The venom of male spiders
The vast majority of spiders avoid confrontation, while the male Australian spider, considered one of the most dangerous spiders in the world, will attack and try to bite anything that threatens it, and clings to the victim, the stinging several times. to make sure he gets a full dose of his venom.
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| poisonous spider |
This spider has been shown to be powerful at stings, is very aggressive, and has an incredible range of powerful fangs, which can penetrate shoes and nails, and using this destructive mechanism, the spider injects an appropriate dose of a potent toxin that affects the nervous system; the system, especially in primates, within minutes.
And recently, a group of Australian researchers studied the venom of the funnel-shaped spider and found that this type of spider had acquired the ability to kill humans by chance and that the fast-acting and highly toxic had probably evolved as a defense against predators.
The results of the study were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on September 21 and included an article by two of the research participants published on The Conversation website.
Search for the female.
About 15% of all animals use poison for various reasons such as killing or immobilizing prey, defending themselves, or gaining an advantage over competitors during the breeding season, and as the animal matures and changes its activities, its poison changes.
The Australian network's repressive spiders are one of a small group of spiders whose venom can kill humans, however, all of the previously reported deaths occurred before the introduction of antivenoms in 1981.
This toxin is fatal because it contains a type called “delta-hexatoxin”. This toxin can kill humans by attacking the nervous system and straining the nerves making them always "busy" by sending nerve signals.
Scientists have proven that when male repressive spiders are young, their venom is mainly strong for the insects that eat them, but once the male begins to look for a female, he must leave his safe burrow, and his venom, in it. the case becomes strong for vertebrates such as reptiles and mammals, including humans.
Very baffled.
Scientists have long wondered why these toxins are so deadly to humans when we and other primates have never fallen prey to web spiders throughout history.
Researchers attempted to solve this mystery using molecular analysis of the toxin. Although 35 species of repressive spiders are officially recognized, the Australian network identified 22 species of delta venom out of just 10 of them, and obtaining this data helped paint a much clearer picture. For the astounding story of poison.
Researchers examined the genomic sequences of all reticulocyte "delta hexatoxin" toxins and found that the female venom remains effective only against insects, but over time, the venom of adult males evolves to be potent against vertebrates.
Protection against predators.
Researchers believe this is all due to natural selection, as the genes responsible for this success are preserved and passed on to future generations. When repressive spiders evolved the web millions of years ago, their venoms targeted their natural prey from insects such as cockroaches and flies.
Leaving males in their burrows after sexually maturing and walking long distances to find a female has contributed to a change in the venom of adult male spiders as it has placed them in the path of vertebrate predators, which can include reptiles such as lizards, geckos. and mammals such as mice and birds.
The researchers intend to exploit this new knowledge after gaining a better understanding of the genetic sequences and evolution of “delta hexatoxin” toxins, and to study the effect of spider venom on the human body, which is crucial for improving antivenoms and designing new treatment strategies for bite victims.
Scientists also hope that studying the evolution of toxins will lead to new types of pesticides that are less harmful to non-target insects and have widespread effects.