Karakurt in Central Asia. What does it look like, where does it live and how does the karakurt spider bite? Bite protection

The karakurt spider, called the "black widow", is related to the family of web spiders and to the Spider order. These arthropod invertebrates live 10 to 14 months for males and females, respectively. In nature, you can find several varieties of these insects - white karakurt, as well as black spider and others. The considered class of insects is the most poisonous in the world. Females are called black widows for the reason that they have a common biological feature - biting the head of males after mating. The bite of a karakurt can cause mortal danger to any person exposed to it.

External characteristics of the spider-karakurt

Consider a detailed description of adults. For appearance, several characteristic features can be distinguished, what a karakurt spider looks like.

A smooth body without hairline, which gives the insect a noble appearance, similar to a harmless creature;
In females who have reached adulthood, the body looks like a ball and has a size of 1.5-2 cm. The male has slightly different indicators.
Only the male spider is distinguished throughout its life by the presence of pronounced red spots on its back.

The deadly threat to human life is the poison of this insect, which, penetrating under the skin, slowly kills.

Spider venom

The poison of the karakurt is located in the cephalothorax, its glands are connected by ducts with small claws in the upper jaws. There is also a muscular membrane in the glands, due to the fact that there is a sharp contraction of the muscles, the victim instantly receives a portion of the poison. The female and the male pose an identical danger, and based on biochemical data, the karakurt has poison - TOXABULMIN, it spreads along the paths, and there are several fractions. The sensitivity of warm-blooded victims to poison substances varies. The karakurt spider “appearance is shown in the photo” especially affects camels, horses, and people.

Where is the spider common

White karakurt, as well as black individuals and their other varieties, are found mainly in hot countries in which good conditions are created. Most often they can be found in Ukraine, the Caucasus and Central Asia, in the Crimea, such spiders were also found in the Rostov region. Features of the settlement of individuals depend on individual climatic conditions. Usually these poisonous creatures live in the holes of mice, in the area of cracks in mud concrete walls, as well as in sagebrush steppes, on wastelands and in other places. Such individuals do not live in deserts, in places with excessive humidity. In the Crimea and in the Rostov region, spiders are especially common because of the weather conditions that are attractive to them.

Karakurt lifestyle

Karakurt (from the genus of black widows) prefers to create a nest near the stem base on the grass or on the ground. They are engaged in weaving spherical cocoons, eggs are placed in them, and a trapping net is located. The last elements are made, like cocoons, from tight cobwebs, which have a tensile coefficient of 30%. The construction of cocoons begins at the time of July or August. A week later, small spiders appear there, but their release occurs only next year, when the air temperature reaches 30 degrees.

How a spider bites

The bite of a karakurt carries a serious danger, but this statement is not 100% true. Human skin cannot be bitten by a male, but a female representative can easily cope with this task. However, it is her glands that are poisonous. White karakurt and black individuals are of particular danger during the mating season, when nesting occurs.

Bite symptoms

A person bitten by a karakurt suffers from several symptoms that manifest themselves quite clearly.

10 minutes after the bite, the breaking of the body begins, chills appear;
there is a severe headache, an unpleasant sensation in the lower back;
the chest area, abdominal area, upper and lower press suffer;
after the first signs, an inexplicable weakness may appear;
the person begins to turn pale, tears flow, nausea appears;
there is a clouding of the general consciousness, especially at the last stage;
there is a state of severe depression and overwhelming fear.

First aid for a bite of a karakurt involves the introduction of an antidote - a special serum. This event must be done the first 10 minutes after the bite in order to prevent the death of the bitten person.

In favor of the spider, we can say that the first insect never attacks. A bite occurs when a person steps on a nest or on a female.

What to do with a bite

If you decide to take a walk around the outskirts of your city or go on a picnic, it is recommended to take matches with you. If a spider has bitten you, you need to quickly burn the affected area with a match, this will make the poison formulas destroyed. If the spider is labeled, you need to go to the nearest specialized medical facility and administer an antidote. Serum is quite expensive, so funds are often used to replace it.

