthy age are killed. 5

8. They do invade the UK sometimes

These unquestionably scary spiders show up in supermarkets in the UK on occasion, having hitched a ride on banana shipments.

On more than one occasion they’ve made their way into shoppers’ homes, but it doesn’t appear that there are any cases of them biting people as a result.

These spiders aren’t suited for temperate climates and don’t survive Winter, so there’s no risk of them multiplying.

Brazilian Wandering Spider Fact-File Summary

Scientific classification, fact sources & references.

PeerJ. (2017), “ Dimensions of venom gland of largest venom glands in all spiders ”, Bio Numbers.
Dave Clarke (2010), “ Venomous spider found in Waitrose shopping ‘beautiful but aggressive’” , The Guardian.
“ Phoneutria Perty (Arachnida: Araneae: Ctenidae) ”, UF-IFAS University of Florida
Kátia R.M. Leite (2012), “ Phoneutria nigriventer spider toxin Tx2-6 causes priapism and death: A histopathological investigation in mice ”, Science Direct.
“ Brazilian wandering spiders: Bites & other facts ”, Live Science.

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These species are notoriously aggressive.

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Big hairy spider with ling legs and pale yellow hairs on a green leaf looking at the camera at night.

This is one of the most dangerous spider species in the world.

Image Credit: Dr Morley Read/Shutterstock

Meet the Brazilian wandering spiders in the genus Phoneutria , also referred to as the armed spiders or the banana spiders. The members of this group have one of the most dangerous bites of any spider species on Earth and they have been classified as the world’s most venomous spider many times.

Where Do Brazilian Wandering Spiders Live?

Though currently the Guinness World Record is shared with another species – the Sydney funnel-web, ( Atrax robustus ) – the Brazilian wandering spiders are a force to be reckoned with.

As the name suggests all the Brazilian wandering spiders can be found in northern South America, with at least one species having distributions across more than just Brazil, writes the University of Florida . However, Phoneutria fera and Phoneutria nigriventer are the main species that feature in news articles as they often travel overseas in shipments of bananas, causing panic and confusion – and even the closure of supermarkets .

What Is The Size Of A Brazilian Wandering Spider?

The size of the Brazilian wandering spiders varies between species. Some can be very large with a leg span of 18 centimeters (7.1 inches). The spiders are famously quite aggressive, and instead of running from threats will rear up onto their back legs and stand their ground.

Close up of a big brown spider on a green banana leaf. The face is very clear with four main black eyes the focus.

What Are The Effects Of A Brazilian Wandering Spider Bite?

Brazilian wandering spiders often make the news because of the unusual symptoms caused to humans after being bitten by one.

A 2023 study in Frontiers In Molecular Biosciences suggested there were around 4,000 cases of people being bitten by Phoneutria nigriventer in Brazil each year. Their venom affects the nervous system, causing double vision, salvation, irregular heartbeat – and even prolonged painful erections, known as priapism . In fact, because of this, their venom is being explored as a possible treatment for erectile dysfunction conditions.

Can A Brazilian Wandering Spider Bite Kill You?

The neurotoxin PhTx3 is to blame for these symptoms, and according to the Independent , a wandering spider bite can reportedly be fatal in as little as 60 minutes. However, an effective anti-venom is usually enough to save those affected. A study into Phoneutria boliviensis in 2019 suggested that the species had adapted its venom to catch vertebrates as opposed to lizards and amphibians, which might explain why the venom is so toxic to humans.

It comes as no surprise then that their scientific name Phoneutria means “murderess” in Greek.

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Brazilian Wandering Spider

The Brazilian Wandering Spider (Phoneutria fera) is an aggressive and highly venomous spider . It was first discovered in Brazil hence its name. However, this genus is known to exist elsewhere in South and Central America .

The Brazilian Wandering spider is a member of the Ctenidae family of wandering spiders.

The Brazilian Wandering spider appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records 2007 for being the most venomous animal .

In this particular genus, there are five known similar species whose members are also highly venomous. They include some of the relatively few species of spiders that present a threat to human beings.

Brazilian Wandering Spider Characteristics

The Brazilian wandering spider can grow to have a leg span of up to 4 – 5 inches. They are large hairy spindly-looking spiders who have eight eyes, two of which are large. Brazilian wandering spiders are fast-moving spiders, their legs are strong and spiny and they have distinctive red jaws which they display when angered.

The Brazilian wandering spider is not a Tarantula . Brazilian wandering spiders are not even in the same family group. Tarantulas are harmless to humans and are mostly ambush killers who wait for prey to come to them. Brazilian wandering spiders are active hunters. Brazilian wandering spiders and Tarantulas do have one thing in common, however, they do not eat bananas.

Brazilian Wandering Spider Habitat and Spider Webs

The Brazilian Wandering spider is so-called because it wanders the jungle floor, rather than residing in a lair or maintaining a web. This is another reason it is considered so dangerous. In densely populated areas, the Brazilian Wandering spider will usually search for cover and dark places to hide during daytime, leading it to hide within houses, clothes, cars, boots, boxes and log piles. This usually causes accidents when people disturb them.

The Brazilian Wandering spider is also called the ‘banana spider’ as it is occasionally found within shipments of bananas. As a result, any large spider appearing in a bunch of bananas should be treated with due care.

Brazilian Wandering Spider Diet

Adult Brazilian Wandering spiders eat crickets, other large insects, small lizards and mice. Spiderlings of this species eat flightless fruit flies and pinhead crickets.

Brazilian Wandering Spider Reproduction

All spiders produce silk, a thin, strong protein strand extruded by the spider from spinnerets most commonly found on the end of the abdomen. Many species use it to trap insects in webs, although there are many species that hunt freely such as the Brazilian Wandering spider. Silk can be used to aid in climbing, form smooth walls for burrows, build egg sacs, wrap prey and temporarily hold sperm, among other applications.

Brazilian Wandering spiders reproduce by means of eggs, which are packed into silk bundles called egg sacs. The male spider must (in most cases) make a timely departure after mating to escape before the females normal predatory instincts return.

Mature male spiders have swollen bulbs on the end of their palps for this purpose and this is a useful way to identify whether the spider is male or female. Once the sperm is inside the female spider, she stores it in a chamber and only uses it during the egg-laying process, when the eggs come into contact with the male sperm for the first time and are fertilized. The Brazilian Wandering spiders life cycle is 1 – 2 years.

Brazilian Wandering Spider Venom

Bites from the Brazilian Wandering spider may result in only a couple of painful pinpricks to full-blown envenomed. In either case, people bitten by this spider or any Ctenid should seek immediate emergency treatment as the venom is possibly life threatening.

The Phoneutria fera and Phoneutria nigriventer (two species of wandering spider) are the two most commonly implicated as the most vicious and deadly of the Phoneutria spiders.

The Phoneutria not only has a potent neurotoxin, but is reported to have one of the most excruciatingly painful envenoms of all spiders due to its high concentration of serotonin. They have the most active venom of any living spiders.

One of their members, the Brazilian Huntsman, is thought to be the most venomous spider in the world. Brazilian wandering spiders are certainly dangerous and bite more people than any other spiders.

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Phoneutria fera

Species of spider / from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Phoneutria fera is a species of spider with medically significant venom in the family Ctenidae found in South America ( Colombia , Ecuador , Peru , Brazil , Suriname , and Guyana ). [1] It is commonly known as the Brazilian wandering spider and the banana spider, [2] although these names are applied to other species in the genus Phoneutria , particularly Phoneutria nigriventer . [3] [2] P. fera tends to spend a larger amount of time in vegetation during the early period of its life and spends more time on the ground once it becomes larger. This is more common in females, since they are usually larger than males. [4] [5] Medical records from within the geographic range of P. fera show bites (likely from P. fera or its close relative P. reidyi ), have the potential to develop moderate to severe systematic reactions in humans. [6]

Brazilian Wandering Spider: Care, Food, Habitat & Preventions

Mike Wallace

Have you ever heard of or do you know what a Brazilian wandering spider is ? It is a big venomous spider from places like Central and South America, and people sometimes call it the banana spider . Why? Well, we are about to find out!

Table of Contents

These wandering spiders are aggressive hunters who go out on the hunt at night. Their meals include both invertebrates (like insects) and vertebrates (creatures with a backbone, like small animals).

These spiders are super dangerous because their venom is like a powerful potion that can make people really sick or even worse. They usually hang out in tropical rainforests and even in cities, hiding in banana plants.

So, let’s get more information about the world of this sneaky spider to learn the details about its looks, eating habits, where it lives, the venom it carries, and find out if it is genuinely risky. Ready to explore? Keep reading!

Brazilian Wandering Spider Description:

Scientific name and family:.

In Brazil, they are sometimes known as “ armed spiders ” (armadeiras), and they share the name “ banana spiders ” with a few other spiders. They have different names, but they are all talking about the same interesting spider!

Brazilian Wandering-Spider sitting on hand Spiders-Planet

The Brazilian wandering spider, scientifically known as Phoneutria , Maximilian Perty kickstarted the Phoneutria genus in 1833. The name comes from the Greek word φονεύτρια , which means “murderess” and falls under the Animalia kingdom, Arthropoda phylum, and Arachnida class.

Within Arachnida, it is classified in the order Araneae, infraorder Araneomorphae, and Ctenidae family. The genus Phoneutria, described by Perty in 1833, includes the type species Phoneutria fera .

This classification helps us understand where these spiders fit into the larger picture of living organisms.

