Mar 15, 2009

Bird-Eater on Face

This girl attended an exhibit in Bogota, Colombia, where some 300 arachnids were on display by Dr. Dario Gutierrez to discuss their use in traditional medicines. This girl has a Xenesthis immanis tarantula on her face.

Also known as the Purple Bloom Bird-Eating Spider, this tarantula is an aggressive species from the moist forests of Colombia. They readily flick their urticating hairs from their abdomen.

I repeat, this girl has a bird-eating spider on her face.

You want to know about their use in traditional medicines? I'm not sure how they do it in Colombia, but chances are there's a recipe out there showing how to brew up a nice aphrodisiac from spider bits.

Photo source: AP Photo/William Fernando Martinez

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

She's nuts. She doesn't have to worry too much about a bite, but getting those hairs in her eye(s) is a very painful recipe for disaster.

Anonymous said...

My Dad and I watched a Discovery Channel special about tarantulas once, and the bird-eater was featured. I think spiders are so cool. My Dad asked why I didn't get one of the bird-eaters. My reply was "I don't want to lie awake at night wondering if the lid on the terrarium has come off."

Vanessa said...

I have tarantulas, and it is true what anonymous said. It is better to be bitten than get those urticating hairs in your eyeballs.
She is mad.

Anonymous said...

I thought she was kind of cool, but I'll trust the judgment of those spider types who have tried face tarantulas, and regretted it.

myonlyphoto said...

You got to be crazy to do that, this girl should be on Survivor, lol. BTW this is very nice blog of yours. Anna :)

Raging Wombat said...

Very kind. Thank you.

farhat said...

very nice list. too dangerous