The six-eyed sand spider (Sicarius hahni) belongs to the class Arachnids. This species was first identified by the French naturalist Charles Walkener (1847).
Spider inhabitant of warm climates
Distribution of the sand six-eyed spider
The six-eyed sand spider is found in South America and South Africa. In Africa, it inhabits the desert areas of the Western Cape Province of Namibia.
Habitats of the sand six-eyed spider
The six-eyed sand spider lives in deserts, inhabiting habitats with sandy soil. Found among rocks, under stones, in various depressions, under snags and rotten trunks.
One of the most dangerous species External signs of a sand six-eyed spider
The six-eyed sand spider has a body size of 8 to 19 mm. Limbs are long up to 50 mm. The appearance of the spider corresponds to the nickname six-eyed crab spider, which is sometimes called because of the flattened shape of the body and the special arrangement of the limbs. In addition, this species has three pairs of eyes, forming three rows. The color of the chitinous cover is dark reddish brown or yellow color. The cephalothorax and abdomen of the spider are covered with stiff hairs similar to bristles, which serve to hold sand particles. This feature provides effective camouflage even when the spider is not hiding and is on the surface.
Feeding of the sand six-eyed spider
The six-eyed sand spider does not wander in search of prey and does not build extensive webs. This is an ambush predator; it waits in shelter, burrowing into the sand, when a scorpion or insect is nearby. Then it grabs the victim with its forelimbs, paralyzes it with poison and slowly sucks out the contents. The six-eyed sand spider may not feed for a long time.
Reproduction of the sand six-eyed spider
Six-eyed sand spiders are extremely rare, they lead a secretive lifestyle, so information about the reproduction of this species is insufficient. Six-eyed sand spiders have a complex mating ritual. If the spider does not react to the actions of the male and does not respond to the call, then the male is forced to hide in a timely manner so as not to become prey aggressive female. Sometimes immediately after mating she eats her partner. Then, from cobwebs and sand, she constructs a cup-shaped cocoon in which the eggs are located. Young spiders develop slowly. In nature, six-eyed sand spiders live for about 15 years; in captivity they can live 20-30 years.
Spider venom affects the central nervous system The six-eyed sand spider is one of the most poisonous
Six-eyed sand spiders lead a rather secretive lifestyle and live in such places that the likelihood of them meeting a person is minimal. The six-eyed sand spider is classified as one of the most venomous spiders.
Toxicological studies have shown that the venom of the six-eyed sand spider has a particularly powerful hemolytic effect, destroying red blood cells, while hemoglobin enters the blood plasma and necrosis (death of cells and living tissues) occurs. In this case the walls blood vessels and tissues undergo necrosis and dangerous bleeding occurs.
There is currently no known antivenom for the six-eyed sand spider toxin. Studies have shown that rabbits bitten by a spider died within a short period of time, 5 to 12 hours. Treatment of the consequences of a sand six-eyed spider bite, like all cytostatic bites, includes the prevention of secondary infection and the cessation of intravascular coagulation. However, due to the rarity of contact with six-eyed sand spiders, there are no accurate statistics on victims of their bites. Apparently they are too rare even in their native habitats to cause serious concern.
People and pets are more likely to be bitten by spiders Peculiarities of behavior of the sand six-eyed spider
Six-eyed spiders do not create web traps. Unlike most ambush predators, such as the tarantula or funnel web spider, they do not dig holes or use other people's hiding places to hunt. This type of spider has the ability to dive into the sand and suddenly attack a crawling victim. Sand particles are retained by the cuticle of the abdomen, creating a natural camouflage that perfectly camouflages the spider. If a six-eyed spider is discovered, it runs a short distance and buries itself in the sand again. This type of spider is poorly oriented in the area, unlike other types of spiders. At unfavorable conditions goes without food for a long time, therefore belongs to patient hunters. The number of subspecies is still thinning, and exact figure not known (several thousand species), since sand six-eyed spiders are famous masters by camouflage and it is quite difficult to detect them in nature.
The six-eyed sand spider is in the top five dangerous spiders peace. The toxicity of its venom is in no way inferior to the toxicity of the venom of spiders that are leaders on this list (for example, the Brazilian wandering spider, the leukopachine funnel web spider, shadow spiders).
