Spidey and some spider facts
JUNE BARKER
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Meet Steven Kutcher, an entomologist and the official spider consultant on Spider-Man and the upcoming "Spider-Man 3".
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SPIDER-MAN 3: A still from the movie.
Steven Kutcher is a real spider man; a world-famous entomologist who has spent his life studying and handling spiders and other insects. And his passion with these multi-legged creatures has led him to Hollywood, working as the official spider consultant on Spider-Man and the upcoming "Spider-Man 3". In addition to his work on the Spider-Man films, Steven's other film credits include; "Alien 4", "Arachnophobia", "Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3", "Jurassic Park" (working with mosquitoes) and "James and the Giant Peach".
Steven's amazing ability to work with these often misunderstood creatures can be seen in a variety of ways in some of your favourite movies.
In "Arachnophobia", Steven taught a spider to crawl 14 feet into a slipper, while in "James and the Giant Peach", he put a costume on a dwarf tarantula to match the spider puppet in the movie! In "Spider-Man", Steven worked with Steatoda spiders, which are often mistaken for the deadly Black Widow spider. The Steatoda spider was featured in the beginning of the film; biting Peter Parker and starting Peter's super hero transformation.
Should we be afraid?
"Some spiders are better not to handle," says Steven, "but they are always going to be more afraid of you than you are of them because we can run faster than they can and we can squash them!" He cautions against handling grass or jumping spiders if you have them as pets but also says while many tarantula pet owners let them roam free, you should also avoid excessive handling of this playmate. "We all have individual reactions to different spider bites so some people can swell up from a bite that doesn't affect another person at all."
Steven's favs
Steven cites Charlotte in "Charlotte's Web" and the spider in "James and the Giant Peach" as some of his favourites. But of course the Spider-Man films are very dear to his heart. "Tobey Maguire and I got along well because he knew how to do his job well and he let me do my job well," Steven says proudly, "so both Spider men could make the movie Spider-Man even better!"
Spider fun facts
There are approximately 50,000 types of spiders worldwide. While up to 55,000 people die in auto accidents in the U.S. each year, the toll from snakes, spiders and scorpions was only 10. Since 1978 there has not been a single death from a spider bite in Australia, despite three of the top five deadliest spiders coming from that country.
Spider bites affect people differently; so one person may have slight swelling and another person may have a more life-threatening reaction to a bite from the same spider.
Children are at the highest risk of a deadly reaction to a spider bite because of their low body weight compared to the amount of venom in their system.
"Your eyes are your best protection," Steven suggests. "That means never put your hand in a dark place you cannot see if you are picking up a marble!"
The Empress of China once demanded a robe made completely out of spider web silk, so she could be superior to everyone else wearing clothes made out of silk worms. It took 8000 spiders to make her coat!
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