Cute Spiders are strutting out in Paris...

Over 40.000 known species worldwide,
5.700 in Europe and around the Mediterranean basin,
1.600 in France... and all different.

The predatory behavior of the spider gives him bad press. Yet the properties of its silk
thread, of its venom, as well as its voracious appetite for many insects make the spider
a valuable ally for the human race.
Spiders are therefore the subject of numerous scientific studies, because they are still
far from having revealed all their secrets.

Follow this Parisian arachnid and don't miss the 'Au Fil des Araignées' exhibit,
opening today at the Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle.


Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle - Grande Galerie de l'Evolution
36, rue Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire - Paris V
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More spiders, now?

Arf ! Look at the Violin Spider !

Camel spiders are driving people crazy on the net (and even worse
in Irak) because of their huge size and unfriendly appearance.



But...
look at that poor man's hand, bitten
by the cute violin (or brown recluse)
spider... and tell me how you feel !




Clinical features :
- Initial bite may be painless, although pain might manifest after several hours.
- No anti-venom is available for violin spider bites in South Africa, and treatment
of the bites is directed at preventing or limiting secondary infection and promoting
healing.
- Violin Spider bites may require surgical debridement and even skin grafts.
- These bites require tetanus toxoid booster.

Please help yourself with a few other details...
Let me excite your perverse mind, feel free to check some other enthralling species.
Welcome to the Spider Club of Southern Africa !

And for people who like camel spiders, please have a seat here !






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