Australia retakes the lead in Giant Creepy Spiders

http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2008/10/23/11601_local-news.html

While this may seem like a good time to debate the existence of God, let's stay on topic.

Heck, a Praying Mantis will feast on Hummingbirds and Mice, and they can't even build webs.

Though, that is a wicked cool looking spider.

An open letter to Australia:

Dear australia,

Please keep all your poisionus snakes and spiders.

thank you.

EricM wrote: An open letter to Australia: Dear australia, Please keep all your poisionus snakes and spiders. thank you.

A-motherberkeleying-men. Yich.

[farside]"If we pull this off, we'll eat like kings!"[/farside]

no wonder it's a bird eating spider, did you see the picture of the guy who took the photos in his backyard? apparently hannibal lector retired to australia

I think everything is Australia is poisonous and things that are poisonous elsewhere are more poisonous there. That said, I still want to go. They get all the cool trucks.

See, the difference between North America and Australia is one of declared intent. Around here, if something is going to kill you, it's got big teeth. And it'll probably roar, howl or at least growl beforehand. Even rattlesnakes will warn you.

In Australia, a stick might turn out to be a brown snake. Or a funnelweb spider will leap out from a hidden burrow and take you by surprise. It's not a place for the unlucky.

Keith wrote: Around here, if something is going to kill you, it's got big teeth. And it'll probably roar, howl or at least growl beforehand.

Granted, not a native species, but just yesterday...

"Pet python blamed in Virginia Beach woman's strangulation"

"A preliminary autopsy showed that Black died of asphyxiation by neck compression. The 13-foot-long tiger reticulated python apparently overpowered her as she tried to administer medication to it..."

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/10/pet-python-blamed-virginia-beach-womans-strangulation

thatsnowinnebago wrote: I think everything is Australia is poisonous and things that are poisonous elsewhere are more poisonous there. That said, I still want to go. They get all the cool trucks.

Yup. Even the damn platypus is venomous. If I ever get down there for a dualsport trip, I'll take a .22 just to kill spiders.

www.avru.org

Firearms are very seriously controlled, buy a machete

Then I'll put a nail in the end of a long broomstick. I ain't getting any closer than I have to. Yich. I thought our garden spiders were freaky.

Then they have that dang ole box jelly fish that is the most venomous in the world. And one of the smallest jellyfish in the world that is nearly impossible to catch that can also kill you. It's amazing that people actually survive living there.

Well..... that's berkeleying disgusting.

And I thought a little jumping spider was terrifying......

I find it amusing that you are all terrified of spiders. His venom is not even as potent as the Black Widow, of which I have sotted several on my property. I regularly trip over wolf spiders in my house that are easily half as large as this guy, and I do still walk around barefoot in my own house.

No, I would not want them on my face, but still...seriously, isn't this little guy the epitomy of grassroots, overcoming all odds to snag this victory meal? Come on, this is a marvelous creature.

Berkeley wolf spiders. Their bite actually packs a punch, and the (not so) little buggers are bloody fast, too.

Now for some rather appropriate motivators:

Spiders depicted above are Huntsman spiders, btw. Don't know if you get them Stateside, but they're very common down under. Completely harmless, but still icky.

Those look very much like what we call "wolf spiders" here. Ours are fast, big and agressive. They like to hang out in the sink and wait for you to come in unsuspecting for a glass of water LOL. They will lift their front legs agressively and charge you if you poke at them.

I found one in the compost pile once. I was out with the dogs at night and I had my trusty flashlight shining in the general direction of the compost pile when I saw something reflecting back at me. I thought some critter had dragged something reflectey in there like cellophane and so I went over to investigate and there he was, tucked back in a hole, a HUGE berkeleying spider and it was his eyes reflecting the light from the flashlight. Yikes!

I remember my stepdad going after one once and when he swatted at it with the rolled up newspaper it's babies, which had apparently been on it's back, went everywhere and he screamed like the little girl so implied by your motivational poster. THAT was funny indeed, as I could hear it from across the house.

We have implemented the "spider relocation program" at my house, consisting of a tupperware that lost its lid, a scrap of cardboard and the wild outdoors, in that order.

EastCoastMojo wrote: I find it amusing that you are all terrified of spiders. His venom is not even as potent as the Black Widow, of which I have sotted several on my property. I regularly trip over wolf spiders in my house that are easily half as large as this guy, and I do still walk around barefoot in my own house.

So you're telling me that if you are walking around outside in the dark, and your face goes straight through the middle of a spiderweb, you're just going to keep walking like nothing happened? I've seen wolf spiders; they're big, but they're just vagabonds. The silk weaver though, the web is their house, and they believe in the castle doctrine.

LOL Wolf Spiders are about 1 1/2" usually, Huntsman spiders are more often over 4" and I've seen them at 6"....They also can jump about 6 feet just to give you the willies.

Now for something really out there, as a teenager I was camping on French island off the Victoria coast and we were inundated with mosquitoes, the largest I saw was close to 8" across

One thing thats really cool about Canada (pun intended)... it gets cold enough here that we don't have to put up with a lot of this crap!

Lot's of car accidents are caused by spiders in Austrailia! The damn things hide in sun visors and people freak out when they flip them down - and you know what lands in their lap! Some Aussie friends told me that.

True enough, my ex almost killed herself in my old 244 when a pure white 4" huntsman crawled out from under the dash while she was driving down the highway

MitchellC wrote: So you're telling me that if you are walking around outside in the dark, and your face goes straight through the middle of a spiderweb, you're just going to keep walking like nothing happened? I've seen wolf spiders; they're big, but they're just vagabonds. The silk weaver though, the web is their house, and they believe in the castle doctrine.

No, I would probably freak out if it was on me unexpectedly, but if I happened upon it I would definately check it out. I love the writing spiders' webs.

While sorting some old pics on the computer this evening I stumbled on this pic of one of the smaller spiders we get in the house. This guy was not trapped in the sink by any means, he was quite the jumper. We think he must have been thirsty. He is now a member of the spider relocation network.

Happy Halloween!