Introduction to the subcutaneous region of 0.1% potassium permanganate, 5 ml;
performing household chores.

It is worth remembering that after the first procedures, the poison (it doesn’t matter who bit - Crimean or Caucasian karakurt) will not be completely neutralized, relief will come only after a few weeks. Everything will depend on the season and age of the individual, as well as on the amount of poison injected under the skin.

Thus, a biting spider poses a danger to humans. We examined what a karakurt looks like from his photo, and you can also get acquainted with the features of life that the karakurt spider leads on the video.

The reputation of karakurt spiders in the human world is sinister. First, they are called European black widows. Second, looking at photo of karakurt, some very impressionable persons see some secret sign in the fact that the body is decorated with thirteen red marks.

Portrait of a "black widow"

In fact, this arthropod does not look menacing at all. Immediately it is worth mentioning that females and males are very different in appearance. The male is significantly inferior to the female in size.

With each next molt karakurt grows up. During the life of the male molts 7 times, and the female 2 times more. Adult females grow up to 2 cm, unlike males, the largest of which are no more than 7 mm. There are also very small ones - 4 mm.

A newborn spider is transparent, but after a few days, after the first molt, the abdomen darkens. And on its upper part, nine white dots appear, arranged 3 in a row. The lower part of the abdomen is decorated with a pattern in the form of red hourglasses with a yellow rim.

With each subsequent molt, the pattern on the body also changes. These changes are most clearly seen if we compare how the spider karakurt photo. There is a certain aesthetic in this drawing.

The frequency of links depends on how well spider karakurt eats. With sufficient nutrition, they ripen very quickly. Adult males have a bright color that does not fade over time.

Karakurt of Western Kazakhstan

But in females, subtle white lines remain on the upper part of the abdomen on a black, sometimes varnished, background. Only the “hourglass” on the lower part of the abdomen is red with a bright mark.

And, finally, after the seventh molt, the male karakurt stops eating, and, guided by the instinct of procreation, goes in search of a female. Having found the bride's web, he carefully touches the signal threads, announcing his arrival. This is necessary so that the female does not confuse it with prey, and does not eat ahead of time.

However, after mating, his fate is still a foregone conclusion. That is why they are called black widows. Not all spiders are so merciless, but even those males who managed to survive soon completely lose interest in food and die of hunger.

Where can you find karakurt?

Talking about the area where he lives karakurt wikipedia notes that traditionally these are hot regions with an arid climate, such as the desert zone of Kazakhstan, the Crimea or the south of Russia.

However, recently there have been large numbers of karakurts in the rostov region and in the Moscow region. Such spiders look especially exotic in Altai and in the Novosibirsk region.

True, in these regions, karakurts do not survive low winter temperatures. Educational work is being carried out in atypical arthropod habitats. Specialists use the media to inform the population what a spider looks like karakurt. Video and leaflets are used as visual aids.

Female karakurt with a cocoon

For living, these spiders choose abandoned burrows of small rodents, or dry ditches. They can also be located in a crevice of a clay wall. Climatic changes force spiders to change their homes.

Sometimes, in connection with this, specialists register invasion of karakurts. Spiders do not live in dense grass due to high humidity, but the bare desert scorched by the sun is also not for them. These arthropods feel most comfortable in sparse thickets of wormwood.

The female's house is spacious, and is formed from a dense web pattern. Males weave less intricate, and not so dense nets. Should I be afraid of meeting with karakurt?

The most poisonous females in May - June. The spider attacks when it feels a potential threat. Only by invading its space, a person or animal runs the risk of being bitten.

Male karakurt

Given these spider features, it becomes clear to whom and why it owes its name to stun gun karakurt. In fact, the aggressive behavior of the karakurt can be regarded as self-defense.

But this does not make it any easier, because most often a person quite unintentionally invades the territory where he can be attacked. poisonous karakurt. Animals often suffer from bites.

