The Year of the Spider

Relax. I'm an arachnologist. 

presents

"The Year of the Spider"

or, "Brain Droppings of an Arachnologist"

INTRODUCTION

   So, today marks the kick off of the first ever Spider Week. I originally had a whole lineup of essays planned to release this week, but as I've not had time to complete them due to prior commitments and what I'll call "interference" (ADHD!!!!), I've decided to do a little something different instead. It will still contain lots of spiders and spider information (what did you expect?), but it should feel more organic this way. At least, that's the intention.
     As most of you probably know, the primary goal of Relax. I'm an arachnologist. is to

the use of arachnology and spiders to promote scientific literacy and skeptical thinking among the public, as well as promote an appreciation of arachnids.

     This is, admittedly, neither wholly original or difficult, and yet, somehow, we seem to be living in an age in which skeptical thinking is in something of a deficit. So, it would seem, is a fear of spiders (the vast majority of which, I doubt I need to remind you, are perfectly harmless to humans), which I would argue stems from the general lack of understanding anything about them. While it may be natural for children to fear spiders (it seems to be part of how the brain is wired, at the very least - an innate fear of dark colors, sharply angular shapes, and unpredictable movements), it is almost shameful that we should put up with so many adults fearing them and killing them on sight. As we have this wonderfully evolved brain (even with it's many imperfections), it is capable of changing itself and, thus, ourselves and our behaviors. As Carl Sagan once put it, "think of the possibilities". (Just to clarify, Dr. Sagan wasn't talking about spiders!)

     And so, I believe it's fitting to start off the first Spider Week with something of a soliloquy of spiders, a look at what I find so wonderful about them, how they interact and affect our world, and even some of the best (and worst) depictions of them in media. Sprinkling it with tidbits of information and memes and photographs (most of which, regrettably, will not be mine - do not worry! I am currently on the market for a decent and proper camera). 

     Finally, remember, these are brain droppings - the subject may change and may not exhibit any particular form of continuity.

    

WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT SPIDERS?

     Spiders, for the most part, are large enough as to be intimidating to those unfamiliar with them, yet small enough so those same people often miss the grandeur and beauty that surrounds them and their world. It doesn't help that a small fraction of the 40,000 species of known spiders are actually medically significant - that is, if they bite you, you are (or were, before the advent of medical science) in very real trouble. As we evolved in a world in which there was no way to prevent death by injection of venom from an animal (not just spiders, but snakes, insects, scorpions, and a host of others), it would be an advantage to have a significant fear of those animals. Those would-be ancestors of ours who might have shared our love of spiders (well, some of us, anyway) may have succeeded only in removing themselves form the gene pool. 

     So we know why so many people have an innate dislike of spiders. Why do some of us have the exact opposite response to spiders, a (seemingly) innate love? Well, I suspect it may be because of all those who have a love of spiders, the vast majority of them are geeks, nerds, or other group of intellectual. That is, they are probably people who love to learn about new things. As for myself, I used to be terrified of spiders so much so that if I found a spider in my bed, I would not sleep in it for days. Days. (Seriously; I don't know whether to laugh or cry....) It was only when I started learning about them as an "offshoot" of sorts of entomology that I grew to love everything about spiders. That was also how I grew to understand my fear as an invalid, emotional response which was wholly unwarranted. Refusing to sleep in a bed for three days is most assuredly not the appropriate response to finding a two gram wandering spider in your bed.

     It is a battle which is unevenly matched - on the one side, you have those who adore and revere spiders as the wonderful creatures they are; on the other, you have those who vilify and condemn to death creatures whose only crime is being seen. If we compare the reactions of people who see the death of a spider (or a spider like creature, maybe an insect or a scorpion or centipede) to the reactions we see when another animal is put down, they stand in stark contrast of one another. A person who sees the crushing of a spider by a shoe, say, is likely to say "what's the big deal, it's only a spider?" On the other hand, they are likely (likely, though this is not always the case; I would be amiss if I were to suggest it was) to come up for excuses for any other animal which may need to be killed - for example, if a dog is about to be put down for attacking a human, the attack suddenly seems to be the fault of everything but the dog (yet no such considerations are given to eight legged freaks). I can understand such sentiments - dogs have evolved into a symbiotic partnership with humans, something spiders haven't done (and seem rather unlikely to do). Dogs are domesticated, whereas spiders can only be convinced (I use the term here loosely) that you are not going to eat it. 