The following 9 species are accepted by The World Spider Catalog :

Phoneutria bahiensis
Phoneutria boliviensis
Phoneutria eickstedtae
Phoneutria fera
Phoneutria keyserlingi
Phoneutria nigriventer
Phoneutria pertyi
Phoneutria reidyi
Phoneutria depilata

What do Brazilian Wandering Spider look like?

Size range:.

The spiders in the Phoneutria group can get pretty big in size. Their legs can stretch out to be 13 to 18 centimeters (5 to 7 inches) wide, and their bodies can have a range between 17 to 48 millimeters (a little more than half an inch to almost 2 inches) long.

The female Brazilian spiders can get pretty big, reaching up to 15 centimeters (5.9 inches) in length. On the other hand, the males are smaller, usually measuring around 7 centimeters (2.8 inches). They usually weigh up to 0.21 ounces.

They have long, slender legs, and even though some other spiders with different names might have longer legs, the Phoneutria spiders are champions when it comes to having the longest bodies and being the heaviest in their spider gang.

The spider’s body has two main parts. The first is the prosoma, kind of like its “head,” where you will find all eight legs, eyes, fangs (chelicera), and little multitasking arms (pedipalps).

The second part is the opisthosoma, holding the spinnerets for making silk, the back end opening (anal opening), “the lungs,” the heart, and the important bits for making baby spiders (reproductive organs).

So, the prosoma is like the front control center, and the opisthosoma is like the back office, handling things like silk-making and baby-making.

Brazilian spiders come in different colors, with most being hairy and shades of brown and gray. Some species may have lightly colored spots on their abdomen.

A distinctive feature of many species is the presence of bands of black and yellow or white on the underside of their two front legs.

Identification:

To identify a spider from the Phoneutria group, look for a dense brush of fine hairs on their leg parts. They might seem like other spiders, especially Cupiennius , but here is how you can differentiate:

Phoneutria often have a dark line on the front of their palps and a thin black line on top of their head.
Check underneath, too; their legs usually have dark parts and light joints. Sometimes, the belly has black dots or is reddish.
Usually it has been observed that when they are upset, they do a cool defensive move like lifting their front legs high with a distinctive pattern. So, if you see a spider doing that dance, it is probably a Phoneutria!

Brazilian Wandering Spiders live all over the Americas, from Costa Rica to northern Argentina. They are like the residents of the jungle, chilling in forests east of the Andes in countries like Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and the Guianas.

Some, like P. reidyi, P. boliviensis, and P. fera, love the Amazon rainforest, while others prefer the Atlantic Forest in Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil.

They have also made themselves at home in the Cerrado savanna. But if you head to northeastern Brazil, they are not around. These spiders have even taken trips to Chile and Uruguay.

Why are they called Banana Spiders?

These spiders are linked with bananas. Richard S. Vetter, a researcher at the University of California, found that these powerful spiders sometimes end up in North America and Europe by accident, hitching a ride in banana shipments.

Banana Spider sitting on banana leaf - Spiders Planet

But it is often a case of mistaken identity. Only a few Phoneutria species have been found in banana shipments, and sometimes, other spiders get the blame due to misidentification.

What They Like to Eat or Hunt?

Their food includes flies, beetles, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets. Occasionally, they might even feast on small creatures like amphibians, reptiles, or mice. All these diet or food findings tell us about how diversified eating habits these fascinating spiders have.

Mating and Lifecycle:

Like most spiders, the female spiders are bigger than the males. When the male spider wants to be friends, they do a little dance (vibrating his pedipalps and specialized sensory appendages) to signal his intentions to impress the female, but it is a cautious approach.

The behavior of the female can be choosy, and she might say no to a few before picking the right one.

After the dance, sometimes, the females decide to attack them, or if she is interested, she can store the male’s baby-making material in a special place until she is ready to use it.

Then, she lays a bunch of eggs, up to 1,000 at a time, and keeps them safe in a silk egg sac. Sadly, after laying her eggs, the mom spider says goodbye. It is her way of making sure the new spiders are ready to explore the world on their own.

The lifespan of the banana spider (Phoneutria nigriventer) differs for males and females. Females usually live for 6 to 8 weeks after reaching maturity, while males have a shorter lifespan of 2 to 3 weeks after their last molt.

Certain mammals, like coatis (Procyonidae, which includes raccoons) and other small insectivores, birds are potential predators of large wandering spiders.

These spiders got their name as wandering spiders because of the fact that they are not into web building. Instead, they stroll around the forest floor at night(nocturnal), searching for dinner.

Brazilian Wandering Spiders are active hunters and use both ambush tactics and direct attacks to catch their prey. During the day, they prefer cozy spots like under logs or in crevices, only emerging at night for their hunting adventures. These spiders do not build nests like other spider species.

While wandering spiders are not naturally aggressive towards humans, they won’t hesitate to bite if they feel cornered or threatened. Most bites happen when a spider accidentally gets trapped in clothing or bedding.

Bite and Venom:

The bite of the armed spider is the most dangerous in the world as the venom it carries can be harmful to humans.

The danger is not just about how strong the venom is; it is also about factors like the spider’s likelihood to bite and how close it is to where people live.

These spiders often hide in houses, clothes, and other dark places during the day, making accidental bites more likely.

While their fangs are adapted for small prey, some experts think they might give a “dry” bite in defense to save venom. Studies suggest that not all bites inject venom, and serious cases requiring antivenom are rare.

However, there have been confirmed cases of death, with symptoms appearing quickly, including:

Severe pain
Breathing difficulties
Increased heart rate and blood pressure
In severe cases, paralysis and death

The severity can depend on the spider’s sex, with females generally more dangerous. The spiders produce less venom in colder months, and a small amount can be potent enough to harm.

Fortunately, bites from Brazilian spiders are rare, and when they do occur, the exposure to the toxins is generally mild, as explained by Vetter.

Also Read: What is a Huntsman Spider? (Heteropodidae) – The Ultimate Guide

Banana Spider’s Facts:

Below are essential details about Brazilian wandering spiders:

They hold the title for the world’s largest spiders , boasting leg spans reaching up to 15 centimeters (6 inches).
Their venom packs a powerful punch, capable of inducing severe pain, paralysis, and, in extreme cases, fatal outcomes for humans.
Despite their intimidating reputation, they are generally non-aggressive and resort to biting only when provoked.
These spiders inhabit tropical rainforests and urban areas across Central and South America.
In case someone has been bitten by this spider, he/she needs quick medical treatment to control the effects timely.

Brazilian Wandering Spider sitting on wood -Spiders Planet

Treatment and Preventive Measures:

If bitten by a wandering spider or armed spiders, prompt medical attention is crucial. There is an antivenom for the spider’s venom, but its effectiveness is highest when administered within a few hours of the bite.

To prevent a bite:

Wear protective clothing, use shoes and long pants when in areas where these spiders are found.
Before wearing your clothes and shoes, make sure to check them to ensure no spiders are hiding.
Maintain cleanliness and avoid leaving food or garbage exposed, as this can attract spiders.

These preventive measures are essential for minimizing the risk of encountering and getting bitten by Banana spiders.

Can Brazilian spiders kill humans?

Brazilian wandering spiders (Phoneutria nigriventer) are venomous and can potentially kill a human with a single bite. Their venom contains a potent neurotoxin that can cause severe pain, paralysis, and even death.

Are Brazilian spiders poisonous?

Yes the venom of this spider is poisonous, that can cause death. While Brazilian wandering spiders are potentially dangerous, actual bites are relatively rare.

By adopting preventive measures and promptly seeking medical attention if bitten, the risk of serious complications can be significantly reduced.

Can you keep Brazilian spiders as pets?

It is strongly advised against keeping wandering spiders as pets due to their venomous nature and the potential risk to human safety.

Managing these spiders in captivity demands specialized knowledge and handling procedures to minimize the risk of bites.

Final Thoughts:

The Brazilian wandering spider, banana spider, or armed spider is a large and venomous arachnid found in Central and South America. While their potent venom can be harmful to humans, encounters are rare.

These nocturnal hunters have adopted various habitats, from rainforests to urban areas, and are associated with banana shipments. Understanding their appearance, behavior, and habitat is crucial for minimizing risks.

Seeking immediate medical attention after a bite is essential, as antivenom is available but most effective when administered promptly. Despite their fearsome reputation, the Brazilian spider remains a captivating and potentially dangerous species.

About the author

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March 24, 2009

Do dangerous spiders lurk in grocery store produce?

A potentially lethal spider was recently found in a bunch of bananas at a supermarket. What should consumers should do if confronted with one of the leggy critters?

