Spider Eggs In Skin

Can a spider lay eggs in a human body?

my friend said a spider laid eggs in his arm before

Expert Answers
gbeatty eNotes educator| Certified Educator

The depends on how you define "in." Most stories about spiders laying eggs under human skin, or in the muscular tissue, are urban myths. They aren't supported by evidence, and mostly show how scared people are of spiders. That said, it is possible for spiders to lay their eggs in the ear or nose, where there's already a hollow and it's out of sight and easy reach. It isn't likely, but it is possible.

ik9744 | Student

First of all you would need to answer this: How does a spider get into someone's arm? How does it survive?

Anyways it is highly unlikely. A spider won't be able to live inside of you. I heard somewhere every night you sleep, five spiders crawl into your mouth. That's probably the closest a spider will get in you.

blacksmith12 | Student

Yes they can lay eggs in you depending on the thickness of the skin where they bite you....I was bit by a family member of the Brown Recluse and there was eggs where it bit me when I was five.

kalemc | Student

I can personally say i have witnessed this happen. I long time back i was jailed and my bunkie got a large bug bite looking bump on his for arm. After 2 days it became a huge boil like blister and they took him to the hospital were they examined and performed an small surgery on the wound. When he came back he had hospital documents stating it was a form of a spider egg under his top layer of skin. It stated that some spiders can numb skin like a mosquito and they use their mandibles to pull open a pore and lay eggs inside. The bodys temperature acts as a natural incubator. It stated that in a cool environment like jail the spider would naturally seek warm places to find a suitable place to lay its eggs and in a full cold concrete building the only warmth found would be the human body. The jail came through and relocated us to a different block afterwards for a month while they brought exterminators in. Its for sure a real but rare thing. Only certain species under certain environment and temperature circumstances will force that particular spider to do such a thing though.

kittycupcakelover | Student

I don't know for sure, my grandma told me one of those stories and I've been pretty paranoid about it, but if it is possibly true, then it's like a one in one million thing

P.S. She said they burrow into the pores

eli468 | Student

Spiders do not lay eggs inside of a human body. Despite having to risk penetrating the skin to try and lay eggs near the surface, if they could, the human body is not a proper place for the eggs to mature. It is a myth that the body temperature helps to make the eggs grow. The temperature would actually kill off any spiders and if the eggs were under the skin it would kill any spider eggs due to lack of oxygen as well as the body naturally trying to fight off the foreign thing.

atyourservice | Student

Not sure about in the skin, as the skin is a really strong barrier, but a spider can lay eggs on the skin.

namelesswonderer | Student

yes, there is one type of spider that lays its eggs under your skin, if you are really that worried i would go see a doctor

sobiamujeeb | Student

The have no means of laying eggs inside of a person, they have no ovipositors, and their eggs are simply laid onto surfaces. They could always lay eggs on you, if you you are incredibly lazy and never move, sure, they they would just think you are a warm wall. But even the slightest movements during egg deposition would deter the spider from laying their eggs there.

pranitingale | Student


♦BUT, it could be possible if they gets appropriate place with favourable conditions needed in the place where these eggs reside♦

meganlewis1 | Student

yes they can i saw this one show and they had to dig it out of there scalp it was gross i wish i never watched that

zhanokun | Student

for everyone that says this is only a legend... 

yes spiders can lay eggs inside a body.. if they can get inside..

more or less all insects hachin time is determend by tha heat around tha eggs,, and human/animals are optimal heatsource for this.

 i work as a bucher.. and iv seen meny insect Eggs youst insde of tha animals skin.. but most times these are eggs from Flyes.

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