Icky spider attack 100 mil yrs ago!

[MikeWhalen]

as if spiders aren't icky enough, can you imagine the horror story of being attacked by one being caught in time forever?
This is an older article but I dont remember seeing it circulated before...of course, I might have just willed the memory away :)


Researchers have found what they say is the only fossil ever discovered of a spider attack on prey caught in its web -- a 100 million-year-old snapshot of an engagement frozen in time.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121008134523.htm

Mike

[AJL]

I just wish those spiders could have managed to concentrate more on devouring the ancestors of mosquitoes back then...

[Clinton P]

"The dead walk again: an arachnid that lived 410 million years ago has crawled back into the virtual world."

"The creature's remains were so well preserved in fossil form that scientists could see all its leg joints, allowing them to recreate its likely gait using computer graphics."

Click here (http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28166504) to read more about this story.

Clinton P

[MikeWhalen]

no shit AJL, it like, 'you had ONE job to do'

M


I just wish those spiders could have managed to concentrate more on devouring the ancestors of mosquitoes back then...

[Erik]

This is actually pretty old news, but still freaky. I'm an arachnophobe.

[geebee]

I have absolutely nothing against spiders, and I hope it stays that way. Not a finger, not a toe, not an exposed bit of skin ...

:fear:

[Táltos]

http://themetapicture.com/everything-seems-calm-in-this-peaceful-place-but-when-you-look-closely/

At first sight, it looks like a peaceful farmhouse. Just a nearby field softly draped in fog or snow. But the truth is much more terrifying: this place has been completely taken over by millions of spiders.
2371 2372
Oh dear God, I can't even......

[rms2]

Nothing against Australia or Australians, but why does Australia seem like a series of illustrations from the Book of Revelation?

Extremely venomous snakes, man-eating crocodiles and sharks, poisonous toads, and now hundreds of thousands of spiders! Sheesh!

[Táltos]

Nothing against Australia or Australians, but why does Australia seem like a series of illustrations from the Book of Revelation?

Extremely venomous snakes, man-eating crocodiles and sharks, poisonous toads, and now hundreds of thousands of spiders! Sheesh!
I know right? When I was a kid I always wanted to go to Australia because of the koala bears, and kangaroos. Cutesy animals. After realizing the numerous nightmares one can encounter while down there, forget it! No offense to our fellow Australians on the forum. You guys are some brave people!

[alan]

They need to call the St. Patrick helpline and get him to banish all their more horrible creatures. Otherwise Australia sounds a great place and all the Aussies I have met are very friendly, laid back informal sort of people.

[alan]

http://gostudyinaustralia.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/crocodile-dundee.jpg


I know right? When I was a kid I always wanted to go to Australia because of the koala bears, and kangaroos. Cutesy animals. After realizing the numerous nightmares one can encounter while down there, forget it! No offense to our fellow Australians on the forum. You guys are some brave people!

[MikeWhalen]

did you ever wonder why there are so many Aussie's travelling the world?

now we know

M

[MikeWhalen]

found another icky spider to be scared of, and this time, we dont beat up on Australia

http://funnyawesomestuff.com/10-reasons-why-the-wandering-spider-is-your-new-nightmare

Mike

[Baltimore1937]

That's one of the reasons why I moved up here to the Pacific Northwest; no dangerous creepy-crawlies. I haven't even seen a cockroach in years. The little spiders are not threatening. And no venomous snakes west of the Cascades.

[Táltos]

found another icky spider to be scared of, and this time, we dont beat up on Australia

http://funnyawesomestuff.com/10-reasons-why-the-wandering-spider-is-your-new-nightmare

Mike

And thanks for that nightmare!

[MikeWhalen]

your welcome Taltos...once I got to see the wretched critter, I thought it only fair that others see what I cannot unsee
:)

Mike

[Táltos]

your welcome Taltos...once I got to see the wretched critter, I thought it only fair that others see what I cannot unsee
:)

Mike

Yeah talk about not being unable to unsee that! I won't even type out loud what I think that thing actually looks like. It is not only horrifying, but really ridiculous!

[Baltimore1937]

There is nothing new about the Brazilian Wandering Spider. Maybe average city slickers are now becoming more aware, what with tourism and population centers encroaching into the bush.

[Baltimore1937]

Here are some pictures of the Brazilian Wandering Spider:

http://photobucket.com/images/brazilian%20wandering%20spider?page=1

Here's a better article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_wandering_spider#Distribution

and this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missulena

[MikeWhalen]

talk about a worst case scenario!
while I never had one that big over top of me in my truck, there have been a few times when as I sleepily get into my truck to go to work in the morning, I see a 'regular' spider on the drivers side door or window just as I sit down
...a true exercise in courage and mental discipline to not jump out of the truck via the passenger door, screaming like a little girl!

3968

Mike

[Táltos]

talk about a worst case scenario!
while I never had one that big over top of me in my truck, there have been a few times when as I sleepily get into my truck to go to work in the morning, I see a 'regular' spider on the drivers side door or window just as I sit down
...a true exercise in courage and mental discipline to not jump out of the truck via the passenger door, screaming like a little girl!