By Erica Westly

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Last week, a store manager at a Whole Foods in Tulsa, Okla., was surprised—to say the least—to find a large brown spider lurking in a bunch of bananas . The spider was initially identified as a Brazilian wandering spider , a menacing-looking creature with furry fangs and legs as long as five inches (12.5 centimeters) that is considered to be one of the world's most venomous spiders, and one of the few that can kill humans. (Luckily, an anti-venom to the Brazilian’s bite was developed in 1996.) According to the Tulsa World , two local entomologists in the end determined that the invader was more likely a huntsman spider , which is large and brownish in color like the Brazilian wandering, but is nontoxic to humans. Each year, there are several news reports of wandering and huntsman spiders, the main "banana spiders," showing up in grocery store bananas as well as poisonous black widows , which find their way into bunches of grapes on store shelves. Both fruits are generally sprayed with pesticides to prevent insect infestation and usually washed before shipment. Still, even with these precautions and visual inspections, some insects manage to survive. What draws spiders to bananas and grapes—and what should consumers and produce workers who find the potentially deadly critters in their fruit do? To find out, we spoke with Linda Rayor , a spider expert and senior research associate in Cornell University's entomology department. [ An edited transcript of the interview follows. ] How common is it to find a spider in grocery store fruit—and are spiders more common in grapes and bananas from certain regions? For the bananas, you have a reasonable chance of getting them in ones imported from anywhere in Central or South America, the main sources of the fruit. I have no idea of the actual risk, but there are different types of wandering and huntsman spiders throughout Latin America. You pretty much have a chance of getting black widows—which are found all over the world—in grapes anywhere they grow. Is there something else about grapes that black widows find especially appealing? Spiders are going to be found anywhere that there are insects for them to eat—and there are plenty of insects on grapes. They're very common in vineyards around the world. Grape arbors (the supports between grapevines) provide really great support systems for spider webs—they're perfect for cobweb-building spiders like the black widow—and the grapes make great hiding places. (Black widow bites can be toxic to humans, but they’re not nearly as dangerous as those from the most poisonous wandering spiders. They can cause intense pain and shortness of breath, but are rarely lethal in healthy adults.) How about bananas? Banana trees have these tightly coiled leaves coming up, and then the banana flowers lean down over that. Well, these banana leaves turn out to be just dandy places for these spiders to live, especially ones that hang out on the leaves. The leaves have this kind of hollow center, so a lot of the spiders hang out in the central, deep-covered hole during the day and then come out at night to hunt on the outside of the leaf. Neither one of them are web-building spiders, and so they just kind of hang out on the leaves at night and nab things that wander or fly by. There are two common groups that are both referred to as "banana spiders," but they're totally different from one another. The first group is the wandering spiders, which is the family Ctenidae, or ctenids. The other is an entirely different family, the Sparassidae, which are the huntsman spiders. They're both big spiders that have relatively long legs. They can both easily be the size of the palm of your hand, no problem. Is there an easy way to tell the two types of banana spiders apart? In one description of the spider in Tulsa, the store manager said it jumped at him. That is so much more like wandering than the huntsman spiders. Huntsmans back off and then run away sideways really fast. They're fast, but they're not aggressive. Huntsmans are big enough [for their bites] to break the skin. I've probably been bitten by huntsmans—I work with Australian huntsman spiders—I don't know, five times? It hurts because it breaks the skin, but their venom is really nothing much, and they're not really inclined to bite at all. When a wandering spider is threatened, though, it tends to rear up so its front legs go up in the air in a pretty feisty way, often with its fangs open. It's really scary. So, you've got very, very different behaviors. The huntsman spiders are also different in appearance. Most spiders stand up on all eight legs, but the huntsman spider's legs are rotated so that they're horizontal to the body. This allows them to get really flat to the ground and to move sideways really effectively. In fact, in the U.S. they're sometimes called "giant crab spiders," because they can scuttle around like crabs. The wandering spiders have normal legs that aren't rotated like the huntsman spiders' legs, so they're clearly standing upright, and the underside of the wanderings' front legs, at least in some of their species, is often brightly colored in reds or yellows. It's a warning coloration. What should consumers do if they encounter one of these spiders in their fruit? It's like anything: you have to pay attention to what you're doing and make sure you rinse off your fruit. The wandering and huntsman spiders are both pretty big, so you wouldn't miss them. Black widows are much easier to miss, because they're about the size of a grape. Black widows are really fast in webs, but they're pretty inadequate on the ground. They really can't run on the ground at all. Their abdomens are just too big, so they kind of waddle around. So a black widow is more inclined to simply drop off the web or off a grape into, say, your sink. And then, once on the ground, it's not going anywhere fast. Wandering spiders and huntsman spiders are really fast, and they do just fine on the ground. Now, I'm personally not all that big on squishing these guys. I think it's a whole lot more interesting to get them in a jar and get them identified. Spiders don’t naturally attack humans, so the risk of getting bitten is very low. Basically, people shouldn’t worry too much. Black widows, for example, are really shy. They only bite when they perceive a threat, such as a hand trying to grab them. You should try to get the offending spider to drop on the ground and quickly scoop it up into a large container (just as you would with any other spider). If a black widow does bite you, wait 15 minutes to see if she (only the females are toxic enough to harm humans) has actually injected venom in you--it starts to really hurt. That is the advice given by Poison Control in Arizona. Then go to an emergency room where they can provide antivenom or palliative treatment. Evidently, when a Brazilian wandering spider bites, it hurts immediately, so you go to the doctor or emergency room with the spider if possible, It’s always best for people to bring the spider with them, so the hospital can provide the correct treatment. (For more tips see the CDC’s guide on venomous spiders .) Could stores or shippers do more to keep spiders out of our bananas and grapes? I'm not sure what more could be done. A lot of the insects on these fruits are being doused with chemicals or washed before shipping. For example, before bananas are shipped, they are taken off the plant, put in a water trough to wash them off and then they're packed in large shipping containers, which are kept quite cool. Grapes are shipped at cooler temperatures, too. What will happen is that the spiders at those lower temperatures become quiescent. Some may be dying, but a lot of animals can take cold temperatures for awhile. Both bananas and grapes are sold at the grocery not chilled. So, basically, what you've got is spiders that have been cooled pretty much until they've reached the grocery that are waking up. How dangerous are most spiders? What's important to keep in mind is that truly a small portion of spiders are dangerous to humans. Basically, most spiders can't do a whole lot. They can't break the skin or their venom doesn't react with human physiology. It's estimated that 50 percent of all spider bites don't even inject venom, and they are unlikely to go after humans. Still, you wouldn't want to be bitten by a wandering spider, Brazilian or otherwise. There are wandering spiders all over Latin America, where most bananas come from, the Brazilian wandering spider, or Phoneutria nigriventer , is only found on the Atlantic coast of Brazil, not in Honduras, where the bananas at the Tulsa store came from. The chances of encountering one are really very slim.

The red-faced banana spider, Cupiennius chiapanensis , from Central America is occasionally brought into North America on bananas and often misidentified as a toxic Brazilian spider.

Are Dangerous Spiders Hiding in Your Fruit?

Probably not, says a new study that shows most hitchhiking arachnids are harmless.

Fruit shipped from afar sometimes arrives with an unwelcome bonus: a large, scary-looking spider.

The arachnids, which hide among bunches of bananas and other fruit shipped from South America to the United States and the United Kingdom, can frighten the daylights out of unsuspecting humans.

Reactions can be extreme: Schools have closed . Homes have been evacuated ( again and again ). Grocery stores have pulled whole shipments of produce , as occurred in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2013.

This is because people can be quick to assume the stowaways are Brazilian wandering spiders, dangerous South American arachnids with a reputation for being fast, aggressive, and highly toxic (the name of their genus, Phoneutria , means murderess in Greek). (See " 7 Bug and Spider Myths Squashed .")

Sometimes, that might be true. But often, the hitchhiking spiders are harmless—victims of a case of mistaken identity, says arachnologist Rick Vetter , now retired from the University of California, Riverside.

Suspecting that wandering spiders rarely go to North America in a fruit basket, Vetter set out in 2006 to determine which spiders are really bumming rides across the Equator.

He searched the scientific literature and asked a fruit importer to report any incidences of spiders turning up in shipments. Then he spent the next eight years identifying who the international stowaways actually were, results that will appear soon in the Journal of Medical Entomology .

In total, Vetter tallied 135 spider hitchhikers, only seven of which were Phoneutria.

National Geographic spoke with Vetter about the most common banana-riding spiders and why it's important to clear up these misconceptions.

Which spiders do you tend to see most commonly in fruit shipments coming to North America?

The main ones are the pantropical huntsman spiders ( Heteropoda venatoria )—big, leggy beasts, very attractive—they're the ones with the white moustache. They're found all over the world in tropical areas. Ecuador is where they're coming from in bananas a lot. And the red-faced banana spider ( Cupiennius chiapanensis ).

How frequently will you find a spider falling out of your bananas?

We really didn't get that many. The most I got was 15 spiders in a year. And this is from somebody who's bringing international cargo into North America. But I only got about half the spiders that people contacted the fruit importer about. (Also see " Ask Your Weird Animal Questions: What Happens If You Swallow a Spider? ")

The pantropical huntsman spider, Heteropoda venatoria, is found in many tropical regions and sometimes hitchhikes on food shipments.

What are the economic impacts of misidentifying spider species?

This has caused, and can cause, some severe economic situations. [Say] you've got $26,000 worth of bananas sitting on a ship because somebody has identified this thing as a deadly wandering spider. Or you have 20 truckloads of wicker furniture from Mexico that they are going to fumigate and then develop a personal-protection program for their employees.

So what my paper is doing is giving information to the entomologists and arachnologists so they can properly identify the spiders—and there's also information about how toxic these things are, and it should stop some of the insanity that goes on when people find a large spider in their fruits.

In terms of the spiders being found in fruit and the hyperbolic response to those discoveries, who do you think is most to blame for that? The people who are finding the spiders? The people who are misidentifying them?

It's a combination. Part of the problem is that these spiders are misidentified online. They'll have a picture that they say is a wandering spider, but it's a photo of the red-faced spider, which is harmless. ( See a video of the world's biggest spider .)

