Butt biting spiders

[Talullah]

Has anyone heard the story of the Blush spider who nests under the rim of public restroom seats, bites and kills unsuspecting sitters? I am sure that this is a load of whoee, but to feel safe again can anyone confirm the non-existance of such a vile creature?

[TubaDiva]

Oh please!

Troll around here much?

This has already been covered elsewhere . . . and on this forum too, I do believe . . . but what the heck, I guess Ignorance needs to be smote once more.

Read this Toilet Spiders (http://www.snopes.com/horrors/insects/buttspdr.htm) and go forward and bug us no more.

your humble TubaDiva/SDStaffDiv
for the Straight Dope

[BenDover]

Dear TD, I don't think this was meant to be a troll - an article about this was just published in my local Sunday paper. While we all (me and my family) cracked up when we read the 'scientific name' of the spider, the article also wasn't very clear on the 'urban legendness' of the story.

And, gee, didn't you see Arachnophobia?

[lvick]

Just for fun:

"Almost half the Black Widow bites reported in the medical literature in the first four decades of this century were inflicted on the male genitalia by spiders on the underside of outdoor toilet seats."

Medicine for Mountaineering &
Other Outdoor Activities.
James A. Wilkerson, MD

[BenDover]

What a comforting thought to take to the bathroom on your next visit . . .

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I have as much authority as the Pope; I just don't have as many people who believe it! - George Carlin