If you live in the United States, you've probably heard of brown recluse spiders ( Loxosceles reclusa ). While it's true the venom of brown recluse spider can cause nasty necrotic lesions in some and could potentially be deadly for a small portion of the population, it's pretty unlikely that any of the sensational stories you've heard about brown recluse spiders are true — even if they happened to your dad's cousin.

What Are Brown Recluse Spiders?

Recluse spiders belong to the genus Loxosceles , meaning "crooked legs," so named because their legs look like a bunch of old, bent-up metal coat hangers lying in a heap. They're a hunting spider, meaning they don't sit around in spider webs waiting for their supper to come to them.

Although they get around on strands of silk and mak

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