And then there's the psychology: If there are two ways you can go with something—something that's harmless, or something that's potentially dangerous—people always go down the dangerous route. Which may be a survival instinct. Maybe it's better to take something as dangerous, even if it's harmless, than to figure it's harmless when it's dangerous.

Why do you think people choose the thing that is scary versus the thing that is not?

It's much more exciting to say, "I found a deadly, toxic spider!" than to say, "I found something that's harmless."

I was giving a talk and said to the audience, "If you get a bacterial infection, do you tell anyone about it? No. But if you think you have a brown recluse bite , you tell everybody! You put it in your Christmas letter." (See " Why Did Thousands of Venomous Spiders Swarm a House? ")

After the talk, I was in the lobby, and a guy comes up and he says, "We thought my wife was bitten by a brown recluse ... and you're right, we did put it in our Christmas letter."

Follow Nadia Drake on Twitter .

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Spider Research

Department of Entomology

Deadly Banana Spiders !!!!!!!!! Or not

Updated 3 aug 2015.

Every once in a while in North America, a large spider (or a spider egg sac) is found in international cargo, most commonly in bananas. The spider is collected and taken to a local “authority” who typically has no arachnological experience. A quick search of the Internet leads the “authority” to identify the spider as a deadly armed or wandering spider of Brazil (genus Phoneutria ) and then, panic and hyperbolic media coverage ensues. However, most of the time, these incidents are misidentifications of harmless spiders. This is due in part to the dynamic nature of being associated with a potential dangerous animal. People like to jump to the exciting conclusion that they are dealing with a “deadly” creature. Another contributor to the hyperbole is that a quick identification is understandably forced by a desire to know if the spider is indeed dangerous so that cargo crews will not suffer envenomations and cargo can then be unloaded before it decays (in the case of fruit). People then err on the side of the fantastic rather than caution.

Information regarding spiders collected from bananas can be found in the two articles below, which can be obtained from me in PDF form with an email request. [email protected]

Vetter, R.S. and S. Hillebrecht. 2008. On distinguishing two often-misidentified genera ( Cupiennius , Phoneutria ) (Araneae: Ctenidae) of large spiders found in Central and South American cargo shipments. American Entomologist 54: 82-87.

Vetter, R. S., R. L. Crawford and D. J. Buckle. 2014. Spiders (Araneae) found in bananas and other international cargo submitted to North American arachnologists for identification. Journal of Medical Entomology 51: 1136-1143.

Information on spider egg sacs found on bananas is also presented below but read through the information on the spiders first

Armed spiders (Genus Phoneutria )

Spiders of the genus Phoneutria cause the greatest concern. Typically, harmless spiders are misidentified as Phoneutria spiders when intercepted in cargo. The reason for this misidentification is the well-known fact that some species of Phoneutria have red hairs on their chelicerae (the two structures below the eyes on the “face” which have fangs at the end). Unfortunately, these are not the only large spiders found in bananas that have these red hairs. Because almost no one in North America has the proper identification publications for South American spiders, they turn to either the Internet (where the spiders are often already misidentified) or the Golden Guide to Spiders, a very rudimentary identification guide.

The dangers associated with these spiders for North Americans are very much overexaggerated. First, the most cited dangerous species is Phoneutria fera . This is actually an Amazonian species, (i.e., it lives in the Brazilian Amazon) far from areas of human commerce and the Brazilian banana plantations and, therefore, they don’t have the opportunity to be transported in cargo, or at least are highly unlikely to be so moved. In Germany from decades ago, specimens listed as imported P. fera were most likely misidentified specimens of other Phoneutria species. (One must also keep in mind that Phoneutria taxonomy has been a nightmare for the last century with new species being named and other names being absorbed by other existing species, back and forth almost like an Abbott and Costello comedy routine. It is really difficult sometimes to pin down a name because for some spider groups, the taxonomy is not yet settled). The spiders intercepted in Germany were most likely specimens of P. nigriventer and P. keyserlingi , which are only found on the Atlantic coast of Brazil and are mostly involved in Brazilian envenomations. All three of these spiders can get up to 50 mm in body length. However, they still are not nearly as deadly as people claim. In one study of 422 Phoneutria bites in coastal Brazil, only 2.3% of the victims required antivenom and the only death was one small child. Although there is an obvious major concern when children are bitten, most bite victims experienced minor problems without long-lasting effects and certainly not death. Most of the bites were in adults; minor symptoms resolved without complications.

Although these large spiders were transported in bananas to Europe many years ago, currently, Brazil consumes almost all of its banana crop domestically so now there is less chance for the spiders to be transported out of the country, at least in fruit.

On the west coast of South America, another species, P. boliviensis , exists and has occasionally been transported in cargo to North America (mostly from Ecuador). However, in comparison to its eastern relatives, this species is smaller (30 mm body length) and its envenomation effects are milder. A paper on bites in plantation workers revealed annoying symptoms but no deaths. Workers missed 2 to 3 days of work. So even if these spiders were transported to North America, they are not considered very dangerous and should not cause concern.

To summarize:

The dangerous species of Phoneutria are found in the Amazon where interaction with people is rare and transport out of the country in commerce is highly unlikely.
The two species associated with high human population on the eastern Brazilian coast cause human envenomations but are not as dangerous as they are reported to be. Although they can cause death in young children, most bite victims experience mild reactions.
Brazil no longer exports much of their banana crop.
The western South American species of Phoneutria is much smaller than the eastern species and although sometimes is transported, it is not a major medical concern when bites occur.
All Phoneutria species are virtually restricted to South America. If a spider is found in a banana shipment from Central America, then it is highly unlikely to be a Phoneutria spider (see next section)

Cupiennius spiders

These are the spiders that are most frequently mistaken as Phoneutria spiders. They are large, found in banana shipments and one species, Cupiennius chiapanensis , has bright red hairs on its chelicerae. One major contributing factor to the confusion is that C. chiapanensis was only officially described in 2006 so only a few arachnologists in Central America were aware of this spider. There are other species, C. getazi , and C. coccineus, which have sometimes been transported to North America in bananas. The large species of Cupiennius, which are most frequently found in banana shipments in North America, live exclusively in Central America. They have characteristic coloration:

Cupiennius chiapanensis - bright red hairs on chelicerae

Cupiennius getazi - underside of legs near body has black dots on white background

Cupiennius coccineus - underside of front legs near body has bright red hairs

Cupiennius getazi

However, because C. chiapanensis has bright red hairs on the chelicerae and was only recently described, almost no sources have accurate information on this spider. Hence, it looks closest to Phoneutria fera and then the hysteria starts. I am aware of 6 cases where a North American arachnologist (including myself) as well as several Mexican authors made misidentifications, most of which came before 2006. No species of Cupiennius spider is considered dangerous and verified bites result in mild pain for a short time with no long-lasting effects.

Cupiennius spiders are often found in banana shipments to North America but are harmless.
Cupiennius spiders are virtually restricted to Central America or at least the ones that end up in banana shipments come only from Central America.
Cupiennius chiapanensis has only been officially known since 2006 and is frequently mistaken as the potentially dangerous Phoneutria fera , even by experienced arachnologists because both spider species have red hairs on their chelicerae.

Huntsman spider, Heteropoda venatoria

This spider is established worldwide in tropical areas including Hawaii and Florida. It is frequently found in cargo shipments of all kinds and in bananas is common from Ecuador. It has a white “moustache” under its eyes and holds it legs rotated to the side like a crab. The males and females have strikingly different coloration. These spiders are harmless.

Summary for the entire page so far

If you have a large spider found in bananas from a country in Central America, it is most probably going to be a harmless species of the genus Cupiennius .
If you have a large spider found in bananas from western South America (i.e., Ecuador), if it has a white moustache, it is the harmless huntsman spider, Heteropoda venatoria. If large but with no moustache, possibly it is Phoneutria boliviensis, which is of minor medical concern but could also be one of several other non-related species.
You can’t use the red facial hairs alone to accurately identify a large spider found in bananas.
None of these spiders are deadly.

Spider egg sacs found on bananas

In the last few years, there have been more incidences of egg sacs found on bananas brought into North America. Most of these are crushed during shipment but on occasion a few survive transport and babies can hatch out of them, causing panic in the home owner. And once again, people who have no arachnological training immediately identify these egg sacs as the hyperbolically-dangerous Phoneutria fera spider. First of all, the general public is notoriously bad in identifying spiders in bananas when comparing pictures. Considering how there is almost nothing in the scientific literature on egg sacs of these spiders, it is really amazing that people are so assured that they have correctly identified the egg sac to one species of spider.

In regard to this, I have personally seen 10 to 20 egg sacs from bananas, several with live spiderlings. I was not successful in raising the babies; they wouldn’t eat anything that I offered them including each other and I have reared thousands of baby spiders of other species to adulthood in my career. So people freak out because they fear that these spiders will establish in their homes, when I couldn’t get them to eat anything to get them to the next instar (stage between molts).

In addition, the egg sacs that I have been receiving have about 50 to 200 eggs inside. According to a paper in the Journal of Arachnology , Phoneutria boliviensis , (the small Phoneutria spider) lays an average of 836 eggs in its egg sac with a range of 430 to 1300 eggs. So the egg sacs that I have been receiving are much smaller than the smallest Phoneutria egg sac. Also, from the spiderlings that I have examined, they look closest to a small harmless spider genus, Acanthoctenus . But because these spiders are so small and hard to identify, there is also the possibility that they are being laid by some other species that is never found in bananas so we have no idea what species it is.

