Fauna centipedes Karadaga remains poorly studied to this day. The vast majority of species living in Crimea are small in size and, due to their secretive lifestyle, are hardly noticeable. They live in damp places: in the soil, under stones, under bark and in rotting tree trunks. Only a few major representatives This class of invertebrates can attract the attention of tourists. In human dwellings you can often find a rather large - about the size of a matchbox - centipede with a fringe of long and thin legs. Her elongated delicate body seems to be suspended on curved support legs. It's about O common flycatcher, or scooter- certainly one of the most charming representatives of the vast subclass of Labiopods. Flycatchers are attracted to homes by an abundance of insects. This peculiar animal leads the lifestyle of an ambush predator, less often actively searching for prey. Skutigers, which destroy large numbers of flies, mosquitoes and other insects, the proximity of which is not always pleasant, are useful guests in homes. This cute animal is not at all dangerous for people.
Common flycatcher with prey. Photo by V.S. Marchenko
Under stones lying on damp soil you can find whitish or ivory-colored very long and thin centipedes. Wriggling like snakes, they will immediately try to hide from the light and go into the soil. This geophiles- earthworm eaters. Their frequent neighbors are medium-sized (several centimeters in length) brown drupes. Looks like harmless drupes ringed scolopendra, different from them impressive size. There are specimens over 20 cm long! Scolopendra is poisonous, numerous and almost ubiquitous. It is active mainly at night, but in cloudy weather appears on the surface during the day. Scolopendras are excellent climbers, climbing rocks and treetops, penetrating through windows into houses. So she represents serious danger for someone sleeping under open air careless tourist. Cases of human bites by scolopendra in Crimea are not at all uncommon. The poison is injected with powerful claw-like jaws. You cannot die from the bite of this centipede, but it will cause a lot of trouble. A burning pain is felt at the site of injection of the poison, redness and swelling occur, and in severe cases the temperature rises. It is interesting that this unattractive animal, the sudden appearance of which causes a feeling of chills even in a habitual person, is capable of touching care for its offspring: centipedes carefully incubate and protect the egg laying from attacks by predators until the young animals appear. Scolopendras feed mainly on insects, but are able to cope with bold lizards and newborn snakes.
Scolopendra is a dangerous centipede. Photo N.M. Kovblyuka
Scolopendra is the only large centipede of Karadag. Numerous on the southern coast of Crimea, the large (as thick as a pencil) two-legged centipede - odorous nodule- at the eastern limit Mountain Crimea no longer occurs, and the easternmost point of its range is Cape Alchak, which closes Sudak Bay to the west. These flies have been repeatedly brought to Karadag for experimental purposes, but for some reason they do not take root here.
Arachnids, or Arachnida- a very numerous class of invertebrates. On Karadag this ancient group is represented by several detachments. The squads of scorpions and salpugs (the latter are also called camel spiders) in Crimea are represented the only kind every. Peculiar appearance And unusual behavior These animals have attracted human attention since ancient times. They are mentioned in the Book of the Dead, in Sumerian and ancient Greek myths and chronicles. In Egypt, scorpions were depicted on tombs and monuments. Aristotle wrote that in some countries scorpion stings are harmless, in others they bring inevitable death. In this sense, Crimea is a calm region. In piles of stones and under plaster on old buildings you will occasionally see a small Crimean scorpion. Its total length with the “tail” does not exceed 4.5 cm, and poisonous thorn its telson (the so-called bulbous segment at the end of the abdomen, where the poisonous glands are located) is not able to pierce the rough skin of the sole of a person’s foot.
The cuticle of the Crimean scorpion fluoresces in ultraviolet light. Photo by A. A. Nadolny iO. V. Kukushkina
In the Karadag Nature Reserve, the scorpion is known from isolated finds, but is relatively common within the surrounding cities of Sudak and Feodosia. This scorpion’s attraction to ancient port centers is quite understandable: it recently became clear that the scorpion was brought to Crimea from one of the islands of the southern Aegean Sea, apparently during the era of the ancient Greek colonization of Taurica. But in Crimea, scientists found it much earlier than in their homeland. That is why it is called Crimean. The scorpion also arrived to Karadag as a “hare” - most likely from Sevastopol, along with laboratory glassware from the Institute of Biology South Seas(in the semi-basements of the first marine aquarium, organized by A.O. Kovalevsky, scorpions are found in abundance - under the plaster on the walls). This timid animal is active at night and feeds on flies and other small invertebrates, which it finds in wall crevices and rock cracks. An interesting feature of scorpion biology is the protection of offspring: until the first molt, the female carries her babies on her back. And at this time, do not approach her!
