The host tweeted that he encountered a "weird" spider Expert: Not rare

Original title: This kind of "human-faced spider" is not rare

Zhao Li photographed the Ku-Gi thorn-bellied spider at the Wuhou Ancestral Temple

"This is a huge human-faced spider, all black, the white pattern on the back of the spider, naturally generating the appearance of a human face, the facial features are all outlined, the same is not much, the same is not much." The pattern of this human face is the size of a washbasin, the spider is several times larger, and the eight strange legs are covered with fluff. "In the classic suspense novel "Ghost Blowing Lights", the human-faced spider appears as a monster image, which makes many readers feel suspenseful and terrible.

Does such a humanoid really exist in real life?

Recently, Luo Xiaogang, a well-known dialect program host in Chengdu, told the thrilling scene of his encounter with a human-faced spider through his Weibo: "Did I pick up a life today?" I found a spider web in the middle of the mountain forest, and vaguely remembered that there were smiling spiders in the world, which were said to be very poisonous and wanted to kill people. This spider is so weird, when I shoot the spider quickly went down to protect its 'egg', which is much faster than a snail. I got very close, about 0.01 meters away, and I guess I almost became its plate. ”

The reporter saw through the photos taken by Luo Xiaogang that the spider was web-lined among the bamboo forests, and the white abdomen was matched with black, which did look like a human face.

So, is such a humanoid really the legendary poison?

On July 29, the reporter contacted Zhao Li, director of the Huaxi Insect Museum, who confirmed through the picture that this was a golden spider. According to Zhao Li, the golden spider (scientific name: Argiope ocula) is distributed in Sichuan, Hunan, Zhejiang and other places, inhabiting shrubs and grasses. The species's model origin is in Sichuan, where it was discovered in 1938.

"I also shot this kind of cicada catching in Mount Qingcheng. As long as you don't catch it, you won't bite people, even if you take a bite, its venom against insects will not have much effect on people, don't be afraid. Zhao Li revealed that there is currently no record of the golden spider attacking humans.

Zhao Li introduced that the so-called "human-faced spider" is not a strict biological definition, "there are many species in the spider, and the pattern on the back is like a human face." Since many spider patterns are like human faces, this is just a general term for various face pattern spiders. "For example, the white-fronted tall spider and the black-spotted garden spider have all appeared in the case of "human face".

It is unreliable to judge whether there is a highly toxic one based solely on the image of not being human. "Many of the patterns on the spider are indeed somewhat similar to the human face, and this pattern is often caused by the contact points inside its body, muscles and body surfaces. For example, the most human-like Ku-Khun Thorn Spider, which I have photographed in Wuhou Temple before, is very similar to Zhang Fei's face. Zhao Li revealed that spiders are almost all poisonous, but because their venom is aimed at insects, they are not harmful to humans. However, there are a few species of spiders that can be deadly, such as the Black Widow spider in the United States.

It is also not excluded that some people will be allergic to spiders. "Most spiders are slightly bitten, which may be a small red dot, but some people may have serious consequences due to allergies to spider venom in the body, and some netizens asked me this question a few days ago." Zhao Li explains.

Chengdu Business Daily - Red Star News reporter Yan Xue

Image courtesy of Zhao Li

(Editor-in-charge: Zhang Huawei, Gao Hongxia)