A British man’s wedding anniversary spun out of control when a Peruvian wolf spider bit him and laid eggs in his toe — with a baby hatching inside and “eating its way out.”
Colin Blake and his wife were celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary on a cruise to France when he woke up to find one of his big toes had turned purple, the BBC reported Monday.
Blake visited the doctor on board and found he had been attacked by the venomous eight-legged hunter during an outdoor meal in Marseille.
He had been “totally unaware” that he was bitten — because the spider numbs its prey before laying eggs.
“My wife thought it may be because I had new sandals and they were rubbing on my big toe and that was causing it to be red,” he told the outlet.
Doctors cut his toe open, freeing a milk-like puss that contained the spider eggs, but four weeks later Blake discovered he still had a “foreign body” in his foot, the outlet said.
A Peruvian wolf spider laid eggs in this British man’s toe, resulting in two surgeries. Courtesy of Colin Blake
The spider’s fang marks can be seen on Blake’s toe, which eventually became home to a baby spider who was not removed during the initial surgery. Courtesy of Colin Blake
Wolf spiders are hunters known for their excellent vision thanks to their eight eyes. vmenshov – stock.adobe.com“One of the spider eggs hadn’t been flushed and must have hatched,” Blake said.
“They believe the spider was making its way out — eating its way out of my toe.”
Antibiotics killed the young creepy crawler, but Blake’s toe had to be cut open a second time to remove its body.
“I did ask if I could keep it, but they said no,” he quipped.
Peruvian wolf spiders reportedly came to France from South America while hitching rides on cargo ships.
Their venom is not lethal to humans, according to Orkin, a pest control company.