Another original resident of Karadag is common salpuga, or phalanx,- the largest arachnid of the Crimean fauna. Together with its limbs, it reaches the size of a tea saucer. Salpuga is not numerous, lives in rocky areas, and is not easy to find. But on warm summer evenings they meet under the lanterns in the village of the reserve, where they hunt small animals. Despite its size, it's creepy appearance(which is aggravated by exceptional hairiness) and the presence of huge claw-shaped mandibles-chelicerae, salpuga is not capable of causing harm to humans. This is probably why the behavior of the salpug is often defiantly aggressive. The disturbed animal sways on its long legs, makes attacks on the offender and, moving its powerful jaws, without exaggeration, makes a “gnashing of teeth.” Do not pay attention to these advances - the salpug has no poisonous glands. However, it is not worth trying to tease her for the sake of experimentation. The phalanges, being very voracious, do not disdain carrion on occasion and, if bitten, can introduce an infection into the wound.
During the day, furry salpugs can be found under large stones. Photo by L.V. Znamenskaya
Another arachnid would not deserve a mention in the guidebook if it did not come across so often. This is about false scorpion book. This tiny animal, no more than 5 mm in size, is indeed extremely similar in appearance to a real scorpion, only without a “tail” with a poisonous sting. On Karadag false scorpions come across not only in nature, but also between the yellowed pages of the tomes of T.I. Vyazemsky’s library. They feed on tiny insects. Thus, these are a kind of small guardians of a unique collection of books. Interesting feature pseudoscorpions - their tendency to use large flies and beetles as vehicle. Clinging to the legs of their winged brethren with their claws, they travel widely throughout the world.
The greatest diversity is observed in the order of spiders. On Karadag today there are almost 340 species. The insufficient knowledge of the spider fauna of Karadag is evidenced by the fact that species new to science are still being described from here. In 2009, a large (over 1 cm long) representative of the family was found in the Karadag Nature Reserve wolf spiders, which is so different from all its brothers that it even had to be separated into an independent genus - delirium. This arthropod, unknown to science, lived in a ravine trampled by generations of naturalists near the beginning of an ecological trail and, in general, did not really hide from anyone...
Now let's talk about the most prominent representatives the many-sided order of spiders inhabiting Karadag. On rocky slopes, in the cushions of thorny astragalus, one can see elongated web tubes going deep into the bush - into a plexus of thorny twigs. These are trappers of a rather large net funnel web spider. If you look closely, you will notice the light gray body of the host in the depths of the funnel. In piles of rocks by the sea and on tree branches there are often huge, with small Walnut orb weaving spiders, or crossmen. Their networks have a “classic” wheel shape. While walking around the reserve, it is easy to see that they are so careless that they often weave the trails with their snares. In the steppe areas there are numerous large orb-weaving spiders: striped, like a wasp, Argiope Bruennich, with a bullet-shaped abdomen, and silvery, with scalloped outgrowths on a flattened abdomen, Argiope lobata.
Argiope Bruennicha is one of the most noticeable spiders of Karadag. Photo by L.V. Znamenskaya
In the herbaceous layer, small crab spiders, or side walkers, having a short angular abdomen and disproportionately long forelimbs. Hiding in the center of a flower, they lie in wait for insects arriving to feast on nectar. For camouflage purposes, some crab spiders change their color to match their surroundings. All of the listed species of spiders chose the strategy of ambush predators. However, many of their other brethren are skilled trackers who actively hunt for prey. Tarantulas and strays wolf spiders They reach relatively large sizes, usually hunt on the ground and are excellent sprinters. Jumping spiders they take it with caution, sneaking up on the prey on the sly and making a lightning-fast throw at the last moment from a distance that seems incredibly huge in comparison with the more than modest size of the furry hunter. In summer more often than others jumpers a small (less than 1 cm) spider catches your eye philaeus with a scarlet or blood-red belly. He hunts in the thick of it - on sun-hot rocks. Some horses are capable of “hunting cunning”: they do not approach a spotted prey head-on, risking being discovered, but carefully go around it and attack from behind. Selected species They are also capable of a more meaningful maneuver: when they see a prey, they can not only go around it from behind, but also choose a good ambush spot at the top, on a stone or branch, and then unexpectedly jump straight onto the prey.
