IRL Pets

[Jens]

And yes, almost all spiders are venomous. However, in a majority of species, the venom is harmless to humans, some could cause irritation and/or pain, but that's about it. Regarding tarantulas (Theraphosidae), from so called New World (the three Americas), their venom is generally compared to a bee/wasp sting in potency, aside from genera (plural of genus) Tapinauchenius and Psalmopoeus, and even theirs will give you muscle cramps, tops. Mechanical damage from the fangs (some species are large) is actually more dangerous.

Old World (Africa+Asia) tarantulas are meaner, more defensive and have more potent venom. Some genera could send a healthy adult into hospital but nothing life threatening.


Eeeeh, this turned into a lecture, I'll stop at this point. Buuut if you want, I could start a lecture thread or something. I'll be more than happy to use my little knowledge to debunk myths about spiders and demolish the undeserved bad reputation these fascinating creatures have.