Jason E. Andersen

I was on vacation to the high desert of southwest Utah last week, and I have brought desert-inspired bonus fun facts back with me.

Bonus Fun Fact: To many, tarantulas are big, hairy, scary beasts. Well, they’re kind of big, and certainly hairy, but not really scary. Actually, their bites are only about as painful and venomous as a bee sting. What’s more of a problem is their hairs, which can irritate your skin if you touch them (they’re called urticating hairs). This is the same thing as what happens when you touch a stinging nettle plant, if you’re familiar with that. Some species of tarantula can actually shoot these hairs at a target that is causing them distress! Okay, maybe they are kind of scary.

Bonus Bonus Fun Fact: Spiders and snakes are commonly referred to as poisonous, but that is actually incorrect — they’re venomous. What’s the difference between venomous and poisonous? Good question, friend. An organism is described as venomous when they bite or sting to inject their toxin, whereas something is described as poisonous when their toxin is delivered by being eaten.

Bonus Bonus Bonus Fun Fact: Not all snakes produce toxin but, of those that do, the vast majority deliver it through their bites, making them venomous. An exception to this is our local and friendly garter snakes. Garter snakes aren’t venomous and their bites are little more than a pinching on your skin. However, they do absorb the poisonous toxins of the amphibians that they eat, making them poisonous as well. So, if you were thinking about eating garter snakes, I don’t recommend it.