Smaller spiders of other species sometimes become prey for jumpers. Photo by L.V. Znamenskaya
In houses, long-legged anemic animals are often found on the ceilings. house spiders, which are often called haymakers, mistakenly assigning them the name of a completely different animal. Sometimes a large awkward creature may come to visit tegenaria domestica, whose paws are covered with long soft hairs. These are useful neighbors that save us from annoying insects.
A female wolf spider with offspring on her back appears to be dressed in a black fur coat. Photo by L.V. Znamenskaya
Several species of spiders living on Karadag pose a danger to humans. All of them have powerful mandibles that easily pierce the skin. Among them are large and mobile South Russian tarantula , spider Eresus, the females of which have a massive build and reach sizes of 2 - 3 cm, as well as a delicate and inconspicuous spider, but with huge chelicerae hirakant, often visiting houses. The bites of these spiders are painful, causing a strong local reaction and a fever that lasts for several days. A spider bite can also lead to trouble. atipusa- a representative of an ancient and primitive family, closely related to tropical tarantula spiders. However, all of the listed species that are poisonous to humans are rare, and meeting them during a short excursion around Karadag is almost incredible.
When in danger, the male fat-headed spider (eresus) shows the enemy its brightly colored abdomen with an ocellated pattern. Photo by O. V. Kukushkin
Atipus is a relative of tropical tarantula spiders. Photo by A.A. Nadolny
The only deadly spider found on Karadag is thirteen-point karakurt from a family of tenetniks. People sometimes call it the “black widow.” The fact is that after mating, hungry females often deal with their suitors. Karakurt is easily recognizable. The round-ovoid abdomen of adult females is uniformly glossy black. On its lower surface there may be a light pattern reminiscent of an hourglass - if you think about it, it’s very symbolic... Males and young spiders have white eyes with a red dot in the center scattered across the black background of the abdomen. In the Karadag district, the karakurt lives constantly, but its numbers are significantly lower than in Steppe Crimea, where the main centers of distribution of this species are located, and where it finds optimal conditions for existence. In addition to Karadag, karakurt is found in Koktebel and near Sudak, on Cape Meganom. In some years with favorable weather for this spider, outbreaks of numbers are recorded. Juvenile karakurt are capable of migrating over considerable distances, flying on spider threads. On Karadag, the airborne assault of the Karakurts appears in April - May. Spiderlings “drop anchor” on dry slopes with steppe vegetation (they prefer wormwood) or in pistachio woodlands. There are especially many of them in areas trampled by livestock. In this case, young karakurts settle in cow tracks, which are natural traps for insects. There they build the first loose mesh, in the center of which a cap of motes and the corpses of sucked insects is suspended on guy wires to hide the owner. Feeding heavily, the spiders grow rapidly and reach sexual maturity by July. In August, females lay eggs, packing them in cocoons (there are usually 4 - 5 of them), and die with the first frost. The life of a karakurt is fleeting. The babies survive the winter in cocoons and emerge into the light of day in the spring, after which the cycle repeats. For man greatest danger are females that can reach 2 cm, although relatively small males and even young spiders can also cause serious poisoning. Karakurt poison has a neurotoxic effect, affecting nervous system. At the moment of the bite, a burning pain is felt, which soon spreads throughout the body; due to convulsive contractions of the chest muscles, suffocation occurs, the abdominal muscles are tense, as in peritonitis, strong mental agitation and an insurmountable fear of death are noted. In case of moderate poisoning, the illness lasts several weeks; in severe cases, death occurs within the first two days due to paralysis of the respiratory center in the medulla oblongata. There is a cruel, but simple (which is valuable in field conditions) and enough effective method, allowing to mitigate the consequences of poisoning. It was recommended back in the 1940s after testing on himself by the famous zoologist Professor P.I. Marikovsky, who studied poisonous animals Central Asia, Iran and the Caucasus. Two or three matches are placed on the site of the bite with the heads and then set on fire. Spider venom is protein in nature, is injected shallowly (half a millimeter) and, therefore, can be thermally decomposed by cauterization 1 . However, this measure is effective only in the first 2 - 3 minutes after the bite. Later, this first aid will no longer be relevant, since most of the poison will have time to be absorbed into the bloodstream. It is difficult to understand why this small spider, which feeds on beetles and locusts, needs such monstrous poison. According to one version, this powerful weapon allows karakurt to capture rodent burrows. A person gets into trouble mainly due to carelessness. People walk across the steppe barefoot and sometimes step on karakurt. In this case, the moment of the bite itself may go unnoticed. After all, there are so many thorns in the steppe...