     Still, the best way to counter this is to remind people of just all the good that spiders actually do for us. They help control the invertebrate pest population in our homes, gardens, sheds, and businesses. They make wonderfully easy-to-maintain exotic pets (always buy captive bred!). Those sticky strands they seem to stick on your ceiling when you're not looking are, in fact, incredibly strong. Spiders, especially jumping spiders, seem to be inquisitive about the world around them, able to exploit their environment to outwit and outmaneuver their prey items. 

     Not only that, but spiders are - in their very shape - magnificently alien to us. Two body parts; eight legs, with the additional two pedipalps; organs which produce it's very own, biodegradable building material (silk) which can be used for any number of purposes. They all (with one exception) produce venom with which to tackle their prey. Us humans, on the other hand, have only our advanced brain, opposable thumbs, and bipedal locomotion with which to conquer the world. While we have done just that, it is still an amazing idea that spiders can be so well adapted to their environments. 

     Spider legs move through a combination of muscle and blood pressure. Some jumping spiders have brains which spill into their legs. Some spiders have no eyes, while others have no venom, and crush their prey with their silk. Some spiders wander so much in their search of prey that they've wandered into our nightmares, while others can only survive with a web. Still, despite their magnificent nature, people seem to still be convinced they will bite them if given a chance; a myth that my friend has gladly demonstrated for us to be untrue (at least in North America, although I feel quite secure in saying this is true for all spiders around the world). 

      Spiders are not always dull colors, some can be brightly colored. Some have bizarre shapes and behaviors, even as far as spiders are concerned. But, in all honesty, that only makes them that much more interesting. There is always something, waiting, to be discovered in the world of spiders. Either for yourself, or for science as a whole. 

SPIDERS IN THE MEDIA - THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WTF

     

Spoiler alert: NOT safe for work! 

     Because spiders are so maligned by humans, they are often portrayed in villains in the media. From the mundane tarantulas that gave the Miller boy some trouble down under and saved Kevin from Murph, to the monstrous baddies of Eight Legged Freaks and The Giant Spider Invasion (clear violations of the square-cubed law), spiders have more often than not been shown in not the best light. Reflecting the public understanding of these animals, these films almost always depict them as either malignant or as a tool used by the protagonist. Still, these movies are fun and entertaining, and it is nice to see our eight legged friends get some screen time, and rest assured, not all depictions are negative. 

     The most famous of these is, perhaps, a single spider named Charlotte, helpful enough to protect a pig from slaughter (and somehow fluent in the English language. One cannot help but wonder what else she studied in her off-time.). If one would point to any particular piece of media which might save the image of the spider, it is this (as well as the E.B. White novel on which the movies are based). Although, I can't help but feel that, in the story, the poor spider gets horribly overlooked; the crowds are mesmerized at "some pig", yet fail to realize that holy crap that spider can freaking spell! Yet, perhaps making spiders look even more noble, Charlotte never complains that her truly remarkable accomplishments are ignored while a pig gets attention for standing around, doing nothing. Similar to this (and yet also completely different) is the spider which appears in the film Spider-Man (2002), which bites Peter Parker and then is never seen again, mostly because Parker decides, "nah, a loose spider in a lab where they raise spiders, in which one of the test spiders is missing, isn't worth mentioning. To anybody. Ever. Especially not after it bit me."  (But I digress.)

A spider bite victim doesn't tell anybody he was bitten - a CLEAR work of fiction!