Only a few of them, such as dogs and hedgehogs, easily tolerate exposure to the toxin. The poison of an adult female is capable of killing a camel or a horse, is it worth talking about the danger to humans.

Within a quarter of an hour after a painful bite, a person shows the main symptoms of severe intoxication: dizziness, suffocation, chills, abdominal cramps, and vomiting. Timely administration of antivenom is a prerequisite for a favorable outcome.

Experts say that if you burn the bite with an extinguished match within two minutes, you can neutralize the poison. The fact is that the poison is based on a protein that simply curls up from exposure to high temperatures.

Female karakurt

In order to prevent the advice on first aid for bites from being useful, precautions must be taken especially carefully during the migration period of female spiders. After all, the modest size of the spider fully confirms its dangerous reputation.

Classification

View: Karakurt - Latrodectus tredecimguttatus

Genus: black widows

Family: Web spiders

Squad: Spiders

Class: arachnids

Type: arthropods

Subtype: Invertebrates

Lifespan: up to 14 months (females), up to 10 months (males if not eaten)

Surprisingly, not snakes, like and, but spiders are considered the most poisonous.

And the most poisonous of the order of arthropods is the karakurt spider (photo and description may shock you).

Karakurt is also called the black widow. Black - because the spider's abdomen, legs, head are of this color.

Widow - because the female, whose size is almost three times the size of the male, eats her husband after the marriage ceremony.

But another thing is more dangerous, this animal is very poisonous.

It is difficult to notice it, because even the karakurt pulls its nets not vertically, like other spiders, but horizontally, and thin threads are arranged randomly, and not, as shown in cartoons, in a circle.

If you accidentally touch a spider, it will take it as aggression on your part, attack and bite.

Habitat

Recently, they have migrated (probably due to global warming), and they can be found even in the Moscow region, Azerbaijan, the Altai Territory and in some areas: Rostov, Volgograd, Novosibirsk.

Nests of karakurt are arranged in secluded places:

in mouse holes;
in crevices;
in depressions in the ground;
within the walls of adobe houses.

They prefer to settle in the steppes and on arable lands, near ditches, ditches, ravines, salt marshes, on wastelands.

But they do not like hot deserts, wet ravines, bushes and thick grasses.

Attention! Sometimes karakurts can be found in abandoned buildings and even in your own yard.

Appearance

Outwardly, the spider seems so cute - it has neither a fluff nor wool, like, for example, a tarantula.

And the description of the karakurt spider is very interesting - its body is more like a designer. It has an abdomen resembling a ball and a cephalothorax.

They are connected to each other by the seventh segment (like our vertebrae) of the cephalothorax.

Limbs extend from the abdomen: two pairs of jaws and four pairs of legs. The abdomen is a symbiosis of the telson (anal lobe) and eleven segments.

The female has upper jaws (chelicerae) that end in hooks. And on the other side of the jaws are poisonous glands.

Interesting! The bite of a female karakurt is 15 times more poisonous than the bite of a rattlesnake.

The most correct appearance of the spider describes the Latin name of the karakurt.

Translated into Russian, it means "thirteen points." Indeed, on the back of the spider, you can see red-orange dots of arbitrary shape with a white stroke.

These marks mean danger; they can be used to determine that a karakurt is following you.

The spider, growing up, does not lose its color - the dots remain. And the spider is transformed, and sometimes instead of spots, yellow stripes appear on her abdomen.

During the juvenile period of life, both the female and the male molt: the spider 7 times, and the spider 9 times.

Characteristic

Females of karakurt differ from males in both appearance and size.

If the males are frail, black and no more than 7 mm in length, then the females are simply heroes: about 1 cm in length (there are also individuals up to 2 cm in length) with long three-centimeter legs - the models would be envious.

Yes, and they are rare beauties - the back is decorated with red peas.

Interesting! Eurasian spiders of karakurt in adulthood no longer have spots, and Americans and Australians are always spotted.

Spiders can be called aristocrats, because they have blue blood.