The lair of a female karakurt on the Karagach ridge in the Karadag Nature Reserve. Spider cocoons and remains of predator victims up to the size of a stag beetle are visible. Photo by O. V. Kukushkin
1 We especially emphasize: when bitten by a poisonous snake, cauterization is completely useless and even harmful!
Source : Kukushkin O.V., Kovblyuk N.M. Centipedes and arachnids // Karadag Reserve: Popular Science Essays / Ed. A.L. Morozova. - Simferopol: N. Orianda, 2011. - P. 105-111.
It was a hot July in the Cimmerian steppes of Crimea. We made a 9-day mini-expedition to non-tourist places, the group was quite large, and most of it were girls. During one transition, suddenly an enthusiastic female voice:
Wow! Look how handsome he is!
Naturally, everyone comes together to look, and the girls vying with each other admire what they saw... Do you know who they saw? You won't believe it. They admired something that the female sex usually shy away from - a spider! He is truly beautiful, I would even say one of the most beautiful and spectacular arachnids I have ever met.
People call it differently - wasp spider, zebra spider, sometimes even tiger spider, and all for the black stripes on the yellow and white body. The scientific name of this minke whale is Argiope Brünnich. In Crimea, this spider is not at all uncommon, on the contrary, it is very common in steppe zone.
Argiope is the name of a whole genus of the family of orb-weaving spiders, which includes more than 100 species, and the species living in Crimea is named after the Danish zoologist Brünnich. These spiders live not only in the steppe zone, but also in forests and meadows, spreading their webs in the grass and low bushes. Their main prey are grasshoppers, grasshoppers, and flies.
To catch prey, argiope weaves a circular web, the construction of which “from scratch” takes about an hour. In the center of the spiral network there is a stabilimentum - clearly visible threads forming a zigzag pattern. This distinguishing feature the networks of many orb-weaving spiders and it is on the stabilimentum that the hunter, as a rule, waits for his prey.
The cephalothorax of Argiope is covered with silver hairs. There are dark and light rings on the legs. Like many other members of the genus Argiope, the abdomen has a striped black-yellow-white pattern, for which the spider got its name. The fourth stripe from the cephalothorax has pronounced irregularities, in the form of two tubercles. There are six notches on the edges of the abdomen, with colors ranging from dark to orange.
The arachnoid wart is clearly expressed:
This photo shows a little bit of the stabilimentum, which ends just under the spider’s abdomen:
The life cycle of this spider is one year. Females are much larger than males, and after mating, as in many species of spiders, the female eats the male. This is easy for her to do, because during mating she weaves a strong cocoon around her beloved. True, sometimes the male manages to escape, but this is only until the next female.
Interestingly, these spiders take root well in captivity, so sometimes they can even be found at home in terrariums.
Seeing me, Argiope prepared to escape, going down on a web, which she even released from the arachnoid wart...
Poisonous spiders of Russia. There are few of them, but they exist! It’s better to know these dangerous “comrades” by sight!
Russia is a country of limitless diversity of flora and fauna. Just imagine: our country is home to about 1070 species, 40 varieties and 30 families of spiders alone! But, unfortunately, no matter how beautiful and unusual they are, not all spiders in Russia are safe for humans. What arthropods should you be wary of, and what to do if dangerous meeting couldn't be avoided?
The most dangerous spider that lives in our homeland is the karakurt. It is also called the steppe spider or. The animal looks quite bizarre: the deep black body is decorated with thirty bright red dots on the upper side of the abdomen. As the spider matures, the spots disappear and the body acquires a rich black color with a characteristic shine. Karakurt can be found in the Crimea, in the south of the Urals, in the Moscow region and in the North Caucasus.
The bite of this arthropod causes unbearable pain throughout the body, causing severe poisoning, which at improper treatment may lead to the death of the victim. The most dangerous are female karakurts.
