Spider in Tourist's Skin: Man Discovers Insect in His Navel [Watch]
- Staff Reporter
- Oct 17, 2014 08:45 AM EDT
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Following a holiday in Bali, an Australian man reported a mysterious red mark along his abdomen, which a doctor's consult later revealed to be a small tropical spider under his skin.
21-year-old Dylan Thomas of Bunbury, Western Australia told NT News: "It was as if someone had scratched me with the tip of a knife," recalled the tourist.
What began as a two inch trail from his naval on Saturday later grew two to three more inches. Alarmed at the growth, he proceeded to consult a doctor the following day who told him it was an insect bite. He was then given antihistamine cream to apply on the mark but when it didn't improve by the following morning, he consulted a dermatologist.
Explaining that the spider was a bit larger than a matchstick head, "Doctors extracted a tropical spider that had burrowed itself into the scar from Dylan's recent appendix removal," reported NT News.
"It wasn't really a tickling sensation, obviously once the venom started to affect my skin it was a really burning sensation like a searing feeling," quoted The Examiner of Thomas. "I knew for a fact I hadn't done anything or come into contact with anything to make it worse," he explained.
Tests indicate that the critter had found a home in Thomas chest for a total of three-days and the experience has earned him the nickname "Spiderman."
The doctors retrieved the spider from the man's abdomen and found that the spider gained entry into his body through a small scar from where his appendix was removed. The spider's venom was said to have been the source of the stomach blisters.
Dylan shared the experience in a Facebook post along with a photo of the scar. He captioned the upload: "So according to the doctors over here I've come down with some mystery condition. Tad scary haha.. Couple trips to the hospital on a Sunday why not."
Experts Weigh In
There is skepticism among arachnologists, noted io9.com as the behavior exhibited is unlike that of what is known of spiders.
"I think this is extremely suspect, unusual, and likely not possible," Christopher Buddle, associate professor at McGill University's Department of Natural Resource Sciences wrote in an email to the website. "Simply put: it is not plausible and I can think of no valid reason why a spider might 'crawl beneath skin through a scar'."
He is also skeptical as no clear "evidence" has been presented.
Marie Herberstein, Head of the Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University in New South Wales told says the alleged spider behavior is unheard of and thinks it's possible the creature sounds more like a mite than a spider.
More information should be available once more details on the "spider" is known. The dead spider has since been sent to a laboratory for identification.
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