      Another favorable depiction of spiders comes form the Hub show "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic". In the season 4 episode entitled "Maud Pie", for a few seconds, there is perhaps the most not-scary spider to ever grace anything ever. (It's funny because you think I'm kidding.) The spider, said to be found "only in Ponyville", is colored in pastels, has a diabetic-inducing "smile", and moves relatively smoothly. And, as if that wasn't out of line with the popular image of spiders as miniature, mindless monsters of the dark, the little guy then gives the visiting Maud a flower. The joke here is that Maud (being a geologist of sorts) isn't interested in the spider, or the flower, at all, but rather in the rock it's sitting upon. However, there is some value in it - the point is made that the spider (as it true for all spiders) "may look scary", but help keeps "other, more dangerous insects away".

It is still horribly anatomically incorrect. I see three body segments, Hasbro! 

     All of this is not to say that films in which spiders are the villain aren't fun. They most certainly are. It's fun because we are transported to a world where the square-cube law often doesn't apply, and where the spiders actually are out to get us. "Eight Legged Freaks" is a remarkably fun '50s style monster movie about giant arachnids overtaking a small town, and has perhaps one of the best uses of a film title within its own story. "Arachnophobia", starring Jeff Daniels, does a wonderful job of pushing atmosphere instead of action. But what makes these movies fun is the fact that it is understood by the audience that these things don't actually happen. We never have to worry about being a Jeff Daniels type character facing off against invading, highly venomous social spiders. We also don't need to worry about giant spiders emerging from underground tunnels where we so foolishly stowed our toxic waste. 

     Spiders have been used in the media for jokes that are just outright bizarre. Take, for example, the only Cyanide and Happiness short to ever feature a spider, the amazingly bizarre short entitled "Book Report":

 

Every time you squish a spider, you may  just be committing murder....

     

    Perhaps one of the most unfair use of the image of the spider comes from France, in which the image of a spider performing a sex act on a woman was used to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. Or another ad, which promotes condoms by showing a tarantula in a woman's underwear. I'm all for safe sex and preventing AIDS, but was it really necessary to take advantage of the misunderstanding and stigma which surrounds these animals already? That is not to mention that the images themselves are so bizarre that, for the most of us, it would seem that the positive message was lost in the attempt at shock value. 

I see no way this could possibly backfire.

     Several companies have taken advantage of the more positive traits of the spider. Fishing line company Spider Wire uses a (somewhat modified) spider as a mascot, its tagline being "nothing gets away". Notwithstanding the fact that more insects escape spider webs than we would probably think, it is a nice switch from "dark and bad" to seeing a spider as something useful and beneficial. 

     And all of the preceding is simply spiders as they appear in entertainment media, not the news media, where depictions and vilification may indeed be far worse. While this is not always the case, it can certainly cause more harm than good. For example, when ABC News reported that a Florida man was fatally (and tragically) bitten by what was reported as a brown recluse while renovating an old home. While the news video did do a rather decent job of explaining that, since 2002, only five people have been killed by spider bites (most due to complications as a side effect, such as allergic reactions, rather than from the spider venom itself). The article also cautions Florida residents to seek medical attention as soon as a spider bites them. This is where the quality of the article declines, somewhat. It doesn't cautions readers to be sure it was a spider that bit them (remember all of those false spider bites that people seek medical treatment for?), but it does say that folk remedies, such as putting coffee grounds on the bite, often make the situation worse by causing an infection. 

     Fortunately, most spider news stories are actual scientific articles (not journal articles, as would be found in Nature, but more along the lines of LiveScience or ScienceDaily), and convey new stories that shed spiders in a positive and unique light. While ABC News may only report on the deaths of humans as caused by spiders, LiveScience will gladly let you know about how artificial skin was created with spider silk, or ScienceDaily will surely let you know that spider webs have been shown to more successfully ensnare negatively charged insects.