What to do if a bite occurs? Within a few minutes, you need to cauterize the affected area with two or three matches. IN minimum terms the victim needs to be taken to the hospital, where he will stay for a couple of days.
Next in our ranking dangerous spiders is the South Russian tarantula, which is also called Mizgir. This animal has a furry body, up to 30 mm long. Its abdomen is brownish-red in color, and its body is darker in color. They live in the steppe and semi-desert territories of our country; they have been spotted in the Saratov, Oryol and other regions. Tarantulas have a black cap, which distinguishes them from other representatives of the dangerous animal world. The bite of these animals is not fatal, but causes a complex allergic reaction.
Another representative of poisonous spiders in Russia is the eight-legged Cheiracanthium. This spider is quite peaceful and bites only in defense. It has an oblong body of light yellow color. The place of residence of this arthropod is the North Caucasus, but it can also be found in other parts of our country.
The least dangerous, but also poisonous, are web spiders. They belong to the subspecies of crosses. They got their name due to the cross-like pattern on their abdomen. Networts are members of the orb weaver family; their webs are large and radial. The body of these animals is relatively small (no more than 25 mm in length) and has different shades. Like Cheiracanthiums, networts attack only if they are threatened. An arthropod's bite can cause an infection, so if necessary, consult a doctor.
Danger in Crimea: spiders to avoid
Of course, the most dangerous spider inhabiting the Crimean lands is the karakurt. As it became known, meetings with them very rarely end peacefully!
In second position in terms of danger in Crimea is . It is also called a centipede. This animal is not at all interested in humans as prey, but incidents of bites do exist. Avoiding encounters with scolopendra is not difficult, since they mainly lead night image life. When biting, the centipede injects a special substance, which is an analogue of gastric juice. It is this that causes inflammation, which quickly swells and begins to hurt. But these symptoms quickly pass, and the person feels as before.
You should be afraid of the ones that live on the southern coast of Crimea. Like centipedes, they are active at night. They differ from other arthropods in their high speed of movement. They bite humans only during defense; their bites are non-venomous. But you also need to be wary of salpugs: during a bite, the animal suffers a lot of infection, which can lead to serious suppuration of the wound. The bite must be sucked out without swallowing infected saliva. After this, it is imperative to clean the wound with an antiseptic and systematically smear it with a gel containing an antibiotic.
Argiope is another representative of arthropods that can cause harm to humans. The yellow-black coloration and body length up to 1.5 cm emphasize their resemblance to wasps. These spiders are interesting because the females eat the males. Argiope bites are quite dangerous for humans, since an allergic reaction can provoke severe forms of abscesses, and in in rare cases even tissue necrosis.
The Crimean tarantula is the most big spider Crimea, a meeting with him could result in a poisonous bite. So that your summer vacation in Crimea is not overshadowed by the consequences of an encounter with a tarantula, you need to know what to do if it bites you.
The Crimean tarantula is the largest spider in Ukraine. Its second name is the South Russian tarantula. The length of the body reaches 35 mm. The body color is gray with dark and light spots, the body is covered with hairs. It is quite easy to recognize; on its head its color resembles a mask. He lives in the steppe, prefers to hide in vertical holes, which he digs himself.
A spider bite is not as scary as the word "tarantula" and the appearance of the spider. Tarantula venom is not harmful to humans mortal danger, it can cause serious problems only in allergy sufferers and children. Usually, the body's reaction to it is no more than one or two bee stings. But the sting feels more painful than a bee sting, and resembles a wasp sting.
Symptoms of a Crimean tarantula bite
- pain;
- redness at the site of the bite;
- general malaise;
- drowsiness;
- a short-term increase in body temperature is possible.
When does a tarantula bite? It is a mistaken belief that tarantulas attack humans because they are aggressive. This opinion arose due to the fact that the spider hunts its prey without a web - it attacks itself. But the spider does not perceive a person as prey. Most often, females who care for their offspring are bitten. Feeling a threat, the spider can even jump to a height of 10-15 cm to bite the offender. The spider is in the hole almost all the time. The tarantula's hole is vertical, with a diameter of 5-35 mm, so you should be most careful near holes in the ground. Tarantula venom is most toxic in spring and early summer.