This is due to the fact that they have hemocyanin in their blood, and not hemoglobin, that is, not iron, but copper is responsible for the color of the blood.

Global warming has led to the fact that spiders refuse to sleep in winter.

In the fall, when the first frosts appear, the soil becomes cold, and the spiders die en masse.

But at the same time they manage to leave offspring.

Spiderlings grow in cocoons - they are warm and comfortable there, and crawl out of their houses only in summer.

That's when - in July, August, they can bite and inject poison under the skin.

Interesting! It would seem that karakurts are not afraid of anyone. But it's not. Flocks of sheep trample their nests in the steppes and clearings, sphex wasps inject poison into spiders, paralyzing them, insect riders (these are flies with wings - a cross between mosquitoes, flies and wasps) lay their testicles in cocoons with spiders and hedgehogs - karakurt simply will not reach the body of a hedgehog through a prickly fur coat.

Nutrition

reproduction

During the mating season, the male actively cares for the female.

But as soon as the matrimonial night ends, the female eats her betrothed - hence the names.

Kalmyks even call these spiders in their own way "belbesen-hara", which translates as "".

The female karakurt braids her nest from the inside with a cobweb, where she attaches cocoons with eggs. A spider can lay up to 1,300 eggs in a year.

A week later, spiderlings hatch from the eggs. But they do not crawl out, but live in a cocoon until the beginning of summer.

Bites of karakurt

The bite of a karakurt spider is very dangerous. Although, this is not entirely true.

A spider cannot bite through a person's skin, only a spider can do this. And only spiders have glands with poison.

Their chelicerae are so sharp and durable that they pierce not only the skin, but even the nails.

Females are especially dangerous during the mating season - this is from July to the end of August.

Interesting! In the 20s of the last century, for their ferocious temper and cruelty in Central Asia, the Basmachi were called "karakurts".

Black widow venom is toxic, neutropic, deadly to humans and even poison-resistant animals such as

When bitten by a karakurt, in order to prevent death, the victim needs to be injected with serum - an antidote in the next 10 minutes

Symptoms

After 10 minutes, a maximum of half an hour, the whole body begins to ache, as with a strong chill: the lower back hurts, the lower and upper abs, the chest, and almost unbearable pain occurs.

Then the krepatura subsides and weakness leans in.

In this case, the legs weaken first, then the arms and torso.

The bitten one turns pale, tears flow, he is sick, his heart seems to burst out of his chest.

At the final stage, consciousness becomes cloudy. A person ceases to recognize others and assess the situation, falls into depression, he is paralyzed by fear.

In order to prevent death, the victim must be injected with serum - an antidote.

Important! It is necessary to help the bitten in the first 10, maximum 20 minutes.

First steps

When walking around the neighborhood, carry matches in your pocket. If bitten by a black widow, the bite should be immediately burned with a match to destroy the poison formula.

Then you need to go to the nearest hospital and administer the antidote. The serum itself is quite expensive.

It is produced at the Tashkent Institute of Vaccines and Serums and costs more than 30,000 rubles.

Alternatively, you can enter a 0.1% solution of potassium permanganate (5 ml) under the skin and make lotions.

Please note that immediately after the injection, the poison is not neutralized. It only gets better after a week or three.

It all depends on the season, weight, age and immunity of the bitten and on the amount of poison injected under the skin.

But in fairness it should be said that karakurts are the first and just like that never attack.

They can bite if they accidentally step on the nest or on the female herself.

Spider karakurt: poisonous and very dangerous

The inhabitants of the steppes, deserts, and, more recently, cities, are afraid of seemingly innocent creatures. This is a spider karakurt (photo). The bite of these animals is very dangerous, even poisonous. How to recognize and protect yourself from poison?

Many consider the snake to be the most insidious and dangerous creature in the world. However, a small spider lives on our planet, whose bite is 15 times more poisonous than a snake bite. This is a karakurt, which is considered one of the most poisonous spiders on earth, and therefore it is worth getting to know it better.