Six-eyed sand spider (lat. Sicarius hahni) (eng. Six-eyed sand spider). Photo by M.Heule
The six-eyed sand spider belongs to the Sicariidae family and is a close relative of the hermit spiders of the genus Loxosceles.
The habitat of these spiders is sandy areas in southern Africa. Other species from the same family have also been found in South America. They live among sand dunes, hiding under stones, snags, between tree roots, and masterfully bury themselves in the sand.
These spiders are classified as “living fossils,” since they inhabited these continents even before the division of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana (which included the territories of modern Africa, South America, Australia and Antarctica), which occurred about 100 million years ago. There are 21 species in the genus Sicarius, most of which are distributed in Africa (Western Cape and Namibia). An interesting fact is that spiders living on African continent have stronger poison than their South American counterparts.
Photo by M. Heule The six-eyed sand spider is medium in size. The length of its body reaches 8-15 millimeters, and if measured with the span of its legs, then about 50 millimeters. Six eyes. Depending on their habitat, these spiders may be reddish-brown or yellowish in color. Thanks to its flattened body and slightly curved legs, the six-eyed spider looks somewhat like a crab. For which it received another name - the crab spider.
These spiders are very “shy” and try to avoid meeting people. Therefore, the likelihood of meeting them and being bitten is extremely low. There are only 2 known cases in the world where people died from the bite of this spider.
Their venom contains cryotoxin, which is considered one of the most powerful toxins ever discovered in living things. It completely destroys tissue cells, causing ruptures in the walls of blood vessels, which leads to numerous and serious internal bleeding. Unfortunately, an antidote for this poison has not yet been created. Scientists still cannot fully understand how this toxin does not destroy cells. internal organs the spider itself. It is believed that it (the toxin) acts like sulfuric acid.
The diet of the 6-eyed sand spider includes smaller insects and scorpions. He quickly buries himself in the sand and waits for his prey in ambush. Sand particles easily stick to the tiny hairs on its body, as a result of which the spider becomes almost invisible to its future victim.
Sicarius hahni perfectly senses the vibration created by any creature, even the smallest, and when it passes very close, the spider quickly attacks. He immediately injects poison into his victim and waits for it to take effect. You don't have to wait long. The victim dies almost immediately.
Photo by M. Heule They lay their eggs in a cup-shaped bag woven from adhesive thread and sand particles, which they then bury thoroughly. Egg development occurs over a fairly long period of time.
Photo by M. Heule 
Photo by M. Heule This spider is a shining example how to survive under unfavorable living conditions. Well-fed, these spiders can live without food and water for about a year. Their total lifespan can reach 15 years, which is unusual phenomenon, since most related spiders live no more than 3 years.
Today we will talk about the ten most poisonous spiders on the planet. I would like to note that most of the spiders presented in this rating live in Australia and South America.
Wolf spiders
The ranking of the most poisonous spiders in the world opens with wolf spiders. This is a family of spiders that includes about 2,367 species, and is divided into 116 genera. Found on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica, mainly in countries with warm climate. These dexterous hunters have excellent eyesight. They mostly live and hunt alone. Their body length varies from 10 to 35 mm. They are relatively calm predators, but if they are continuously disturbed, they can bite. The venom from the bite is not dangerous to humans, but can cause itching, redness and mild pain.
Latrodectus geometricus
Latrodectus geometricus, better known as the brown widow, is a species of spider found in many areas South Africa, as well as in the United States, Australia, Afghanistan, China, Japan, Tanzania, Dominican Republic, Cyprus, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Brazil, United United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Thailand. This type is often called " cousin» black widow(second place on the list). The body length of females varies from 12 to 16 millimeters, males are much smaller - 6–8 mm, but they have longer legs. Typically, Latrodectus geometricus spiders are light brown in color and have a bright orange or yellow hourglass marking on the underside of their abdomen. Males are harmless, only females bite. The poison is relatively harmless to humans.
