Who would dare to eat the black widow that can poison 10 mice to death at once? !

When it comes to the most terrifying venomous spiders in the world, the name " black widow " always comes to mind first. Black widow is the common name for several species of spiders in the genus Latrodectus. These spiders have a metallic black appearance and usually have a bright red mark on their abdomen.

Most importantly, all black widow spiders possess a very powerful chemical weapon - venom .

A western black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus) with a red hourglass pattern on its belly | Robert W. Hansen

Deadly spider, but it is not afraid

The venom of the black widow spider is made up of a fine blend of multiple neurotoxins. Once injected into the victim's body, these toxins quickly bind to the nerve synapses, forcing the release of a large number of neurotransmitters. This can cause continuous and severe pain, as well as severe muscle spasms and muscle necrosis. The pain and spasms spread from the wound all the way to the whole body. It is said that some humans who were bitten even felt so painful that they thought they had appendicitis or a heart attack at the same time.

In fact, humans are rarely killed directly by the venom , but it is very deadly to small animals. In a single attack, a black widow spider can inject up to 0.142 mg of toxin, which is enough to kill 10 mice on the spot .

It's not that lizards snack on black widow spiders, but that black widow spiders poison lizards. This is a redback spider (L. hasselti), also known as the Australian black widow spider. | Calistemon / Wikimedia Commons

It stands to reason that no animal would take the initiative to provoke these dangerous guys. However, a lizard living in America, Elgaria multicarinata, refuses to believe in evil. The English name of this lizard is Southern alligator lizard, so we translate it into Southern alligator lizard.

As early as 1937, scientists discovered the extraordinary thing about this small lizard: not only is it not afraid of black widow spiders, but it often catches and eats them. These terrifying spiders are just crispy black snacks in the eyes of the southern alligator lizard.

The style is completely different when it comes to the southern alligator lizard. Southern alligator lizard: Look at me swallowing it｜ College of Science, University of Nevada, Reno

Eating these spiders will not cause poisoning in itself, because spider toxins are proteins, and digestive juices can break down their structure. However, black widow spiders will certainly not wait to be eaten obediently - **In the process of catching it, the lizard is very likely to be bitten and injected with venom. **Are they really not afraid of losing their lives?

Just holding on? No way!

Now, a study has confirmed that these lizards really have no reason to be afraid — they are naturally immune to the black widow spider's venom .

The researchers injected different doses of spider toxins into the hind legs of southern alligator lizards and observed their reactions. For comparison, they also tested mice and two other lizards.

The results showed that among these animals, only the southern alligator lizard had extremely good resistance to toxins. Even after receiving a high dose of toxin that was enough to kill a mouse five times, they were still full of energy and did not even slow down when running across the plastic mini track.

Southern alligator lizard: The snacks are delicious and there is no discomfort | College of Science, University of Nevada, Reno

They weren't pretending to be tough; they were truly completely fine: tissue biopsies showed almost no signs of inflammation or necrosis in their muscle tissue, as if the venom had never entered their bodies .

It seems that through long encounters with venomous spiders, the lizard has developed a special resistance to venom. This resistance is almost instantaneous and provides sufficient protection, rendering the fangs of the black widow spider useless.

In addition to black widow spiders, southern alligator lizards also eat other arthropods and lizards, and occasionally small mammals and young birds. | Robert W. Hansen

Scientists have not yet determined the principle behind this anti-venom ability. They speculate that there may be some special "anti-venom molecules" flowing in the blood of this lizard , which are ready to combine with spider toxins injected into the body at any time, so that the latter can no longer damage the synapses.

The secret behind this amazing ability may only be fully revealed after people decipher the genome information of the southern alligator lizard.

References

[1] https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.221012

[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/18/science/lizards-eating-black-widows.html

Author: Window Knocking Rain

Editor: Mai Mai

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