What is a spider karakurt

The name of the spider is translated as "kara" (black) and "kurt" (worm). In the Kalmyk language, karakurt sounds like "black Widow". This name fully justifies itself. The thing is that after mating, the spiders devour their partners, and this happens with each subsequent gentleman.

Females differ greatly from males. The average size of a spider is 10-20 mm, and the male is usually quite small, only 4-7 mm. They are black in color with thirteen red dots on the upper side of the abdomen. It is these spots that are their hallmark. Interestingly, reaching puberty, these spots may disappear.

Karakurt spiders have a very powerful "chemical weapon" - poison. They need it to hunt various insects. In addition, with its help, they destroy steppe animals, for example, ground squirrels, in whose holes they then begin to twist their web. If they are not disturbed, they will not attack, but in case of danger they begin to attack instantly.

Habitat

Very often this spider can be found in the following places:

There are known cases of their discovery in the south of the Urals, in the territories bordering Kazakhstan. Spiders began to be found in Azerbaijan, as well as in the Rostov region. If the weather is very hot, karakurts can move to the northern regions, for example, in the suburbs. They can also be found at higher latitudes, but they live there only until the onset of winter. Ideal conditions for their living hot summer and warm autumn.

Karakurts live mainly in the steppes, in ditches, salt marshes, on the slopes of ravines, in abandoned villages. They weave a web in the cracks of the earth, in potholes, rodent burrows, where in July-August they attach cocoons with egg laying. A week later, spiderlings hatch from the eggs, however, only the next spring they begin to crawl out of the cocoon. The air temperature at this time reaches 30 degrees. In autumn, all adult representatives of karakurts die.

These spiders feed on hedgehogs, wasps, and rider beetles. Flocks of sheep often trample their clutches.

reproduction

Karakurt spiders are highly prolific and every 10-12 years their rapid growth is observed. To lay eggs, the female spins a web in cracks in the soil, rodent burrows, and in the drainage of ventilation systems. Spiderlings spend the winter in a cocoon, and crawl out of it in April. In June, the spiders become sexually mature. As soon as hot weather sets in, karakurts begin to look for sheltered places for mating. Then the females begin to look for places to lay eggs.

What is the danger of a karakurt bite

The most poisonous are sexually mature females, and males are not able to bite through human skin. In July-August, the peak of spider activity occurs, when the migration of females begins. Their venom is 15 times stronger than that of the most venomous snake. They move very quickly, and they can attack imperceptibly.

Females never attack first. This happens only if she is accidentally crushed, and she, defending herself, can bite. Mostly this happens at night during outdoor recreation, less often during the day.

At the site of the bite of the spider first appears little red dot but it disappears very quickly. The bite itself is not very painful, however, when the poison begins to act, there is severe pain in this place. A person has a strong mental excitement, he is covered by panic and fear of death, spasms and suffocation. Victims with a diseased heart may not be able to endure such a condition.

After 10-15 minutes, there are very severe pains in the abdomen, chest and lower back, the legs begin to be taken away. There is vomiting, headache and dizziness. The face becomes cyanotic, the pulse begins to slow down and arrhythmia occurs, protein appears in the urine. After that, the patient lethargy occurs, however, severe pain gives him great discomfort. After 5 days, rashes appear on the skin, and the condition improves slightly. The final recovery occurs after 3 weeks, within a month the patient does not leave the weakness.

Treatment

If you do not come to the rescue in a timely manner, the victim may die.

Fortunately, deaths from the bite of a karakurt spider are quite rare.

Prevention

The karakurt spider can live in forest glades, parks, squares, summer cottages. That is why, when going for a walk, it is necessary observe the following safety measures:

If such spiders are known to live in the area, it is better not to spend the night in the open.
Contact of sleeping places with the inner walls of tents should be avoided.
If it becomes necessary to stop for a halt or overnight, you should carefully examine the territory.
If burrows or depressions under stones are found where spiders can live, they should be covered with earth.
Clothing should be long-sleeved, and the head should be covered with a scarf or other headgear.
If you have a night in a tent, you need to carefully inspect the sleeping place before going to bed, as well as a backpack, clothes and shoes, where karakurt spiders can penetrate.
It is better to use the canopy, tucking it under the bed.
Small grooves can be made around the tent.
Always wear footwear that will protect your feet from venomous bites.
If suddenly a karakurt spider is found on clothes, you can not press it or pick it up. It is best to knock it down with a click or just shake it off to the ground.

