8-Year-Old Boy Lets Black Widow Spider Bite Him In Hopes Of Becoming A Superhero

Aug 10, 2023 by apost team

A child’s imagination can be really wild sometimes as most of them pick up strange habits from what they read in comic books or even watch on television or movies. This is what happened to a young boy in Bolivia who let a dangerous species of spider bite him as he thought he would transform into Spider-Man.

According to a report published by Bolivia.com, an 8-year-old boy from the town of Vichuloma in Oruro found a black widow spider under a stone.

Since the colors of the spider resemble the popular Marvel character Spider-Man, he let the critter bite him because “he wanted to become the superhero.”

Ernesto Vásquez, the head of the Zoonotic Diseases Program of the Departmental Health Service of the small town, told (translated from Spanish to English) the outlet that the child picked up the spider and placed it on the back of his palm where “the arachnid has made the respective bite.” 

At first, the boy didn’t feel anything as he put the critter in a glass and went home. However, a few hours later, he suffered from the consequences of getting bit by the black widow, a spider with the scientific name of Latrodectus mactans.

The kid reportedly felt body aches and intense muscle contractures throughout his body.

After his mother asked him about what had happened, the unnamed boy said he had been bitten by a spider. He was immediately taken to a health center that was near their location, but they were later referred to a bigger hospital as the situation was considered to be an “emergency.”

Doctors at the San Juan de Dios General Hospital immediately contacted Vásquez so that he could evaluate the situation. It was later determined that the spider was indeed a black widow.

To de-escalate the situation, the boy was reportedly given an “antidote serum” that stabilized him in about half an hour.

Vásquez shared a warning to parents of curious children as he told the outlet that the incident was concerning.

"We are extremely concerned because the analysis and the questions asked of the child when he was already recovered, it came to our attention that he would have raised the arachnid with a simple purpose, indicating that he wanted to become Spider-Man," he said, translated from Spanish to English.

He later added that parents should have a conversation with their kids, especially those who are 11 years old or below, to tell them not to play with these types of spiders because when they get bitten by them, it could cause serious harm to a person.

"These black arachnids with red backs are black widows that do not cause any effect to become Spider-Man, on the contrary, they are putting their lives at risk,” Vásquez added.

A black widow spider could be easily identified by simply looking at it as most of these creatures, especially females, have a shiny black color with a red marking shaped like an hourglass on the back.

According to Healthline, these species of spiders do not necessarily bite and are not aggressive, but they would attack if they feel threatened.

In some extreme cases, being bitten by black widow spiders may lead to seizures and death.

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What do you think of the young boy who let a spider bite him in hopes of becoming a superhero? How would you warn your kids about this? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.