02 April 2015
I’ve long
heard a story about a tarantula that hides in clusters of bananas. There are even pictures of these large
spiders in large bunches of bananas.
Sometimes, I think twice before reaching for a large batch of bananas in
my local grocery store.
The big
surprise is that there is no such thing as a banana tarantula. There’s really no such thing as a “banana
spider” -- if you mean a specific species of spider often found in clusters of
bananas. A number of large spiders may
have been taking temporary shelter or passing through when they crawled across
some bananas, but there are no large spiders that have a particular attraction
to the popular fruit.
So, what’s
the “banana spider” all about?
Well,
first, it’s a kind of urban legend designed to scare people like me when we try
to select some bananas in the grocery store.
I know the fruit processors are careful, (gulp), but isn’t is possible . . . every once in a great while . .
. for one of those giant spiders to hide among the bananas only to emerge when
you are reaching for a bunch at your local grocery store!!! Are you feeling lucky today?
Well, you
don’t have to feel or even be lucky.
There won’t be a spider in your bananas because their really are no
banana spiders.
But there
are a few spiders that may have been mistaken for a “banana spider” when they
inadvertently crawled across some bunches of bananas in South American. Someone happened to take a photo of one of
these spiders lounging in or around a bunch of bananas. Then, the photographer sent it around the
world to scare anybody who’s ever shopped for bananas.
The most
likely candidate for this mistaken identity is the Brazilian Wandering Spider (Phoneutria nigriventer). Although
our Brazilian Wanderer isn’t a tarantula, no one would ever adopt this spider
for its good looks. In fact, it looks a
bit scary just standing there. And, this
spider becomes even less appealing when you find out that it’s got a 4-5 inch leg
span, is hairy, quite aggressive and its bite is highly poisonous to human
beings.
The Brazilian wandering spider, in
spite of its name, is found throughout South America and as far north and
Central America’s Costa Rica.
“Wandering?” So-called wandering
spiders wander the jungle floor at night in search of food rather than
maintaining a lair or building a web. During
the day, these spiders like to hide. Sometimes,
they hide under fallen logs or rocks and, occasionally, in banana plants. Sadly, this particular spider also likes to
hide in dark moist places “in or near” human dwellings!
No comments:
Post a Comment