But the overall message here is that the egg sacs that have been coming through in bananas do not appear to be anything dangerous and the reports of “deadly” banana spiderlings being found by home owners is just another case of misidentification and unwarranted media hyperbole.

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Deadly Brazilian wandering spiders found in bananas sold at Tesco grocery store, family claims

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An apple a day keeps the doctor away. A banana full of deadly spiders won’t work out as well.

A woman says she found an egg sac full of deadly spiders on some bananas she had recently purchased from a grocery store. While no one was hurt in the incident, her home reportedly needs to be sealed and fumigated for two weeks to make sure none of the deadly arachnids are still lingering around.

Brazilian Wandering Spider Phoneutria Macro

The spiders were reportedly identified as Brazilian wandering spiders. (iStock)

Melanie Price says she saw 20 spiders swarming from an egg sac on a bunch of bananas she had just purchased from a Tesco in Wadebridge, England, The Sun reports. When the mom noticed the spiders, she reportedly grabbed her husband, 3-year-old son and 11-month-old daughter and ran outside.

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The spiders were reportedly identified as Brazilian wandering spiders, one of the most venomous in the world, according to Live Science . If left untreated, a bite from one of these spiders can be deadly, especially to children.

Pest controllers have sealed off the family’s home for two weeks to make sure none of the spiders are still living in the area, The Sun reports.

“They take two hours to kill a human. It was terrifying,” Price told The Sun. “We had to make sure the kids were safe, that comes above anything. It was a hard 48 hours, I can assure you.”

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS In a statement obtained by The Sun, a spokesperson for Tesco said, “We have strict controls to ensure all our bananas are washed and inspected prior to packing. However, on extremely rare occasions, pests can avoid detection.”

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Brazilian Wandering Spider Found in Bunch of Bananas

News: a cocoon of brazilian wandering spiders was found in a bunch of tesco bananas., david mikkelson, published march 12, 2015.

On 10 March 2015, Maria Layton posted a disturbing image on Tesco's Facebook page showing what she identified as a Brazilian wandering spider egg cocoon she found on one of the bananas she had purchased from one of the chain's stores:

According to the Telegraph , the eggs in the cocoon started hatching shortly after Layton discovered them, whereupon the 43-year-old mother of two sealed the spider-infested bananas in a container and placed them in her freezer. She maintained that the arachnids were Brazilian wandering spiders ("the most poisonous in the world") after conducting a Google search and called Tesco to complain about the potentially deadly bananas she had purchased.

When she received little help from customer service, she posted the above-displayed image on Facebook along with a message urging Tesco to remedy the problem:

I just found this on a banana my husband bought from tesco. Does it look like a spider cocoon to anyone? I called Tesco three times and was told to bring it back to the store. I opened the bag and chucked it in the bin before I spotted this thing. Should I take the bin to the store too and my fruit bowl? Would Tesco like to come round to check whether any baby spiders are in our house?

Although Tesco attempted to resolve the issue, the company did not send anyone to Layton's residence to take care of the spiders:

"Our policy is for the customer to take the product to the store where it can be investigated. We don't have a service whereby someone can go out to the home."

The Brazilian wandering spider was named the world's most venomous spider by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010. Although the spider's bite can be deadly, its venom is currently being studied for use in erectile dysfunction medication.

Last updated: 12 March 2015

By David Mikkelson

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.

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The Brazilian Wandering Spider: A Venomous Arachnid That Could Kill You

If you’re an arachnophobe, look away now! The Brazilian wandering spider is one of the deadliest spiders in the world, with a venom that can cause paralysis and even death in humans.

In this article, we’ll explore everything you need to know about this venomous arachnid, from its physical characteristics and habitat to its bite symptoms and treatment options. So, let’s get started!

The Brazilian wandering spider, also known as the banana spider, is a highly venomous arachnid that can be found in various countries across South and Central America. It’s considered one of the deadliest spiders in the world due to its potent venom and aggressive behaviour, which can lead to fatal consequences if left untreated.

As humans continue to encroach on the spider’s natural habitat, it’s becoming more common to encounter these venomous creatures in urban areas.

That’s why it’s important to know what to look out for and how to avoid an encounter with a Brazilian wandering spider.

Table of Contents

Physical Characteristics

This spider can grow up to 6 inches in leg span and has a distinct appearance that makes it easy to identify.

Its body is covered in brown or black hairs, and it has long, thin legs that are often banded with lighter and darker stripes.

Males have larger pedipalps (the “boxing gloves” at the front of the body) than females, which they use to transfer sperm during mating.

Habitat and Distribution

Brazilian wandering spiders can be found in a variety of habitats, including forests, grasslands, and even human dwellings. They are most commonly found in Central and South America, including Brazil, Costa Rica, and Peru.

These spiders are often referred to as “wandering” spiders because they do not build webs like other spider species. Instead, they roam the forest floor or hide in dark crevices during the day, making them difficult to spot.

Venom and Toxicity

The venom of these arachnids contains a neurotoxin that attacks the nervous system, causing paralysis and eventually death if left untreated.

The venom is especially dangerous to young children and the elderly, as well as those with pre-existing health conditions.

Interestingly, their venom has also been studied for potential use in medicine.

It contains a molecule that can help to treat erectile dysfunction, and is being researched as a potential treatment for other conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy.

Symptoms of a Bite

In a period from 1925 to 1945 there were recorded 415 bites by this species, 400 of which required antivenom .

If you’re unlucky enough to be bitten by one of these, you’ll likely experience symptoms within a few hours. These can include:

Intense pain and swelling around the bite area
Nausea and vomiting
Elevated heart rate and blood pressure
Muscle cramps and spasms
Difficulty breathing

Symptoms can vary in severity depending on the amount of venom injected, as well as the age and health of the person bitten. In some cases, the bite can be fatal.

Treatment Options

If you suspect that you’ve been bitten by a Brazilian wandering spider, it’s important to seek medical attention immediately.

The first step is to clean the wound with soap and water and apply a cold compress to reduce swelling. You should then try to keep the affected limb immobilized and elevated.

In severe cases, antivenom may be necessary to counteract the effects of the spider’s venom.

This is typically administered in a hospital setting, where the patient can be closely monitored for any adverse reactions.

Why Banana Spider?

These spiders acquired their other common name, “banana spider”, because it is claimed that they are occasionally found in shipments of bananas, though the number of reports is exaggerated due to common misidentifications of unrelated spiders.

A survey of spiders found in international shipments to North America revealed that only 7 of 135 spiders were Phoneutria species, six being Phoneutria boliviensis from bananas and one Phoneutria nigriventer from a shipment of electrical parts.

Interesting Facts

This arachnid is named for its habit of wandering the forest floor in search of prey, rather than building webs like other spiders.

Male spiders of this species will perform a “dance” to attract females, waving their pedipalps and vibrating their bodies to create a rhythmic sound.

In some parts of South America, the spider is considered a delicacy and is even used as an ingredient in traditional medicine.

By understanding its physical characteristics, habitat, and venom, we can better protect ourselves from encountering this arachnid in the wild.

If you do happen to be bitten, remember to seek medical attention immediately to prevent potentially fatal consequences.

The Brazilian Wandering Spider is not the only deadly spider in the world, check out our article on the Funnel-Web Spider for some more interesting spider goodness!

Is the Brazilian wandering spider the most venomous spider in the world?

Yes, this spider is considered one of the most venomous spiders in the world.

How do I avoid encountering a Brazilian wandering spider?

The best way to avoid encountering a Brazilian wandering spider is to stay away from its natural habitat, which includes forests and grasslands. Be sure to shake out any clothing or shoes before putting them on, and keep your home clean and free of clutter.

Can you die from a Brazilian wandering spider bite?

Yes, in severe cases, a Brazilian wandering spider bite can be fatal.

Are there any natural remedies for a Brazilian wandering spider bite?

No, there are no known natural remedies for a Brazilian wandering spider bite. Seek medical attention immediately.

What should I do if I see a Brazilian wandering spider in my home?

If you see a Brazilian wandering spider in your home, do not attempt to handle it. Call a professional exterminator to safely remove the spider.

How can the venom of the Brazilian wandering spider be used in medicine?

The venom of the Brazilian wandering spider contains a molecule that can help to treat erectile dysfunction, and is being researched as a potential treatment for other conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy.

Are Brazilian wandering spiders found only in Brazil?

No, while the Brazilian wandering spider is primarily found in Brazil, it can also be found in other countries in South America.

How can I identify a Brazilian wandering spider?

The Brazilian wandering spider is typically brown or black in color, with long, hairy legs and a body that can be up to 2 inches in length. It has a distinctive red marking on its underside, which is often used as a warning signal to potential predators.

Can I keep a Brazilian wandering spider as a pet?

No, it is illegal to keep a Brazilian wandering spider as a pet in many countries, including the United States. Additionally, the spider’s venom makes it a dangerous animal to keep in captivity.

What should I do if I encounter a Brazilian wandering spider in the wild?

If you encounter a Brazilian wandering spider in the wild, the best course of action is to stay away from it and not disturb it. If you do get bitten, seek medical attention immediately. Remember to never attempt to handle or capture a venomous spider like the Brazilian wandering spider, as it can be extremely dangerous.

However, not all spiders are created equal. Some of them are quite docile and even friendly (ish)! We have a great article on jumping spiders HERE for example.

Until next time, stay spidery!

