I've heard it said that you learn something new every day and that's probably true. I learned something new today and I absolutely abhor it. It's the fact that Missouri has a deadly venomous spider that I've never heard of before, but it's very real and you don't want to mess with it.

Get our free mobile app

I don't have a lot of phobias, but the one dealing with spiders is one of them. (Editor's Note: it's arachnophobia, genius). I got curious about venomous spiders in Missouri and noticed that Bird Watching HQ listed one I had not heard of. It's the brown widow. Nope. Not the black widow we all know and love...or at least know, but a different cousin that's also quite deadly. Here's the range map for the brown widow. Notice how green Missouri is. (Note - That's not a good thing)

Infographic, Bird Watching HQ
Infographic, Bird Watching HQ
loading...

What happens if you're bitten by a brown widow?

Other than screaming and running home to your mother like I would, symptoms include "high blood pressure, sweating, vomiting, respiratory muscle weakness, and possible seizures". In other words, a generally really good time and yes, that's sarcasm.

Guess what? Brown widow spiders are apparently killing off black widow spiders and taking over attics. Good news.

This foolish brave kid decided he'd show us what a brown widow looks like.

That's a big NOPE. Note that brown widows are less venomous than black widows and (allegedly) rarely bite humans, I'll vote to stay as far away from them as possible. Thanks, though.

False Widow Spiders

More From 100.9 The Eagle, The Tri-States' Classic Rock Station