Atrax robustus is a species of venomous spider found in Australia, usually within a 100 km radius of Sydney. The spider can be found in rock crevices, under stones, in tree trunks, in rare eucalyptus forests, parks and gardens; sometimes penetrates into houses. They are mainly active at dusk or at night. Their body length is 1–5 cm. Males of the Atrax robustus species are very aggressive and dangerous, they are five times more poisonous than females. Their poison can cause very serious harm to human health and even lead to death. It is interesting that the poison is dangerous primarily for humans and primates, while it does not have its toxic effect on other mammals. From 1927 to 1981, 13 people died from the bites of this spider. Fortunately, since the discovery of the antidote (1981), not a single death has been recorded.
The brown recluse spider is a venomous spider widely found in the eastern United States. Their body length is 6–20 mm, but in some cases can reach up to 50 mm. This species is not aggressive and rarely attacks humans. It usually bites when the spider gets under clothing or on the bed. The bite feels like a needle prick. The poison, once in the blood, causes a series of symptoms known as loxoscelism and is characterized by nausea, vomiting, fever, rash, muscle and joint pain. However, about 49% of all bites do not result in side effects, and often go unnoticed. Most vulnerable to poison brown recluse spider are children under seven years of age, elderly people and people with frailty immune system.
Sixth place in the list with photos of the ten most poisonous spiders in the world is occupied by the Northern leucoweb spider- a species of fairly large spiders (up to 8 cm), found in the south-eastern part of the state of Queensland and the north-eastern part of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Prefers to settle in moist places well protected from the sun, as well as in trees. Like most spiders, it leads night look life. The venom of this spider is dangerous to humans.
Latrodectus hasselti is a species of venomous spider native to Australia. Capable of growing up to 10 mm. They are nocturnal. They prefer to settle in warm and protected places, close to human habitations. They are considered the most dangerous spiders on the continent, as their poison, which contains a neurotoxin, can pose a threat to human health and life. The bite of this spider is very painful, and its venom causes symptoms known as latrodectism.
Coming in fourth on the list of the most venomous spiders in the world is the six-eyed sand spider, a species of venomous spider found in deserts and other sandy areas in southern Africa. Their body length is 8–15 mm. These spiders are able to burrow into the sand, from where they hunt. It was experimentally shown that after a bite from a six-eyed sand spider, death in rabbits occurred within 5–12 hours. There are no proven cases of human bites. This is good, because this moment There is no antidote for the venom of this spider.
The Chilean recluse spider is a venomous spider native to South America. Found in Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay, Southern and Eastern Brazil. It is one of the largest recluse spiders. Typically, the Chilean recluse spider grows to 8–40 mm. Not aggressive, as a rule, bites a person when it accidentally gets under clothing. Its bite is very painful and feels like a cigarette burn. One out of ten people bitten will die from the venom of this spider. The rest feel severe pain and sometimes suffer necrosis, which takes many months to heal.
The black widow is a species of poisonous spider that lives in North America. The body length of an adult female is 8–10 mm (up to 38 mm), males are much smaller - 3–4 mm. Characteristic distinctive feature This type of spider has red spots or a long red hourglass-shaped spot located on the underside of the abdomen. The bite of a black widow is dangerous for humans. Symptoms of a bite include severe pain, nausea, profuse sweating, hypertension, and difficulty breathing. Before the invention of the antidote, about 5% of people bitten died. From 1908 to 1998, there were 13 deaths reported in the United States.
Brazilian wandering spider
African spiders are very interesting to observe. For example, the six-eyed sand spider is by no means a fan of weaving webs. He waits in ambush for his prey - he has the power to bury himself almost entirely in the sand. The hairiness of the body, attracting small grains of sand, helps to camouflage and makes it invisible.
It feeds on small insects and even scorpions. He can spend a very long time in ambush. However, as soon as the prey is in its field of vision, the predator instantly attacks it, injects it with deadly poison, and waits for its action.
This takes literally a few seconds, and then our arthropod begins eating. He is in no hurry, because, having had a good meal, he will not have to look for new prey for a whole year. This is how long he can go without water and food. Maybe for this reason, African spiders are long-lived, and their age can reach 15 years.