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5 Types of Banana Spiders (From Harmless to Venomous)

If you’re confused about banana spiders, you’re not alone. Turns out that there are at least 5 types of spiders commonly called banana spiders depending on where you live. Here’s what you need to know about range and venom levels.

Guide to Banana Spiders (All Types)

To help clear the confusion, let’s dive into the following banana spider facts.

1. Golden silk orb-weaver spiders

Common name: Golden silk orb-weaver spiders
Latin name: Nephila
Also known as Golden silk orb-weaver, giant wood spider, calico spider, writing spider
Venomous: Not harmful to humans
Range: Warmer regions throughout Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas
Size: Body length: 1.5 to 2 inches (4.8 to 5.1 cm)
Unique feature: Strong, impressive webs

What does a golden silk orb-weaver banana spider look like? These spiders feature cylindrical bodies. Females are much larger than the mostly-brown males and have yellow and white abdomens and long, skinny legs that are striped with yellow and brown bands.

Chances are if you live in a warm region of the world, you’ve seen one of these golden silk orb-weavers that are often called banana spiders as well as various other names.

Much larger than their brown male counterparts, the females are the most striking because of the coloring on their bodies and their long, slender legs.

Most likely, it’s the webs of these spiders that catch your attention because they’re often quite large with intricate designs. If you’ve ever accidentally walked into one, you know how strong they are because they’re hard to get off your face.

Did you know these spiders can even adjust the hue of their webs according to the local sunlight conditions in order to catch prey by surprise? How’s that for some pretty cool banana spider facts?

Nephila spiders usually won’t bite you unless you poke at them and threaten them. Their bites may sting and cause redness, but their venom is mild and not harmful to healthy humans.

2. Cupiennius (Banana Spider)

Common name: Banana spider
Latin name: Cupiennius (genus)
Also known as Red-faced banana spider
Venomous: Mild, comparable to a bee sting
Range: South and Central America
Size: Body length: 0.35 inches (9 mm) to 1.6 inches (40 mm)
Unique feature: Vivid red hairs on chelicerae (mouthparts). Frequently mistaken for Phoneutria spiders

What does a Cupiennius banana spider look like? Spiders of the Cupiennius genus are usually large with brown, furry bodies and long, skinny legs. Some species of this genus are distinguished from other similar spiders by the bright red hairs on their mouthparts.

Native to Central and South America, Cupiennius is a genus of spiders broadly called banana spiders because bananas are the plants on which these spiders are most often found.

It’s quite common for workers in other countries to discover these spiders in imported banana shipments. Cupiennius are also called hunting spiders or huntsman spiders because they hunt their prey instead of spinning webs.

There are eleven species of the Cupiennius banana spider. In brackets is their known range.

Cupiennius bimaculatus (Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Guyana, Ecuador )
Cupiennius chiapanensis (Mexico)
Cupiennius coccineus ( Costa Rica to Colombia)
Cupiennius cubae (Cuba, Costa Rica to Venezuela)
Cupiennius foliatus (Costa Rica, Panama)
Cupiennius getazi (Costa Rica, Panama)
Cupiennius granadensis (Costa Rica to Colombia)
Cupiennius remedius (Guatemala)
Cupiennius salei (Mexico, Central America, Hispaniola)
Cupiennius valentinei (Panama)
Cupiennius vodou (Hispaniola)

If you don’t know your spider types, you might freak out, mistaking one of these for the more venomous spider, the Phoneutria (Brazilian wandering spider).

The two look similar, but you can distinguish the Cupiennius by its bright red mouthparts . Some species of Cupiennius spiders are large and scary-looking, but they’re only mildly venomous. The effect of their venom to a human is comparable to that of a bee sting.

3. Hawaiian garden spider

Common name: Hawaiian garden spider
Latin name: Argiope appensa
Also known as orb-weaving spider, banana spider
Range: Pacific Ocean, in Hawaii, Taiwan, Australia, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Indonesia
Size: Length including body and legs: 0.75 to 2.5 inches (1.9 to 6.4 cm)
Unique feature: Webs with zig-zag designs

What does a Hawaiian garden banana spider look like? Males are small and brown. The much larger females are yellow and black with a body shaped like a king’s crown.

If you don’t live on any of the islands of the Pacific Ocean, you probably won’t see a Hawaiian garden spider because that’s where they call home.

At first glance, you might think this spider looks the same as one of the Nephila orb-weaver spiders because the females have similar black and yellow stripes. Take a second look, and you’ll notice that their bodies are not cylindrical like the Nephila but have the shape of a king’s crown.

Another way to tell the Hawaiian garden spider from other orb-weaver spider types is by their webs. These spiders know how to make their webs durable by weaving them with a distinctive zig-zag design.

Hawaiian garden spiders are not harmful to you unless you’re a bug. If you spot one in your garden, you should let it alone because they prey upon insects that eat plants and flowers.

4. Golden silk-orb weaver

Common name: Golden silk-orb weaver
Latin name: Trichonephila clavipes
Also known as Banana spider
Range: North, Central, and South America
Size: Body length: 0.31 to 2 inches (8 to 50 mm)
Unique feature: Clumps of dark hair on legs

What does a Trichonephila clavipes banana spider look like? These spiders are similar to the black and yellow Nephila but have longer, darker, and less yellow bodies.

Officially regrouped within the Trichonephila genus, this silk orb-weaver was previously classified as a Nephila species. That’s no wonder since it looks similar to the black and yellow Nephila .

Upon careful observation, you’ll see that this species features a longer body that is also darker in color with less yellow. It’s also known for the clumps of dark hair on its legs which are common among its genus.

Trichonephila clavipes live in the range from the southeastern USA throughout Central America and all the way to Argentina in South America, but they can also be found as far north as Eastern Canada in the summer.

Although this spider may look threatening, it is not aggressive. It will only bite if it’s handled roughly, and its venom is harmless to humans, causing only slight redness to the bite area.

5. Brazilian wandering spider

Common name: Brazilian wandering spider
Latin name: Phoneutria
Also known as Armed spider, huntsman spider, banana spider
Venomous: Extremely venomous
Range: Central America and northern South America
Size: Leg span: 5.1 to 7.1 inches (130 to 180 mm); Body length: 0.67 to 1.89 inches (17 to 48 mm)
Unique feature: Dangerous venom that could be fatal to humans

What does a Brazilian wandering spider banana spider look like? Phoneutria are large, brown and hairy spiders with long legs and are recognized by the patch of dense, fine hair on their pedipalps (pair of appendages adjacent to the chelicerae mouthparts)

Another genus of spiders commonly called banana spiders because they’re often discovered in banana shipments, Phoneutria spiders have much in common with Cupiennius .

Their found in Central and South America, they’re large, hairy, and brown, and they also hunt their prey at night instead of using webs. Plus, the species, Phoneutria fera , features bright red mouthparts like Cupiennius .

Aside from the similarities, it’s vitally important that you recognize the differences between these two spider types. Although incidents are rare, bites from Phoneutria can be dangerously toxic to humans and have been known to be fatal to young children.

Fortunately, there are a couple of ways to tell the difference between these two spider types.

Phoneutria has patches of dense, fine hairs on its pedipalps, which are the two appendages beside the chelicerae mouthparts. If you don’t want to get that close to the spider, then take a look at the forelegs.
Phoneutria forelegs often have a dark stripe on the front side and contrasting black and yellow/white bands on the underside.

Banana Spider Questions and Answers

What is a banana spider.

Well, it might sound like it’s a spider that either eats bananas or looks like a banana, but a banana spider is actually the common name for various spiders found around the world.

Some are called such either because they feature yellow bodies or because they’re found living on banana plants and in shipments of imported bananas.

How many types of banana spiders are there?

There are at least five types of banana spiders which are discussed in this post.

They include:

Hunting spider ( Cupiennius )
Golden silk orb-weaver ( Nephila )
Hawaiian garden spider ( Argiope appensa )
Golden silk-orb weaver ( Trichonephila clavipes )
Brazilian wandering spider ( Phoneutria )

There is also a goblin spider native to China that’s listed in the Bannana genus.

Are banana spiders venomous?

The banana spiders in this post all contain venom, but most of them are not harmful to humans except for redness and a stinging feeling at the bite location.

The only banana spider you should be concerned about is the Brazilian wandering spider ( Phoneutria ) which can be harmful and possibly fatal to humans. If you’re ever bitten by a Brazilian wandering spider, you should seek medical help immediately.

How deadly is a banana spider?

Only the Brazilian wandering spider is considered deadly, and that’s not all the time. Unfortunately, two children died from bites by the same spider in São Sebastião, Brazil. But some workers on banana plantations have reported only mild reactions after being bitten.

Experts believe this is because these spiders don’t always release their full venom at once but sometimes produce “dry bites.”

Where do banana spiders live?

Different banana spiders live in different places around the world. The ones that are found in banana plants live in Central and South America.

Some known as golden silk orb-weavers live in warm regions like Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas while others live in the islands of the Pacific Ocean.

Are banana spiders aggressive?

Banana spiders may look frightening, but they’re usually shy and won’t bother you as long as you don’t bother them. If they feel threatened, they may bite out of defense.

Common banana spider myth (debunked)

Have you ever heard that monkeys peel bananas from the end opposite to the stem because they know that banana spiders live in the banana tips? It’s a common myth that banana spiders lay their eggs in banana plant blossoms, and baby spiders can end up in your breakfast.

