Special Ed Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 http://www.news.com.au/world/two-dead-after-venomous-spiders-invade-indian-town/story-e6frfkyr-1226381896416 A TOWN in India is living in fear of a swarm of venomous spiders, which last month left two people dead after being bitten. It may sound like a B-grade horror movie, but residents of the town of Sadiya, in Assam state, say that on the evening of May 8 as they were celebrating a Hindu festival swarms of spiders suddenly appeared and attacked them, The Times of India reported. Over the next few days two people - a man, Purnakanta Buragohain, and an unnamed school boy - died after being bitten by the spiders. Scores more turned up at the town's hospital with spider bites. District authorities are panicking and are considering spraying the town with the insecticide DDT. Locals say the most terrifying aspect is that spiders appear in swarms and their behaviour is highly aggressive. "It leaps at anything that comes close. Some of the victims claimed the spider latched on to them after biting. If that is so, it needs to be dealt with carefully. The chelicerae and fangs of this critter are quite powerful," head of the department of life sciences at Dibrugarh University Dr LR.Saikia said. Teams of Indian arachnid experts have flocked to the town, hoping to identify the species, but so far they have drawn a blank. They say it could be a tarantula, a black wishbone or even a funnel-web spider - or it could be a whole new species. One thing they agree on is that it is not native to the area as there is no record of venomous spiders in Assam. The black wishbone and funnel-web are native to Australia. Researchers are also still running tests to find out the toxicity of the spiders' venom. Dr Anil Phatowali, superintendent of the town's hospital, said they had not administered antivenin as they could not be certain the spider was venomous at all. He also pointed out other factors may have contributed to the two reported fatalities. "All the bite patients first went to witch doctors, who cut open their wounds with razors, drained out blood and burnt it. That could have also made them sick," Dr Phatowali said. - Where's Samuel l Jackson, it's not about snakes on a plane anymore. Now we got spiders in a town! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shift-4 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Where's Samuel l Jackson, it's not about snakes on a plane anymore. Now we got spiders in a town! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Ed Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 ahem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brahma Bull Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I wonder how big the swarms are. They're still not sure whether it was the actual bites that killed them. I'd still be peeing my pants with spiders that aggressive though. I feel like I'm in the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cs2016 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 That is creepy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Situation Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 They must have been killed by the boss spider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Ed Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 I wonder how big the swarms are. They're still not sure whether it was the actual bites that killed them. I'd still be peeing my pants with spiders that aggressive though. I feel like I'm in the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masutheakita Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 the apocalypse is near! edit: this is going to be my standard response to threads from now on... the world is going crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolfxHaley Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Well, I can now say I am never going to India... Spiders are the scariest things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buggernut Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 If you got bitten by a poisonous spider, wouldn't the sting hurt real bad and spread real fast? If they went to a witch doctor over what felt like a pinprick and got their flesh gouged out for it, isn't it likely not the spider's bite that killed them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Ed Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 My worst run-in with a spider was a gigantic wolf spider that was feeding on me at night. Kept waking up with large bites. I finally found it in my bed frame and it was a mean looking bastard. A geologist friend of mine who does surveying told me a pretty scary story. He was down in south America and was sleeping near the base of a tree when his guide woke him. Quietly his guide asked him to slowly move away from the tree. When my friend turned around he said there was a large bird eating spider, the size of a small dog, at the base of the tree. It was reared up on its hind legs and had fangs up in the air. This geologist said he preferred dealing with the grizzly bears serveying up north than these spiders down south... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrible.dee Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 My worst run-in with a spider was a gigantic wolf spider that was feeding on me at night. Kept waking up with large bites. I finally found it in my bed frame and it was a mean looking bastard. A geologist friend of mine who does surveying told me a pretty scary story. He was down in south America and was sleeping near the base of a tree when his guide woke him. Quietly his guide asked him to slowly move away from the tree. When my friend turned around he said there was a large bird eating spider, the size of a small dog, at the base of the tree. It was reared up on its hind legs and had fangs up in the air. This geologist said he preferred dealing with the grizzly bears serveying up north than these spiders down south... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrible.dee Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Face eating canibals in Miami... Legions of killer spiders in india... Kings about to win the cup... REPENT SINNERS! The apocalypse is nigh!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
:D Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Like I needed another reason not to want to go to India Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buggernut Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 A geologist friend of mine who does surveying told me a pretty scary story. He was down in south America and was sleeping near the base of a tree when his guide woke him. Quietly his guide asked him to slowly move away from the tree. When my friend turned around he said there was a large bird eating spider, the size of a small dog, at the base of the tree. It was reared up on its hind legs and had fangs up in the air. This geologist said he preferred dealing with the grizzly bears serveying up north than these spiders down south... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Ed Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 No big deal. Their venom is only comparable to a wasp sting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buggernut Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 The bird-eating spider? True it may not kill you. But they hide in holes and are difficult to see. Move surprisingly fast and the thought of one the size of a small dog feeding on you in your sleep is nothing pleasant. I think my geologist friend was saying he preferred dealing with grizzlies because they are easier to avoid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MashedBananas Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 This sounds like a cheesy horror movie..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brahma Bull Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 nvm. i was wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Ed Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 When has one ever started munching on a human? By the way, I bet a spider that big would make fantastic eating. Kind of like eating crab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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