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This arthropod predator is the owner deadly poison and is one of the five most dangerous spiders in the world. Despite this, he is very timid and, if possible, avoids meeting people. The toxicity of their poison is so high that research fellows in our time, they still cannot solve the mystery of how it does not influence its owner.
Cryotoxin, which is part of the venom of the sand spider, leads to severe ruptures of blood vessels and, accordingly, to extensive hemorrhages.
Many African spiders, being the owners of the most powerful poisons, bring certain benefits. Their poison is used in pharmacology to create medicines in order to prevent thrombosis and treat the consequences of a heart attack.
Web
Six-eyed sand spiders weave webs extremely rarely, mainly females for laying eggs. They use it with sand to build a cup-shaped bag. Having carefully buried the bag, the female leaves. It is known that young spiders develop very slowly.
Habitat
In nature, the six-eyed sand spider can be found only in desert and lifeless areas in the south of the African continent and in South America. The African sand spider lurks between sand dunes, under snags or big stone, in the roots of trees.
Appearance
The body size of a sand spider is no more than 15 mm, if we take into account the span of its legs, it is about 50 mm. There are six eyes located in three rows on the head. The color of the six-eyed spider varies depending on its habitat: from reddish-brown to yellowish.
By appearance it resembles a crab, hence another name: crab spider.
The six-eyed sand spider is one of the five most dangerous spiders in the world. The toxicity of its venom is in no way inferior to the toxicity of the venom of such spiders as the Brazilian wandering spider or the black widow.
The species was first described in 1847 by the French arachnologist Charles Walkener. It belongs to the Sicariidae family and is closely related to the hermit spiders of the genus Loxosceles.
These arachnids live in sandy areas of South Africa. Other species from the same family are also found in South America. They live among sand dunes, where they hide under stones, snags, and between tree roots. At the same time, they masterfully bury themselves in the sand.
There are 21 species in the genus Sicarius. Most of them are distributed in Africa (Western Cape and Namibia). An interesting fact is that spiders that live in African desert Namibs have a more concentrated and powerful poison than their relatives occupying the west coast of South America. However, an encounter with any of these subspecies can result in loss of limbs or death for a person. There have been only two recorded cases of a person being bitten by a six-eyed sand spider, and both with fatal. But fortunately, these spiders avoid people, so the likelihood of encountering one is extremely low.
The body length of six-eyed sand spiders is 8-15 mm, with a paw span of up to 50 mm. Color can vary depending on the habitat - from reddish-brown to yellowish-brown. Unlike most spiders, this species has not eight, but six eyes, which are arranged in three rows. Hence their name “six-eyed”.
Thanks to its flattened body and slightly curved legs, the six-eyed spider looks somewhat like a crab. For this, it received another name - the crab spider (not to be confused with our crab spiders (side-walkers), which live on flowers).
The venom of Sicarius hahni contains cryotoxin, which is considered one of the most powerful toxins ever discovered in living things. It completely destroys tissue cells, causing ruptures in the walls of blood vessels, which leads to numerous and serious internal bleeding. Unfortunately, an antidote for this poison has not yet been created. Scientists still cannot fully understand how this toxin does not destroy the cells of the internal organs of the spider itself. It is believed to act like sulfuric acid.
This spider's diet includes small insects and scorpions. To catch them, the spider quickly buries itself in the sand and waits for its prey in ambush. Tiny hairs covering its entire body, to which small grains of sand stick, also help it to camouflage itself thoroughly. As a result of this, the spider becomes practically invisible to its future victim.
Being in the sand, the spider perfectly feels the vibration created by any, even the smallest creature. When any insect passes very close, the spider quickly attacks and injects deadly poison. After a few seconds, the insect dies and the hunter slowly begins to eat.
Having been well fed, the sand spider can go without food for a whole year. This may be why its lifespan sometimes reaches 15 years, which is unusual since most related species rarely live beyond three years.
The female lays eggs in a cup-shaped cocoon woven from adhesive thread and sand particles, which she then buries well. After this, she considers her maternal duty fulfilled and leaves the nest. What is known about the development of young spiders is that it takes a fairly long period of time.
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