I can add two known brown recluse bites (that necrotized in an ugly manner) in the Philadelphia area, and raise you having seen one of the bastards on my new agey friend's porch, which is the reason that it lived past my seeing it. She had a freak-out when I suggested it just needed killin'.

My mom was bitten by one in Chester County, at least that was the diagnosis. I was surprised by the map too.

Is she a racist? Or was she concerned that the widow might come husband shopping around your way?


:p

I'm beginning to think it will take another lifetime before I'm eaten again...

That's a point: there isn't much danger of a deadly spidey bite over here...

Oh yeah, and that.

Most of my yucky spider stories come from my overseas adventures in my younger days. I just swatted one on my wall.

Plenty of spiders here in the American south. I was bitten on the hand by a brown recluse - made my hand look like a foot for a week and I lost a dime-sized bit of necrotic tissue. I like spiders, all critters really, but especially like our wolf spiders here. They grow quite large and will 'challenge' you - turn on you, rise up, and appear to say, "c'mon, bring it on!"

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.

In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming

..of being eaten...

Here is a Sydney Funnel-web in "bring it on, bitch!" posture. Remember, this thing is about 4 or 5 cm across, those fangs are 6 or 7 mm long, can penetrate fingernails or soft clothing, and are dripping with venom that will kill you in a few hours if you don't get to hospital damn fast.

Attachment 25106

But it's probably trying to defend it's babies... won't someone please think of the children? :p