Things to look out for in the Spanish countryside, rural towns and the beaches
Apart from
bears, wild boars, packs of wolves, sharks and some crazy drivers. Spain
has other dangerous and small nasty creatures on offer. Here are a few
people should be aware of and their children and pets in particular
should be protected from.
The Procession Caterpillar, Mediterranean Scorpion, 13 Snake Spices, Spiders, Weaver Fish, Fire Salamanders and Scorpion Fish to name a few.
The Procession Caterpillar, Mediterranean Scorpion, 13 Snake Spices, Spiders, Weaver Fish, Fire Salamanders and Scorpion Fish to name a few.
The Procession Caterpillar
(Thaumetopoea Pityocampa)
Processionary live and feed on pine trees they move on to other pine
trees and travel in a line, hence the name. They are noticeable from
January to April.Don’t go near them! They are covered with histamine tipped needles. And are extremely dangerous to animals. Dogs in particular fall foul of them usually from sniffing and licking their trail. If you can see them you are to close.
The Sea Nettle Jellyfish (Pelagia Noctiluca)
Common in Spain difficult to see but you will know when you come into contact with them they sting and can leave you with scars. Medical attention will be required.
Mediterranean Scorpion
(Buthus Occitanus - Escorpion Amarillo)
Like the black Scorpion this yellow scorpion will not kill you but
the pain is intense and the area affected can go black and remain
painful for some time, best to always check your foot-ware they have a
habit of hiding in shoes.The European Black Scorpion (Euscorpius Flavicaudis)
Mainly in the northern part of Spain. The sting is very painful but not deadly to humans.
There are thirteen snake spices in Spain
Only five are venomous:
Seoane's Viper (Vipere Seoanei) Thought to be the most dangerous snake in spain can be found all over.
False smooth snake Venomous snake found in open, sandy deciduous and evergreen woodland, scrub-land, sandy areas, meadows, plantations, cultivated land and in stone ruins.
Asp Viper (Vipere aspis)
Rare, has a painful bite that is deadly.
Spiders 1,700 species in Spain
Jumping SpidersZebra Jumping Spider is common in most homes and although it is not in its nature to bite, it can do so with a result no more excessive than a bee sting.
Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans)
They can be found in the Valencian Region and give a nasty Venamous bite but none fatal. Medical attention will be required.
Mediterranean recluse spider ( Loxosceles rufescens ), less toxic than its African recluse cousins, can give a painful nip.
Funnel Web (Hexathelidae)
Do exist in Spain but are said to be of the type less Venamous as those in Australia.
Tarantulas
They too are in Spain they look a lot scary than the potensey of their bite.
Colorful Jumping...
Weaver Fish (Echiichthys Vipere)
They bury themselves in the sand and wait for there pray. Humans
stand on them, they have a poisonous dorsal fin and have been known to
kill very painful sting.Vomiting, tremors, abdominal cramps, light headedness, aching joints and numbness are a few of the symptoms caused by the weaver fish sting.
Scorpion Fish
Fire Salamanders
(Salamandra salamandra)
Very distinctive don’t get to close to this creature, it can discharge poison.European Fire Salamander
The Mosquito (Culicidae)
The Mosquito (Culicidae)Encephalitis, Yellow fever, Malaria can be passed on via painful bites and now in Spain the bites can be even more painful thanks to the arrival of the Tiger Mosquito. The Tiger Mosquito is said to be aggressive, attacks in the daytime and resides in gardens. It can transmit a list of major diseases, Including Nile fever and Dengue.
Sand Flies (Leishmaniasis)
Normally found in gardens or wooded areas not as the name suggest exclusive to beach areas.
They are most active from dusk till down 2am to 4am August is the worst month. Painful bite and are dangerous to pets. Dogs can get Kala-Azule past on from dog-to-dog via its bite. A collar called ‘Scalibor’ can be worn to protect your dog and give over 90% protection from sand fly bites. The world health authority is researching into the possibility that the disease can be passed on to humans.
Cockroaches
Carry several types of human pathogens, 33 types of bacteria and six kinds parasitic worms. They can also course asthma.
A Tiger Mosquito
The shop owner evacuated the premisses, cleared his stock first and then called the Fire Brigade and Police.
Eventually the Fire Brigade turned up and extinguished the fire. The
culprit of the fire, well the clue is in the shop owners mouth, a
cigarette. Probably thrown from a window from the apartment block above,
apparently this happens often.
I was called to a job after the whole garden had cracked and the
patio around the swimming pool had collapsed, next door’s ended up down
the mountain after a heavy rain.
What really happened was the pool guy left a hose on filling the
pool and it over ran all night, washed away the mountain. The whole
garden had dropped and the owners had people booked into the house for
the summer, so he asked us to re-concrete and tile it as if nothing had
happened.
The owner had a company build a stack of concrete blocks underneath
on top of the collapsing stone hill. They managed to go through the
summer without any more movement and then got locked into a legal battle
that lasted years with the original Spanish builder. His attitude was,
by the time this goes to court he will be retired.
This was at Christmas in a Tenerife hotel, the kids waited for Santa
to give out gifts but he had other ideas and sat at the bar drinking in
full view, it took four waiters half an hour to drag him out, by that
time he had blown his cover.
Speaking of Spanish waiters, these guys risked holding up a ladder
so one of them could climb up to change a light bulb, it swung
dangerously close to the stairwell window which had a fifty foot drop on
the other side. So there’s the answer to that one, it takes four
waiters, three to hold the ladder.
I ran out my apartment block late one night to watch a car full of
youths chasing down a lad on foot, they drove around the car park at
speed chasing him and smashing twenty three cars. The runner hid behind
the car in the picture above, so they rammed it. He took a trip to the
hospital and a few miles down the road they were apprehended and jailed.
Image ShearArt February