So, before you swear off eating bananas, rest assured that this myth is false. Banana spiders lay their eggs in the leaves of banana plants and not the banana blossoms which grow and change too quickly for a mother banana spider’s peace of mind.

Learn more about bananas in our Weird & Tasty Guide to 28 Banana Facts

You might also enjoy: 22 Rhinoceros Beetle Facts

We hope that these banana spider facts have helped you learn more about what banana spiders are and why they’re called such. Before this post, were you familiar with banana spiders? Did any of these facts surprise you? Let us know in the comments!

Hi, I'm Bryan Haines . And I'm a co-founder of Storyteller.Travel . I'm a traveler and photographer.

I also blog about photography on Storyteller Tech .

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Everyone split!

A supermarket in Austria shuttered this week after a venomous Brazilian wandering spider was spotted wandering in the bananas, TMZ reported , citing fears that a bite from the deadly creature can cause long-lasting, painful erections.

The Penny market in Krems an der Donau — which is about 45 minutes west of Vienna, the nation’s capital — has reportedly been closed since Tuesday.

The store manager allegedly rang the fire department after spotting the 4-inch black-and-red creepy crawly. Helpers sealed the store’s banana crates, but the spider is still at large, per The Mirror .

The Brazilian wandering spider’s venom “stimulates” an erection that lasts for hours, according to Live Science .

Those who are bitten by the spider can suffer high blood pressure and pain throughout their bodies.

“The erection is a side effect that everybody who gets stung by this spider will experience along with the pain and discomfort,” said Dr. Romulo Leite of the Medical College of Georgia, who has studied the spider .

“We’re hoping eventually this will end up in the development of real drugs for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.”

In 2012, Smithsonian Magazine suggested the spider could work as the next Viagra, to help men who have erectile disfunction. But it doesn’t seem like this idea has legs, as of yet.

This is not the first time this type of venomous spider has wandered to Europe.

In May 2017, “hundreds” of the spiders infiltrated someone’s bananas they had purchased from the supermarket Asda in the UK, according to The BBC.

The spiders spurred the family to evacuate their home.

In the spring, a UK man reported finding a painful and venomous — but not deadly — Huntsman spider in his bananas from the Tesco grocery store.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a shock horror reaction like it before. I was completely gobsmacked to discover it,” Craig Harrison told Caters, adding it “gave me the fright of my life.”

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Live Science

11 deadliest spiders

Posted: April 20, 2023 | Last updated: June 27, 2023

<p> Spiders are some of the most successful arthropods on the planet, having colonized every continent except Antarctica. Not all of these eight-legged arachnids are venomous, but some can be deadly to humans. From the notorious black widow to the ultra-deadly funnel web spider, here are some of the deadliest spiders on Earth. </p> <p> <em>By Christina Hughes.</em> </p>

Deadliest spiders

Spiders are some of the most successful arthropods on the planet, having colonized every continent except Antarctica. Not all of these eight-legged arachnids are venomous, but some can be deadly to humans. From the notorious black widow to the ultra-deadly funnel web spider, here are some of the deadliest spiders on Earth.

By Christina Hughes.

Brown recluse spider

As their name suggests, brown recluse spiders ( Loxosceles reclusa ) have a shy nature and tend to hide away in dark, sheltered places. However, the brown recluse spider will bite if they feel threatened, and their bites can be deadly. They are usually found in the south and central United States, spanning southeastern Nebraska to southwestern Ohio, south to northwestern Georgia and into Texas.

The brown recluse spider can be dangerous to people because their venom contains a toxin that can cause skin necrosis (rotting). For the most part, symptoms, such as burning and itching at the bite site, as well as fever and nausea, develop a few hours after a bite. In extreme cases, the venom can lead to serious reactions or even death, especially to more vulnerable groups such as young children and the elderly.

Hobo spider

Part of the family of spiders known as the funnel web spiders, the hobo spider ( Eratigena agrestis , formerly Tegenaria agrestis ) can be recognized by it's light to medium brown coloring and the multiple chevron patterns (v-shaped) on its abdomen pointing toward their head. They are often confused with the brown recluse spider (and vice versa), but the brown recluse is much more dangerous to humans. While hobo spiders have been known to bite if they feel threatened, there is much debate about how venomous they actually are. So much so that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has removed them from their venomous spiders list. However, it's still wise to be cautious as hobo spider bites result in swelling and redness around the area, and can have more severe effects in young children.

Hobo spiders are not great climbers, so you'll find their funnel-shaped webs at ground level. Geographically, they can be found in western North America, in the Pacific Northwest and Great Basin, as well as distributed throughout Europe to Central Asia.

<p> In the genus <em>Latrodectus</em>, the black widow is one of the most venomous spiders and is found on every continent except Antarctica. In North America, they're commonly found in southern Canada and in the northeastern United States. You can identify the female black widow spider by its shiny black body and distinct red hourglass-shape on the underside of the abdomen. The male black widow is smaller in size, brown or gray in color with small red sports and does not have the hourglass marking. </p> <p> While both male and female black widows are venomous, only the female is dangerous to humans. The venom of a black widow is reported to be 15 times stronger than that of a rattlesnake, although they don’t deliver as much venom in their bite, so fatalities are rare. That’s not to say a black widow bite isn’t painful! Those unlucky enough to be bitten by a black widow will experience nausea, fever, sweating, restlessness, muscle cramps and labored breathing, and these symptoms may last for several days. </p>

Black widow spider

In the genus Latrodectus , the black widow is one of the most venomous spiders and is found on every continent except Antarctica. In North America, they're commonly found in southern Canada and in the northeastern United States. You can identify the female black widow spider by its shiny black body and distinct red hourglass-shape on the underside of the abdomen. The male black widow is smaller in size, brown or gray in color with small red sports and does not have the hourglass marking.

While both male and female black widows are venomous, only the female is dangerous to humans. The venom of a black widow is reported to be 15 times stronger than that of a rattlesnake, although they don’t deliver as much venom in their bite, so fatalities are rare. That’s not to say a black widow bite isn’t painful! Those unlucky enough to be bitten by a black widow will experience nausea, fever, sweating, restlessness, muscle cramps and labored breathing, and these symptoms may last for several days.

<p> Commonly referred to as armed spiders or banana spiders (as they tend to be found hiding within shipments of bananas), the Brazilian wandering spider is one that you'll definitely want to avoid. They belong to the genus <em>Phoneutria</em>, Greek for "murderess," which is quite apt as they are one of the most venomous spiders on Earth. </p> <p> This arachnid is aggressive, and rather than camping out, the Brazilian wandering spider actively hunts its prey, searching the jungle floor at night. If you ever find yourself in Central and South America, such as Costa Rica or Argentina, watch out! Their neurotoxic venom is extremely painful and affects the nervous system, causing increased sweating and drooling, loss of muscle control, breathing problems, and, in some cases, unwanted prolonged erections. </p>

Brazilian wandering spider

Commonly referred to as armed spiders or banana spiders (as they tend to be found hiding within shipments of bananas), the Brazilian wandering spider is one that you'll definitely want to avoid. They belong to the genus Phoneutria , Greek for "murderess," which is quite apt as they are one of the most venomous spiders on Earth.

This arachnid is aggressive, and rather than camping out, the Brazilian wandering spider actively hunts its prey, searching the jungle floor at night. If you ever find yourself in Central and South America, such as Costa Rica or Argentina, watch out! Their neurotoxic venom is extremely painful and affects the nervous system, causing increased sweating and drooling, loss of muscle control, breathing problems, and, in some cases, unwanted prolonged erections.

Yellow sac spider

The yellow sac spiders ( Cheiracanthium) are in the family Cheiracanthiidae and they probably account for more human bites that any other type of spider. These arachnids are distributed all over the globe, from America to Northern Europe, South Africa to India, and even Australia and Japan. They’re nocturnal predators and during the day they hide in small white web cocoons.

Mildly venomous to humans, the yellow sac spider bite can be painful and sometimes misdiagnosed as brown recluse bites. Their venom can cause necrotic legions, as well as redness, swelling and sores around the bite site.

Brown widow spider

Latrodectus geometricus is the scientific name for the brown widow spider. It looks similar to its infamous "cousin" the black widow, right down to the hourglass-shaped marking on its abdomen, but there are some key differences. The brown widow’s marking is orange and yellow rather than red, and as their name suggests, they predominantly have tan and brown mottling and a spiky, rather than smooth, appearance. Believed to originate in South America, the brown widow spider is found all around the world.

The brown widow's venom is less toxic than that of its black cousin. However, it can still be deadly. Although they don't deliver as much venom as a black widow, the brown widow's bite can still cause latrodectism due to its neurotoxic venom. Symptoms of lactrodectism include pain, perspiration, muscle rigidity and vomiting.

Red widow spider

Living mostly in sand dunes in Central and Southern Florida, the red widow spider ( Latrodectus bishop) is another member of the notorious "widow" family. Their venom is just as lethal as brown and black widows, but as they live so far from human contact there has been no recorded bite in medical literature. The female red widow spider's venom is a neurotoxin which is thought to cause prolonged muscle spasms.

The red widow spider has a red-orange head and legs and a black abdomen with yellow rings around red dots. Rather than an hourglass marking like its "cousins," the red widow usually has one or two red marks.

Redback spider

Due to its strikingly similar appearance, the redback spider ( Latrodectus hasselti ) was once thought to be a sub species of the black widow spider, but it is a distinct species. Also known as the Australian black widow, you can find this creepy crawly throughout Australia, Southeast Asia and New Zealand. The redback spider has even been found in Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Belgium due to inadvertent introductions.

