Talk:Pterinochilus murinus

other stuff

i salvaged the following article from "Mombasa starburst tarantula", because i made a redirect here from there. i find the facts presented there highly questionable in part, so maybe someone with more knowledge than me can incorporate what's true and discard what's not. --Sarefo 17:37, 19 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The Mombasa starburst tarantula, is a large species of tarantula is endemic as its name suggests in and around the fishing port of Mombasa, Kenya. it is quite a large spider with a size of 10 centimetres form leg to leg. it has a bright yellow or brown colouration through out its body calling it 'starburst'. this spider has fangs 1 centimetre long and is strong enough to penetrate a toenail. This tarantula has a life span of 5-7 years in the wild and about 7-10 years of age if kept in captivity. This species is becoming quite popular pets in the Philippines, Laos, Spain, Mexico, South Africa and Italy. This species has got a mild venom but can cause fever, headaches and in rare cases paralyzes finger and toes for a short peroid of time to children. in Mombasa, about 5 people get bitten every year but luckily only 1 of every 10 cases are lethal.

Pterinochilus Murinus venom is NOT mild. Unless by mild they meant "it won't kill you." You might not die but if you get a full dose you'll surely wish you had. The trick is that tarantulas seem to be able to at least partially control how much venom they inject during a bite so many of their bites are "dry". A wet P.Murinus bite will put you in extreme pain for many hours. Also - there has never been a confirmed fatality due to a tarantula bite, P.Murinus or otherwise. 0 of every 10 cases are lethal would be more accurate.159.153.142.61 (talk) 23:39, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]