     But then there is social media, and this is where things go far beyond anything rational. This is where people are duped into believing that head-sized solfugids roam the Iraqi desert, or the brightly colored Telamonia is lurking under public restrooms across America. If the presence of scientifically literate public could be of use anywhere, then surely it is here, where spiders are not only demonized, but anything which is new and different. (Such as anti-GMO Facebook pages, which fail to recognize that the "organic" ears of corn are also genetically modified, as is our ever faithful companion, the dog) So bad is the unscientific, and in some cases anti-scientific (such as Creation Today, whse Facebook page boasts just over eight thousand members, most of whom, I'm sure, are convinced Ken Ham won his debate against Bill Nye), content that there are even parody pages popping up. STOP Smoking Weed and Christians for Michele Bachmann boast impressive (yet small and humble) numbers of likes. What's more, is that the unscientific community is so outrageous that these parodies, be it due to likeness of actual pseudoscience or because people cannot critically think, are often mistaken for actual anti-science posts. All of this, remember, needs only be fixed by introducing the public to the wonder of scientific skepticism, and the easiest way to do that is by shining a curious light onto the spiders such people often fear so badly.

SPIDERS AS A TOOL OF EDUCATION

     One of the great things about spiders, in my humble opinion, is that they are found everywhere. It's been said that you are always within three feet of a spider; however, it might be wise to remember that estimate as one for natural spider habitats. You're not likely to be within three feet of a spider if you're in a clean apartment, or a chemistry lab, or any other sort of place which is regularly cleaned. (Unless, of course, you collect spiders). 

     This, given with the fact that spiders are one of the most maligned creatures on the planet, provides us with an excellent tool for education the masses in critical thinking and scientific literacy. Any scientifically literate person is well aware of the harmlessness of spiders. So, in a world where a significant portion of the populace believe paranormal experiences are an actual thing (including ancient aliens, ghosts, hauntings, ESP, and astrology), the belief that all spiders are dangerous doesn't seem to be so outrageous, even though it is outrageously false (Careful, though! Correlation does not imply causation!) Both often involve at least some lack of general understanding of science; in the case of astrology, the lack of scientific literacy is astronomy, and when people are afraid of spiders, they are often not very well versed in organismal (and particular arachnid) biology. 

     Many people report false spider bites so often that people who actually were bitten by spiders may be turned away from doctors, because the faux bites so outnumber the actual bites. I once diagnosed a woman who had been bitten by a black widow, and was only admitted to the hospital once the severe symptoms had set in. How much better off would she have been in the long run (don't worry, she lived) had people not gone to the doctor after finding a red spot, seeing the spider, and assuming one caused the other? True, there are cases of severe arachnophobia, and such cases should not be taken lightly (a case study can be found here). We in no way should suddenly expose such people to spiders suddenly and without warning. But a vast number of people who could be called "arachnophobics" are also ones who simply despise them, for whatever reason. (And what good reason could there be?) And, with proper scientific understanding, dignity, and compassion, even severe arachnophobia can be overcome - although, such a process does take quite a while. (Although, my friend Arlo has a great video to help overcome the fear of spiders for the mildly arachnophobic.)

     Such an approach is exactly what Carl Sagan meant when he said, "we can do science, and with it, we can improve our lives". It is truly a remarkable thing that we can confront our problems, what we feel and fear and hate, through the lense of rationality, science, skepticism, and understanding. We can know that these small, delicate organisms don't intend to do us any real harm. We can "save", such as it is, those who are prisoner to the irrational hatred and fear of spiders and, by doing so, start them on the paths to a more scientific and inquisitive ways of understanding the world in which we live- in the stead of the superstitious and fearful thinking which held them before. The understanding of spiders, I think, is a continual exercise in finding beauty where beauty is not always apparent. Sure, a peacock spider is brilliantly beautiful in all it's colors, but the beauty of a sheet web, or in the ominous marking of a Latrodectus, are often only found by those who know why such things are, how they work, how they came to be. Where many may see only a nuisance, a useless conglomerate of sticky silk harboring a miniature, frightful beast, those of us who understand the spider (and it's web) see a beautiful tapestry of uses, a composition of silk which is at once a tool.... and a home. 