The most important thing is to calm down, although the bite is painful, it is no more dangerous for a person than a bee sting:
- wash the bite site with water, preferably with soap;
- provide peace;
- apply cold: cold compress, ice, cold water bottle;
- drink a lot: water will help remove toxins from the body faster;
- take anti-allergy medications.
If you have the opportunity to go to the hospital, take it. There is a serum for tarantula venom that will make recovery easier. 
When to see a doctor
- a child or a person weakened by illness is bitten;
- the state of health of the bitten person deteriorates sharply;
- an allergic reaction began: strong pain and swelling, rash around the bite site.
Experienced tourists, when bitten by a tarantula while hiking, take a break for several hours, when the symptoms are most severe, and then continue the hike. But these are people who are already familiar with the spider and are ready for all sorts of consequences. It's better to go to the hospital.
WHAT YOU SHOULD FEAR OF...
If you are planning a trip to Crimea, you should definitely know about the “biting” creatures that live in these
edges.
On the Crimean peninsula there is one species - ringed centipedes. These creatures are dark brown in color, they look like a huge worm with an infinite number of legs. This animal cannot tolerate temperatures below zero degrees.
Its diet includes worms, spiders, mollusks, larvae, beetles, in short, a variety of insects.
The size of the Crimean centipede is not too large - only 10 to 12 centimeters (about the size of a Chinese lighter). These are really not the largest representatives of the scolopendra genus, there are even longer ones!
This animal prefers to spend most of its time in damp and dark places - lying under stones, ruins of trees, in crevices. During the daytime it is passive, hiding from prying eyes, but at sunset it goes out hunting.
In case of danger, this animal secretes scalding mucus that can leave a wound on our skin.
You should be especially wary of a scolopendra bite in the spring and summer; at these times of the year the poison is most dangerous. But if you nevertheless become a victim of this centipede, then your temperature may rise and last for 1 - 2 days. The symptoms are just like a cold - aches, chills, and plus to this - swelling and severe pain at the site of the bite. In this case, it is better to consult a doctor. The venom of the centipede is not fatal for humans, but if it bites a child or an allergy sufferer, then you should start sounding the alarm - everything can end, oh, how sad!
If the bite was received from a large individual (namely a bite, and not a burn from its legs), then it is recommended to cut the wound a little and rinse with alcohol or a strong solution of potassium permanganate. This is due to the fact that the poison secreted by scolopendra contains lecithin, histamine, hyaluronidase and thermolysins, and it is perfectly preserved in the cold and is easily destroyed at temperature.
Karakurt or black widow is actually the most dangerous inhabitant Crimea and its bite can really lead to fatal outcome. Karakurt poison is 10-15 times stronger than one of the most poisonous snakes- rattlesnake.
Karakurt has a rather modest size - the female is from 10 to 20 mm, and the male is a dwarf - a maximum of 6-7 mm. Only females pose a danger to humans, because The male is not able to bite through human skin. Karakurts have a completely black abdomen, often with red spots on the abdomen or white outlines. Important distinctive feature Black Widows have very long front legs.
The spider's favorite habitats are virgin lands, river banks, ravine slopes, and wastelands. Karakurt loves to settle in the burrows of field mice, in stone rubble, cracks, and dry heaps of old garbage. The spider does not like dense grasses and shrubs, and also does not like high humidity.
This is important to know when you are going camping or looking for a place to pitch a tent. By the way, one of the features of karakurt is their network. Basically, they weave it not vertically, like most spiders, but horizontally.
The Black Widow's bite is painless and does not initially cause any discomfort. A small red spot appears at the site of the bite, which quickly disappears. 15-30 minutes after the bite of a karakurt spider, severe sharp pain occurs, which spreads to the abdomen, lower back, and chest. The abdominal muscles tense, breathing becomes difficult, and the legs go numb. Strong mental agitation occurs, the victim experiences anxiety and fear of death. Dizziness, suffocation, vomiting, and convulsions are also observed. After a karakurt bite, a blue face, irregular pulse and slow pulse are typical. At the end of the initial excitement, the bitten person becomes lethargic, but does not behave calmly, severe pain does not allow him to fall asleep. Symptoms usually last a day or two, but in severe cases much longer. Usually, the shorter the time between the karakurt bite and the appearance of the first symptoms, the more severe the consequences. Full recovery from a karakurt bite occurs after 2-3 weeks, but general weakness lasts more than a month. In severe cases, if you do not provide medical care, death after a karakurt bite occurs within 1-2 days.
