You would be surprised at how many people know someone who was bit by the Brown Recluse and never even saw the spider. You might even be shocked to learn how the danger level of the Brown Recluse is grossly exaggerated.
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| Photograph by: K.J.Ester / Found by: Sabrina Gazzarato - Livonia, Mi. |
Description:
Unlike many spiders, the Brown recluse has very little differences from one to another, or even from one species to another. If a spider looks kind of like the pictures you see of a Brown recluse, it is likely not a recluse. Rather than give only a description of the spider, in the case of the Recluse, I think it is just as important to give characteristics that would tell you a spider is NOT the Brown Recluse.
It may be a Brown Recluse if.....
1) It looks like the spider in the picture above!
2)Look at the eyes in the picture. There are 6 eyes total, split into 3 distinctively separated pairs.
It is NOT a Recluse if....
1) If the spider has any patterns or markings on the legs or abdomen, it is not a recluse.
2) If the spider has spiny hairs on the legs, that are easily seen by the human eye, it is not a Recluse.
3) If there are any colors other than Brown, tan or gray on the spider, it is not a Recluse.
4) If there are two larger eyes in the front, or eight eyes on the spider, it is not a Recluse.
5) If it is resting in a large web, it is not a recluse.
Note** Contrary to common belief, do NOT identify a Recluse by the violin shape on its cephalothorax. There are many spiders that have a similar marking and due to this mistaken belief, many people misidentify many other spiders as Brown recluse spiders.
Size:
The body will reach up to about 3/4 of an inch (19mm) and with the legs included may be around 1 ½ inches (38mm).
Web:
The Recluse is a hunter, which means it does not depend on a web to catch its prey. Instead, it ventures out at night in search for food and will eat insects that are already dead as fast as it will go after living food. Spinning a web is not typical for a Brown recluse, except to create a nest to lay eggs.
Bite Info:
Contrary to common belief, the Brown Recluse is not nearly as dangerous as you have heard. In fact, for many years the experts believed that there was no real proof of anyone ever dying from a Brown Recluse bite. However, an expert in the field of the Brown Recluse has recently informed me that their have now been a very few cases proven that a Brown Recluse bite caused death. This is extremely rare though.
Most bites are dry (non-venomous) and on the occasion it does use venom, the wound will heal on its own within a few days. In South America it is believed to be about 40% of the bites that will cause any necrosis. In North America, it is only around 10% of the bites that will cause necrotic lesions.
The venom is a cytotoxin and causes the cells to break down. In a sense, it causes your flesh to rot. The spreading wound can grow to around ten Centimeters (Approx. 4") across before it stops. It is due to this uncommon reaction to a Brown recluse bite, that gives this spider such a dangerous reputation.
Keeping in mind that the serious bite is not the common bite from these spiders, it is also worth noting that they do not bite very often to begin with. There are different stories about families who lived in a house that was literally infested with thousands of Brown Recluse Spiders for many months, and nobody was ever bit. The Brown Recluse got its name for a very good reason. It likes to find a secluded and undisturbed place to live and tries to stay out of the way of humans. Most bites that are recorded happen because someone picks up a box that has the spider on it, or puts clothes on from the floor that the spider has crawled into. When a human’s skin presses against the spider, it believes it has no other choice but to protect itself.
However, the fact does still remain that uncommon or not, the Brown Recluse bite can cause considerable tissue damage and therefore, should not be handled.
Where Do They Live?:
Due to the fearsome, although somewhat undeserved reputation of the Brown Recluse, as well as the abundance of doctors who misidentify other problems as the Recluse bite, the majority of people in every state believes the Recluse is common in their state. The truth is an entirely different story. In fact, the Brown Recluse is only common in a handful of states.
In the map below, the darker brown area is where the Brown Recluse is common. The faded area around the brown represents the fading chance of finding a Recluse. The further away from the brown area you get, the less likely you will find a Brown Recluse. Once past that faded range, the odds of ever finding a Recluse is extremely low and the further away from that you get, the less likely you will ever see one in your lifetime.
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| Range of the Brown Recluse in the United States of America |
It is entirely possible to find the Recluse spider in any state, but if it is a state not within the brown area in the map, then the only way you will ever find one is if you happen across a Recluse that was carried into the state. In Michigan for instance, there has only been a single handful of times the spider was ever found and identified. These are simply cases where someone traveling from down south happened to bring one with them. Often the spider is found at one point and another is never seen. A couple times however, it was a female spider that survived and laid eggs. So long as that house was always kept warm, the recluse would survive. Then more might lay eggs and a colony is at some point found. This is a very rare case though.
The Brown Recluse received its name for a very good reason. It is very reclusive. So much so, that when a colony of them is established, they will not leave the establishment to spread out for as long as that colony is undisturbed. By saying undisturbed, I mean it would have to have someone or some animal tear its structure apart and force them to move, or a fire or something significant. If they establish a colony in the bark of a tree and that tree collapses, they will continue to live within that tree bark and not even venture to the next tree. So long as there is a food supply, they will not move, and the Brown Recluse can survive for moths in a box without food or water.
NOTE* -- There are always those who would wish to argue that the Brown Recluse is common where they live (outside the range in the map). If you truly believe this, dont argue it. Prove it. Go out and find a Brown Recluse, take a good clear picture of it, and send it to me. But make the picture clear enough that I can see the details to identify it is in fact a Brown Recluse and not a spider similar to it. But arguing will gain you no ground. Stories are just that. Stories! If you have the Brown Recluse in your area .... Prove it!
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