There are thousands of deadly spiders in the world, but a viral Facebook post claims that there is a new species of deadly spiders “from Hell” that are killing people all over the United States.
The Facebook post comes with several photos of scary-looking spiders with at least one taken from a University of Nebraska website, adding to its credibility.
“NEW DEADLY SPIDER SPREADS ACROSS USA,” the post reads.
“THE SPIDER FROM HELL. FIVE PEOPLE HAVE DIED THIS WEEK DUE TO THE BITE OF THIS DEADLY SPIDER.THIS SPIDER WAS FIRST SEEN IN SOUTH CAROLINA IN JULY SINCE THEN IT HAS CAUSED DEATHS IN WEST VIRGINIA, TENNESSEE AND MISSISSIPPI. ONE BITE FROM THIS SPIDER IS DEADLY. US GOVERNMENT WORKING ON A ANTI VENOM AT THIS TIME PLEASE MAKE YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AWARE.”
Why hasn’t there been more attention paid to these deadly spiders? Because it’s a hoax.
Purported deadly spiders are anything but
Erin Bauer, a lecturer in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Entomology, told KPTM Fox 42 that the “deadly spiders from Hell” in the Facebook post are harmless.
Dysdera crocata — also known as the woodlouse hunter spider — is a harmless insect.
“The picture is real but certainly not deadly to anything but the sowbugs and pillbugs it feeds upon!” Bauer told the news station.
They typically don’t go into homes, either.
“If it does bite, there may be a bit of pain but it’s not dangerous,” Bauer said.
A 2006 study published in the journal Toxicon said a woodlouse hunter spider bite are “innocuous” and that any minor pain from it goes away within an hour or so.
That hasn’t stopped people from sharing the post, though. More than 886,000 people have shared the post on Facebook since it was published on Tuesday — and people are still sharing it, though commenters are calling it out for being a fake.
“Please check your facts before perpetrating fear,” one woman wrote.
