Entomologists often claim that is is highly unlikely to die as a result of being injected with the venom of spiders. While this may be true, this claim should not be taken to mean that there exists only a small number of potentially deadly spiders in the world. In fact, there are numerous spider species in the world that can kill an adult human within minutes. In fact, there could be in excess of 200,000 deadly spider species in the world, and this massive amount is only counting the species that may belong to one particular group of deadly spiders. Luckily, like many potentially deadly spiders, the particular spider group in question is almost never encountered by humans, as it dwells beneath rocks located in harsh desert landscapes. This species-rich group of spiders are known as six-eyed sand spiders, and their currently exists a whopping 38,000 documented species roaming the earth.

Happily, all documented six-eyed spider species are known to dwell in isolated regions outside of the United States, but the closest relative of six-eyed spiders are recluse spiders, which are well known to exist all over the world. Six-eyed spiders belong to the Sicariidae family, and all 38,000 known species that belong to this family dwell within southern Africa. However, experts believe that there may exist as many as 200,000 Sicariidae species, as the species that have been found were not easy to locate given how well they blend in with the sand that is their habitat. It is firmly believed by experts that many more Sicariidae species will be discovered with further field research. Therefore, the possibility of discovering one of these highly venomous spiders hiding within the deserts of America is not beyond the realm of possibility. The venom of the six-eyed spider is believed to be the most potent of any spider venom on record, but luckily, they are shy and will only bite when provoked, or, as in most real-life cases, when humans accidentally make contact with them.

Have you ever heard of six-eyed spiders? Are you willing to believe that there may exist as many as 200,000 species, which far outnumbers the total amount of currently documented spider species?