     Of course, using spiders for education isn't easy. People, as a general rule, don't like to be told their wrong - even if they're being told they're wrong about something wanting to kill them. As such, I'm generally told I'm shrill and aggressive at my insistence that spiders aren't fatal to humans, even the more dangerous ones (thanks to modern medicine, although such spiders still should not be taken lightly). My comparisons of the dangers of spiders to, say, the domestic dog (a particular favorite argument of mine) often incites rage, anger, and uncooperativeness instead of the understand that, with dogs being as safe as they are, spiders are even less dangerous than that. When, I agree to the point that dogs aren't particularly dangerous to humans (when one considers the mathematics worked out between the number of attacks and the number of people who come into close and intimate contact with canines over the course of a year, in the United States alone), the point is sill missed that spiders aren't dangerous. It's a rather curious set of circumstances when the 30 people killed a year by dogs are so easily and willfully overlooked, but one death by a spider is obsessed over. As with the ABC News story about the Florida man who died of a spider bite, you'll see nobody making excuses for the spider's innocence - instead, they will be predictably flooding their local convenience store to stock up on glue traps and pest spray.

     This is perhaps where my passion for spiders - and using spiders to educate - stems from. As I've noted before, I used to be something of an arachnophobe, refusing to sleep in a bed for days if I saw so much as an American grass spider in the bed. Education was what led me from fear to respect and awe and wonder. I want to share that with as many people as I can, to promote these special animals which deserve much more respect than they currently receive. And while I am also a journalist, I will always be (in my heart of hearts) an arachnologist - somebody who is in love with the study of spiders, and the animals themselves. 

     

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING

     Who doesn't like a good spider meme? Have some more! (WARNING: Probably not scientifically accurate.)

and finally, I've saved the best for last. 

     And that's all you get. Now, back to the serious stuff.

HANDLING SPIDERS

   

This is me, holding a spider (possibly a wolf spider, but I can't find where I identified it).

     So, you have a pet spider, or a spider in your house, and you feel the need to handle it. As a professional, I must tell you: This probably isn't the best idea, for either you or the spider. That being said (and any liabilities successfully avoided.... right, Saul?), handling spiders can be a rewarding and an exciting experience. The image on the right is what appears to be a Rualena sp. crawling on my wrist. These, like most funnel weavers, are harmless to humans. The Scouting magazine Boys' Life even had a small piece on keeping spiders as pets, including how to catch your own.

     But lets start off with the simplest scenario - that is, you intent to hold a spider you already have, such as a tarantula. I'll use this to begin with because they're large, easy to handle (depending on the species, of course), and it's probably what most people want to hold because, well, let's face it - holding tarantulas is freaking awesome! 

 

 What you'll want to do first is nudge - gently! - one of the legs of the spider, preferably one of the hind legs. This is so the spider will be physically aware of your presence in the cage. Spiders, having a "primitive" method of breathing, are stressed very easily, and wear out very easily. It is not a good idea to alarm them needlessly, lest they, in a burst of speed, run off your hand, fall three feet to the ground, and rupture their sac-like abdomen. Once it is aware of your presence, what I usually do is coax it into a corner; there, as it attempts to climb the walls, I am able to position my hand under it and then safely lift it out. Here's a video showing some processes, which doesn't feature me. 

     

     Handling wild spiders is often more nerve wracking, because, unlike tarantulas (which have usually been acclimated to the presence of a large animal in their proximity), they are more likely to bolt, sometimes up and arm and (then) up a shirt. Also, as wild spiders generally aren't as large as a tarantula, nor as robust, they are more easily damaged if one is not careful. So I'll come out and say it right now - unless you've had proper training and experience, you should not handle any wild spiders with your bare hands.

CONCLUSION

     Spiders are amazing, wonderful creatures deserving of our utmost respect. As spider lovers, it is our job to make sure these animals are exposed as the intricate biological entities they are. I hope you will join me as I use spiders, and spider-like animals, to promote scientific literacy and skepticism, and show the world that beauty can be found in places where many thought no beauty existed before. Cheers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

R Troy Peterson is a journalism and arachnology double-major at Central Washington University. He runs the Facebook page "Relax. I'm an arachnologist." To get ahold of him, email tarantulatactics@gmail.com or visit the Facebook page.