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30-08-2006, 09:51 PM
A chef bitten by a deadly spider in his pub kitchen was saved after experts were able to identify the creature from a picture on his mobile phone.
Matthew Stevens was attacked by the Brazilian Wandering Spider which was hidden in a box of bananas delivered to the Quantock Gateway pub in Bridgwater.
Thinking quickly despite the shock, he managed to snap a picture, which he later showed to doctors.
Experts at Bristol Zoo were able to identify it and suggest an antidote.
Mr Stevens, 23, from Bridgwater, Somerset, took nearly a week to recover from the bite following treatment at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.
He said: "I was never scared of spiders before but I certainly am now. I do feel very lucky, it was extremely painful.
"I didn't know what it was when I was bitten. It felt like a rose thorn, I just felt shocked when I saw the spider scuttling away."
The Brazilian Wandering Spider (Phoneutria fera) is one of the most venomous and deadly spiders in the world, and is known for its speed and aggression.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41084000/jpg/_41084311_wanderingspider2203.jpg
Matthew Stevens was attacked by the Brazilian Wandering Spider which was hidden in a box of bananas delivered to the Quantock Gateway pub in Bridgwater.
Thinking quickly despite the shock, he managed to snap a picture, which he later showed to doctors.
Experts at Bristol Zoo were able to identify it and suggest an antidote.
Mr Stevens, 23, from Bridgwater, Somerset, took nearly a week to recover from the bite following treatment at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.
He said: "I was never scared of spiders before but I certainly am now. I do feel very lucky, it was extremely painful.
"I didn't know what it was when I was bitten. It felt like a rose thorn, I just felt shocked when I saw the spider scuttling away."
The Brazilian Wandering Spider (Phoneutria fera) is one of the most venomous and deadly spiders in the world, and is known for its speed and aggression.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41084000/jpg/_41084311_wanderingspider2203.jpg