What will help in the field?
First of all, during the first minutes, the karakurt bite site needs to be cauterized with two or three matches. To do this, apply 3 match heads to the bite site and light them with the 4th. When bitten, the top layer of skin is affected, so the flame of matches is enough to partially neutralize and destroy the poison. The person bitten should drink warm tea or water. Give a little at a time, since after a karakurt bite, urine output worsens. To relieve pain, you can inject painkillers (analgin 2 ml + diphenhydramine 1 ml, ketanol 1 ml). But all these are just supportive measures! In the event of a bite, immediate medical attention is required. medical institution. The only means to neutralize the poison of karakurt is the Tashkent anti-karakurt serum.
In nature, the guardians of the virus, tick-borne encephalitis and its carriers are ixodid ticks. They retain the virus for life and pass it on to their offspring. Therefore, all mobile stages of tick development (larva, nymph and adult) are involved in the spread of the disease. In general, 5 genera and 12 species of ticks have been registered in the Republic of Crimea, 4 of which are carriers of tick-borne encephalitis.
The favorite habitats of ticks are forests and park areas with dense grass, where they are difficult to penetrate. Sun rays. Observations have shown that the tick is located mainly in lower tier vegetation, located at the level of the feet and shins of a walking person.
Ticks are most concentrated along forest paths trodden by animals or humans (2 meters from the path there are 4 times fewer ticks than on the path). Ticks accumulate in large numbers in areas of livestock grazing and watering places.
The sucking of ticks is almost not accompanied by pain, but some people feel itching at the bite site, which swells and turns red due to hypersensitivity body to the saliva of ticks. Ticks are most active from 8 to 14 and from 17 to 19 hours.
It has been established that humans are not very sensitive to the tick-borne encephalitis virus, so not everyone who is bitten by a tick develops signs of the disease. In the outbreaks of this disease, among the local population, there are many people whose blood contains antibodies to tick-borne encephalitis, which indicates that they have been infected in the past.
The latent period of illness in humans lasts 1-3 weeks, sometimes longer. The disease begins with a rapid increase in body temperature, severe headaches, muscle and joint pain, dizziness, general condition worsens. Possible disturbances of consciousness, convulsions, trembling of the muscles of the arms and legs, paralysis of the neck muscles, shoulder girdle, limbs.
Tick-borne encephalitis can cause disability and even death of the patient.
What will help in the field?
For self-removal tick - fill the area of skin with the tick with vegetable (unrefined) or camphor oil (the tick does not tolerate these odors and can crawl out on its own, but can leave its proboscis), after 10-15 minutes, using tweezers, carefully unscrew the tick with a rotational movement - counterclockwise. The tick's proboscis is spiral-shaped, and if you simply pull it out, the proboscis can come off and remain in the body.
Vaccinations against tick-borne encephalitis are carried out 1 - 1.5 months before going into the forest, and people who, due to the nature of their work, are at high risk of contracting tick-borne encephalitis are vaccinated.
In areas where cases of tick-borne encephalitis are registered, it is prohibited to hold sports and entertainment events among preschool and school age, excursions and hiking trips associated with staying in the forest are limited.
SOUTH RUSSIAN TARANTULA (MISGIR)
Spider size, females up to 30 mm, males up to 25 mm. The body is densely covered with hairs. The color is brownish-red above, almost black below.
Tarantulas love dry areas such as steppes or deserts. Found in the steppe part of Crimea. Tarantulas are nocturnal predators. During the day, they take refuge in vertical burrows up to 50 cm deep. Sometimes they choose natural shelters for shelter - various cracks and faults. To protect themselves from frost in winter, tarantulas deepen their burrow and bury the entrance.
At night, spiders come to the surface and begin hunting. The tarantula's diet consists of various insects, smaller in size than the spider itself. Tarantulas do not weave trapping nets; they use the web only to build an egg cocoon and cover the walls of the burrow.
All tarantulas are poisonous, but this does not mean that they are particularly dangerous to humans. Their venom is enough to paralyze a small animal, but for people a tarantula bite is equivalent to a wasp sting, well, maybe a little stronger. Swelling appears at the site of the bite, the venom causes pain and numbness, and the temperature often rises. Only a severe allergic reaction can lead to death.