Highly venomous, the bite from the female redback spider can be life-threatening. Using its fangs, it injects a complex venom that causes intense pain at the bite area, in addition to sweating and goosebumps. As time goes on, these symptoms worsen and there may also be redness and swelling, as well as nausea, muscle twitching, headache and fever. Respiratory failure may occur in severe cases. Thankfully, in 1956 scientists released a redback spider antivenom which is very effective, even when used several weeks after the initial bite. No deaths have been reported since.

Funnel-web spiders

Normally in the world of spiders it is the female that is more deadly, but for funnel-web spiders ( Atrax ) the male has the more toxic bite. Any attack must be treated quickly with antivenom, especially if a child has been bitten. There have been several recorded fatalities due to the venomous bites of the funnel-web spider, with death occurring within the hour after being bitten. However, since the development of the antivenom in 1981, there haven’t been any more recorded deaths. Predominantly located in southeast Australia (Sydney), funnel-web spiders are also found in New Zealand, Chile and Europe.

Interestingly, animals such as cats and dogs can actually survive a funnel web bite – it takes about 30 minutes for their body to neutralize the toxin – it's just humans who have such a severe reaction. This venom effects the nervous system and causes symptoms such as an elevated heart rate, numbness/tingling of the mouth and difficulty breathing.

Six-eyed sand spider

Found in deserts in southern Africa, the six-eyed sand spider ( Hexophthalma hahni ) buries itself in the sand to ambush unsuspecting prey. The small, stiff hairs that cover the spider helps to hold sand particles in place, adding to its camouflage. It's otherwise known as the six-eyed crab spider due to its crab-like legs.

Another arachnid that produces venom with necrotic effects, the six-eyed sand spider is the most venomous of any of its arachnid relatives, toxicology studies reveal. Scientists have found that there are proteins within their venom that can cause tissue destruction, blood vessel leakage, and thinning of the blood. No antivenom currently exists.

Mouse spider

Black in color with stocky, thick legs and a distinctively bulbous head and jaw regions, the mouse spider ( Missulena ) looks a lot more frightening than its name sounds. One species is located in Chile, another in South America and the rest distributed throughout Australia. They live in soil-covered burrows, popping out the hinged trapdoor top to attack prey.

Their hard, large fangs can cause a deep and very painful bite. However, while scientists believe that the venom of the mouse spider is very toxic, it is rarely injected. As so few cases have been reported, it is thought that mouse spiders don't use a lot of venom or may even "dry bite." Fortunately, funnel-web spider antivenom has proven effective in cases of mouse spider bite.

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Brazilian Wandering Spider, World's Most Deadly Arachnids Found In
Asda spider: World’s most venomous spider found in pack of bananas
Brazilian wandering spider cocoon found in bananas from Tesco
Brazilian Wandering Spider Facts: the BANANA SPIDER 🍌🕷️ Animal Fact
Brazilian Wandering Spider/Banana Spider
Brazilian Wandering Spider (Banana Spider): Species Profile

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COMMENTS

Phoneutria
Phoneutria is a genus of spiders in the family Ctenidae.They are mainly found in northern South America, with one species in Central America. Members of the genus are commonly referred to as Brazilian wandering spiders. Other English names include armed spiders (armadeiras in Brazilian Portuguese) and banana spiders (a name shared with several others).
Brazilian wandering spiders: Bites & other facts
The Brazilian wandering spider, also called armed spiders or banana spiders, belongs to the genus Phoneutria, which means "murderess" in Greek. And it's no wonder why — it's one of the most ...
8 Absolutely Bananas Brazilian Wandering Spider Facts
The venom glands of the Brazilian Wandering Spider are over a centimetre long, and this is all housed inside the bright red chelicerae (mouth parts) which they are quick to display whenever they get upset. 1. 4. They're aggressive. These spiders can grow quite large and have long, brightly-coloured legs.
Brazilian Wandering Spider: One Of The World's Most ...
Meet the Brazilian wandering spiders in the genus Phoneutria, also referred to as the armed spiders or the banana spiders.The members of this group have one of the most dangerous bites of any ...
Brazilian Wandering Spider
The Brazilian Wandering spider is also called the 'banana spider' as it is occasionally found within shipments of bananas. As a result, any large spider appearing in a bunch of bananas should be treated with due care. Brazilian Wandering Spider Diet. Adult Brazilian Wandering spiders eat crickets, other large insects, small lizards and mice.
Phoneutria fera
Ctenus sus Strand, 1909. Phoneutria fera is a species of spider with medically significant venom in the family Ctenidae found in South America ( Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Suriname, and Guyana ). [1] It is commonly known as the Brazilian wandering spider and the banana spider, [2] although these names are applied to other species in the ...
Brazilian Wandering Spider in Bananas
Brazilian Wandering Spider in Bananas - Fact or Fiction. Saturday 14th March 2015. The internet today has been thrumming with a news story about a lady from Bristol, some bananas from Tesco, and a deadly spider from Costa Rica. But what is the truth and science behind attention grabbing headlines such as - Deadly spider whose bite causes ...
Brazilian Wandering Spider (Phoneutria): Bite, Attacks And Other Facts
The Brazilian wandering spider is a highly venomous and aggressive spider. Also known as the 'banana' spider (because these spiders are frequently found in shipments of bananas), the Brazilian wandering spider 'wanders' the jungle floor as opposed to living in a lair or building a web.
Phoneutria fera
Phoneutria fera is a species of spider with medically significant venom in the family Ctenidae found in South America. It is commonly known as the Brazilian wandering spider and the banana spider, although these names are applied to other species in the genus Phoneutria, particularly Phoneutria nigriventer. P. fera tends to spend a larger amount of time in vegetation during the early period of ...
Brazilian Wandering Spider: Care, Food, Habitat & Preventions
The Brazilian wandering spider, banana spider, or armed spider is a large and venomous arachnid found in Central and South America. While their potent venom can be harmful to humans, encounters are rare. These nocturnal hunters have adopted various habitats, from rainforests to urban areas, and are associated with banana shipments ...
Do dangerous spiders lurk in grocery store produce?
There are wandering spiders all over Latin America, where most bananas come from, the Brazilian wandering spider, or Phoneutria nigriventer, is only found on the Atlantic coast of Brazil, not in ...
Are Dangerous Spiders Hiding in Your Fruit?
The red-faced banana spider, Cupiennius chiapanensis, ... This is because people can be quick to assume the stowaways are Brazilian wandering spiders, ...
Deadly Banana Spider ... or not
The spider is collected and taken to a local "authority" who typically has no arachnological experience. A quick search of the Internet leads the "authority" to identify the spider as a deadly armed or wandering spider of Brazil (genus Phoneutria) and then, panic and hyperbolic media coverage ensues. However, most of the time, these ...
Brazilian Wandering Spider Facts: the BANANA SPIDER ...
Brazilian wandering spiders are known as the banana spider! Do you know why? Learn all kinds of Brailian wandering spider facts on today's episode of Animal ...
Deadly Brazilian wandering spiders found in bananas sold at Tesco
The spiders were reportedly identified as Brazilian wandering spiders. (iStock) Melanie Price says she saw 20 spiders swarming from an egg sac on a bunch of bananas she had just purchased from a ...
Brazilian Wandering Spider Found in Bunch of Bananas
The Brazilian wandering spider was named the world's most venomous spider by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010. Although the spider's bite can be deadly, its venom is currently being ...
The Brazilian Wandering Spider: A Venomous Arachnid That Could Kill You
The Brazilian wandering spider, also known as the banana spider, is a highly venomous arachnid that can be found in various countries across South and Central America. It's considered one of the deadliest spiders in the world due to its potent venom and aggressive behaviour, which can lead to fatal consequences if left untreated.
Banana Spiders; What to Know About the Different Species
The female banana spider size is about 1-3 inches, while the males are only about half an inch long. ... In 2007, the Guinness Book of World Records named the Brazilian wandering spider the most ...
5 Types of Banana Spiders (From Harmless to Venomous)
5. Brazilian wandering spider. Common name: Brazilian wandering spider; Latin name: Phoneutria; Also known as Armed spider, huntsman spider, banana spider; Venomous: Extremely venomous; Range: Central America and northern South America; Size: Leg span: 5.1 to 7.1 inches (130 to 180 mm); Body length: 0.67 to 1.89 inches (17 to 48 mm)
Asda customer stunned after discovering one of the world's deadliest
A customer was left stunned when he discovered a deadly Brazilian wandering spider in a packet of Asda bananas. Neil Langley, 52, was completely unaware that the intruder - thought to be the ...
Deadly Brazilian Wandering Spider Found in Bananas-Reported as
Shoppers have been warned to check bananas for spider eggs after a woman found a nest of Brazilian Wandering Spiders, the world's most venomous, in a bunch of bananas. The Truth: Don't believe reports about deadly Brazilian Wandering Spiders (also known as Banana Spiders) being found in fruit at supermarkets. Many claims about shoppers ...
Supermarket closes after Brazilian wandering spider spotted
A supermarket in Austria shuttered this week after a venomous Brazilian wandering spider was spotted wandering in the bananas, TMZ reported, citing fears that a bite from the deadly creature can ...
11 deadliest spiders
Brazilian wandering spider Commonly referred to as armed spiders or banana spiders (as they tend to be found hiding within shipments of bananas), the Brazilian wandering spider is one that you'll ...