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The heat is perfect for trips to the water. However, various dangers may await us while resting by a lake or river. Among them is also the nightmare of arachnophobes – the largest spider in Poland. Anglers know it well who know that its venom can cause an unpleasant “hangover”.
- The water trunk is the largest of the spiders living in Poland. The size is second only to the Ukrainian tarantula that appears in our country
- A large spider lives above the water, but also in water – it can swim and dive
- The trunk is able to hunt even a frog or a small fish
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage.
“Fishing hangover” after meeting the waterside. What are the symptoms?
Anglers are very familiar with the watershed. If they have not encountered this sizeable arachnid themselves, they must have heard legends about an unpleasant “hangover” following a bite.
In Łukasz Przybyłowicz’s Atlas of Spiders, there is no information in the literature on the strength of the poison of the bog. At the same time, the author assumes that it does not pose a threat to humans. However, the entomologist prof. Stanisław Czachorowski. According to the scientist, his jaws can easily penetrate human skin. Moreover, the bite of the trunk is supposed to be more painful than the bite of a spider spider.
Prof. Czachorowski also writes about symptoms that may result in an encounter with a sizeable arachnid.
– I strongly advise against trying to catch him in the hand. His bites heal hard, and the venom causes severe intoxication of the body lasting several days, manifested by headache, diarrhea and vomiting. Anglers call it a “fishing hangover” – adds the scientist.
Where can you find the watershed trunk?
The water reservoir lives both by stagnant water, i.e. lakes or retention reservoirs, and by rivers. Its natural environment is rushes. The spider can also swim and even dive. In this way, it catches its victims as well as hides from intruders.
Not only fishermen, but also canoeists or simply people spending time by the water are exposed to the meeting with the trunk. Although it is considered a rare and timid species, reports of encounters with the marsh are relatively frequent. This may be due to the fact that it is confused with a similar coastal marsh. This, however, would not explain the popularity of the “fishing hangover” legend.
The trunk is not an aggressive spider, so the risk of it biting us is minimal. He won’t do it without a reason. The spider will attack properly only in two situations: when it is a female defending the rushes or when it is pressed against the wall by us. It is about the situation when, for example, we accidentally touch a spider hiding in the dark corners of a pier or a bridge. Due to the fact that the trunk sometimes lands in a boat or kayak, then caution is also recommended. A stressed arachnid can attack.
The trunk bite, although painful and unpleasant, does not require medical intervention. Symptoms should resolve spontaneously within a few days. However, if anything worries us after the bite, it is better to consult a specialist.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to one of the ways to deal with stress – the TRE method. What is it about? How does it release us from stress and trauma? Who is it intended for and who should definitely not use it? About this in the latest episode of our podcast.
http://resetmedonet.libsyn.com/metoda-tre-grayna-okulska