Tarantulas never attack anything larger than themselves. And from this it follows that he will not bite a person first, only in case of self-defense, for example, when you accidentally pressed him.
What will help in the field?
Rinse the bite area thoroughly big amount soapy water.
Apply a tourniquet to the bitten limb and immobilize it as much as possible.
Apply ice to the bite site.
Drinking plenty of fluids is recommended. Then some of the poison will be eliminated faster in the urine.
For adults, you can give aspirin or acetaminophen. It is better to give paracetamol to children.
If possible, crush the tarantula and apply blood to the bite area. The fact is that his blood contains an antidote to his own poison.
When allergic reaction, the victim is better off in as soon as possible deliver to the hospital.
SALPUGA (PHALANX SPIDER)
Phalanx or salpuga are representatives of arachnids. Outwardly, they are very similar to spiders, but they are not. Salpugs are very interesting insects; their lifestyle combines primitive features and signs of high development. The body of the salpuga is brown-yellow or light brown, 5-7 cm long. The entire phalanx is covered with long hairs. In front there are tentacles-pedipalps, very similar to limbs and performing their function. They prefer desert, hot and dry climates, and only a few are found in the loess zone. Phalanges are nocturnal. During the day they hide in the burrows of rodents and other animals; if there is nothing suitable nearby, they can dig it themselves. Most often, salpugs change their home every night, but some can use the same hole for a long time. Although the phalanx is a nocturnal animal, it is very easy to meet it! It is enough to light a big fire and they will come running towards the light.
The salpuga's diet includes spiders, beetles, wood lice, scorpions, and grasshoppers. Large individuals attack lizards and young birds. They can jump up to 1 meter in height and reach speeds of up to 16 km/h. Thanks to this feature, they received one of their names - “wind scorpion”, which is translated as “wind scorpion”.
Small individuals are not able to bite through human skin, but large phalanges can do this. Salpugs do not have glands that produce poison, and the bite itself is not poisonous, but particles of previous victims remain on their jaws, decomposing and rotting. These residues are very toxic and, if they enter an open wound from a phalanx bite, can cause both local inflammation and blood poisoning. The bite itself is very painful and unpleasant, even without consequences.
What to do in the field?
The bite site must be thoroughly treated with brilliant green or peroxide and a clean bandage or plaster applied. Under the bottom you can put a little antibiotic gel, for example levomekol. Change the bandage daily and treat the wound until complete recovery.
The Crimean steppe viper, like its more numerous ordinary “relatives,” avoids humans and bites only when it is in danger. The bites of these types of vipers are painful, cause general poisoning of the body, but are not fatal. This snake is large, up to 160 cm long. The upper body is gray-green with dark spots and transverse stripes to almost black. The belly is white, yellowish, pink-red, dark gray, very often motley, like a chessboard. And most importantly, the water snake does not have bright orange spots on its head, like the common snake. But if she bites you, don't panic.
What will help in the field?
Alcohol is strictly contraindicated, as it aggravates the effect of the poison and sharply increases painful sensations. In practice, the following first aid measures, based on materials from doctors and regular victims of reptile bites - zoologists, have proven themselves well: - Disinfection of wounds with any available means. — Suctioning blood from wounds within the first quarter of an hour from the moment of the bite allows you to remove a significant part of the poison and significantly softens the picture of poisoning. The blood is spat out, periodically rinsing the mouth with water or a weak solution of potassium permanganate. — The bitten person needs rest; staying in the heat is contraindicated. If possible, you need to lie down. - A warm, plentiful drink is necessary (a weak, sweet black or green tea, at worst just water). Take heart: in the first hours you should “blow out” at least 3-4 liters of liquid.
Lives on south coast Crimea, leads a nocturnal lifestyle. During the day it hides under stones and in holes, and at night it goes out hunting. It is at night that he can crawl into a tent, sleeping bag, and clothes. When bitten, very severe pain is felt, the bite site immediately swells. There may be weakness in the body, decreased heart rate, headache, vomiting, suffocation. Ol causes poisoning of the body of varying degrees of intensity. In the absence of complications, painful symptoms disappear within an interval of 4 hours to several days.
What will help in the field?
Try to suck out the poison. Apply a cold compress and wash the stung area with ammonia. Next - drink plenty of fluids and use analgesics. If there are no analgesics, then eat garlic with nuts, then drink wine, and apply crushed dandelion grass to the wound.
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