Spider bites are never pretty, but when the spider in question has a bad attitude and the venom of a thousand mothers-in-law the bites can quickly graduate from ‘ouch’ to ‘Jesus H Christ, my foot just burst like an over-ripe tomato!’. As you’ll see from these pictures, the brown recluse spider is… well, it’s a real bastard.
The brown recluse spider (also known as the violin spider, fiddleback spider or brown fiddler) is native to the United States, and it’s one of those terrifyingly evil little things that like to set up shop in homes, just waiting to lunge out of a shoe when you least expect it.
The venom of the brown recluse is where it gets scary. One of the enzymes contained within the venom causes the breakdown of cell membranes of skin, fat and blood vessels, resulting in necrosis (tissue death) around the bite, while another enzyme provokes an immune response that trigger swelling. The upshot of this is that a brown recluse spider bite can result in a nasty, unholy mess of a wound that’ll put you off your next twenty dinners.
Anyway, you’ve come here for the gross pictures. Here you go, you vultures…
This is a brown recluse spider bite in its early stages...
... And here it is after a little nasty necrosis has set in...
... And here it is after full blown infection has destroyed a large portion of the poor guy's hand.
A nasty brown recluse spider bite to the foot
Dead, mummified tissue at the bite site
And here's a close up. People who say spiders aren't evil are idiots
So there you have it. Conclusive proof that the brown recluse spider was sent here for no other reason than to ruin your appetite.
If you want to keep these evil sons of bitches out of your home you might want to read my reviews of electronic bug repellents.