Conclusion

From the bites of spiders of karakurt very all living things suffer, and horses and camels almost always die. When these spiders begin their intensive reproduction, animal husbandry suffers great losses due to the mass loss of livestock. That is why, to destroy the spiders of karakurt, the soil is sprayed with hexachloran and other poisons.

Should take precautions when it is necessary to go out into nature in places where karakurt spiders are very common. In case of a bite, first aid should be provided immediately and urgently contact a medical facility.

Who in the world is scarier than a rattlesnake? This is not a huge bear and not a terrible tiger - this is a small spider, the name of which makes you shudder! Black widow karakurt... its bite is 15 times more poisonous than the bite of a rattlesnake! Look at the photo of the karakurt spider and remember not to get into its "web" ...

The name of this eight-legged creature comes from the Turkic words "kara" (black) and "kurt" (worm). The scientific name of the karakurt is Latrodectus tredecimguttatus. This bloodthirsty creature belongs to the order of spiders, the family of spider-web spiders and is referred by scientists to the genus of black widows. This animal is considered one of the most poisonous spiders in the Crimea. Having met him on a hot afternoon, it is better to run away from him wherever your eyes look, otherwise he will certainly want to get to know you better. By the way, the same applies to other animals of the Crimea, for example -.

How to recognize karakurt among other spiders?

Adults of these poisonous arachnids are of medium size.

Females are much larger than males. Compare for yourself: if the body length of males ranges from 4 to 7 millimeters, then females grow up to 2 centimeters!

The body color of karakurts is black. But there are a great many black spiders, you say, and not all of them are deadly poisonous! Karakurts have one distinctive feature - these are its spots. These blotches are red, sometimes they are bordered by white rims. It is noteworthy that when the spiders become fully mature, sometimes these spots disappear altogether ... therefore, when relaxing in the Crimea, bypass, just in case, the side of all black spiders!

Where do karakurts live

These dangerous creatures can be found in Asia, for example, in Kazakhstan. Karakurts also live in Europe, in particular on the territory of Ukraine. In our country, you can get acquainted with karakurt in the Crimea. North Africa is also included in the habitat of these poisonous creatures.

Karakurt lifestyle

For a comfortable stay of these representatives of the genus of black widows, a warm autumn and a hot summer are needed. But when the temperature rises above the norm in the summer months, karakurts can migrate to more northern regions.

Steppe areas are especially welcomed by these spiders. Karakurt likes to settle on wastelands, slopes of ravines, in ditches, ruins, salt marshes.

This black spider builds its home in animal burrows, cracks in the earth's crust.

What does karakurt eat

Insects such as grasshoppers, locusts can get on the "dining table" of this predator. Sometimes karakurts also feed on other invertebrates.

Reproduction of karakurts

Black widow karakurt is a real predator.

The breeding season for karakurts is July - August. On a woven web, the female lays eggs, "packed" in a cocoon. A week later, small spiders appear from them. It is noteworthy that young spiders do not leave the cocoon until the spring of next year. They winter in this very cocoon.

Enemies of karakurt - who are they?

These arachnids are attacked by rider beetles. In addition, herds of sheep often trample, without knowing it, entire clusters of karakurts.

The bite of a karakurt - why is it dangerous, and what to do if the “kiss” did take place?

If you are bitten by this poisonous spider, then right away you may not even feel it. The sensation of pain comes only after 10 - 15 minutes. Severe pain instantly spreads throughout the body, and if timely assistance is not provided, then such an unpleasant “surprise” can end in death for a person. The poison of one small karakurt is quite enough to kill an adult.