3968

Mike

Scream like a little girl is what I do next!! Mike did you see the one of the spider in the toilet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM1hhKgg434&feature=youtu.be

Just nasty- longest flush ever too! It teaches one to lift up the toilet seat before sitting at all times!

[MikeWhalen]

oh FFS!
I have a nice spray bottle of bleach on top of the toilet tank for cleaning purposes...but I would empty it out on that little bastard and it would die horribly of a chemical attack!!

M

[Baltimore1937]

Has this link been given?

http://www.rantpets.com/2014/11/05/20-most-terrifying-spiders-on-earth/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=retest&utm_source=Taboola&utm_term=Title3&utm_content=jmgnetwork-freebeacon

[Baltimore1937]

Has this link been given?

http://www.rantpets.com/2014/11/05/20-most-terrifying-spiders-on-earth/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=retest&utm_source=Taboola&utm_term=Title3&utm_content=jmgnetwork-freebeacon

[Táltos]

Has this link been given?

http://www.rantpets.com/2014/11/05/20-most-terrifying-spiders-on-earth/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=retest&utm_source=Taboola&utm_term=Title3&utm_content=jmgnetwork-freebeacon

Really I just couldn't look past number 23!

[Gray Fox]

Scream like a little girl is what I do next!! Mike did you see the one of the spider in the toilet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM1hhKgg434&feature=youtu.be

Just nasty- longest flush ever too! It teaches one to lift up the toilet seat before sitting at all times!

Looks like a huntsman spider. Those suckers are fast! I seen one in a park restroom hanging out in the sink and I was like, nope! Worse still, I was carrying in some firewood one evening and I looked down at the stack of wood I was carrying and wouldn't ya know it, one of them was sitting atop less than a foot from my face! I sat the wood down and hit it with another piece of wood.. That didn't kill it. So I hit it again and stunned it. As it was coming to I smashed it with my hand (I had leather gloves on) and it still didn't kill it! I hit it one last time with my balled up fist and it finally died. So yeah, they're as bad as they look!

[Táltos]

Looks like a huntsman spider. Those suckers are fast! I seen one in a park restroom hanging out in the sink and I was like, nope! Worse still, I was carrying in some firewood one evening and I looked down at the stack of wood I was carrying and wouldn't ya know it, one of them was sitting atop less than a foot from my face! I sat the wood down and hit it with another piece of wood.. That didn't kill it. So I hit it again and stunned it. As it was coming to I smashed it with my hand (I had leather gloves on) and it still didn't kill it! I hit it one last time with my balled up fist and it finally died. So yeah, they're as bad as they look!

Help! That is just awful! Stepping on spiders in sneakers is pointless, because of the indentations on the bottom. But that-YIKES!

[Gray Fox]

Help! That is just awful! Stepping on spiders in sneakers is pointless, because of the indentations on the bottom. But that-YIKES!

:laugh: It was a harrowing stand off!

[MikeWhalen]

I sat down on my patio today, in the broiling sun, having a nice cool beer after working up a sweat doing, well, nothing, and I saw this Icky Monster in its web about a yard/meter from me
I hope you are all proud of me...I kept my dignity, I did not scream like a little girl nor lose control of any of my bodily functions!

in fact, I was cool, super cool, like Vincent and Jules in 'Pulp Fiction"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2yn8uNSUS8

I put down my tasty beer, picked up my trusty camera and snapped these...from a not particularly safe distance

5605

5606

and to all you bug sympathizers, I did not even kill it in honorable single combat...as he is outside my house, I will leave him to kill all the other stinking bugs

Mike


ps-no laughing by those that live in australia or some other damn place that has the genuine man killers

[Táltos]

Mike you just had to resurrect this thread. Scary enough I considered doing so today myself as this was trending on Facebook. http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/dallas-county/2015/08/10/thousands--spiders-spin-mega-web--rowlett-park/31435987/

Recently when I was in the Adirondacks I saw creepy orange spiders that would make huge webs between the cars. Talk about freaky. One was found on the car door handle. Ugh it was like an invasion!! No I wouldn't take pics of them either!!

[Varun R]

Mike,

That spider is actually quite pretty. Some of my favorite lookers include
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poecilotheria_metallica#/media/File:Gooty_Tarantula,_Metallic_Tarantula_or_Peacoc k_Tarantula_(Poecilotheria_metallica).jpg and
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.ytimg.com/vi/d_yYC5r8xMI/maxresdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3Dd_yYC5r8xMI&h=1125&w=2000&tbnid=2MO52IOlmDt7hM:&tbnh=112&tbnw=199&usg=__UlIdXdRvniWfe27SXqag3CUFrjw=&docid=iVR28QW9W1igQM&itg=1. This spider is the first documented (primarily) herbivorous specimen:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagheera_kiplingi

[Táltos]

Mike,

That spider is actually quite pretty. Some of my favorite lookers include
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poecilotheria_metallica#/media/File:Gooty_Tarantula,_Metallic_Tarantula_or_Peacoc k_Tarantula_(Poecilotheria_metallica).jpg and
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.ytimg.com/vi/d_yYC5r8xMI/maxresdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3Dd_yYC5r8xMI&h=1125&w=2000&tbnid=2MO52IOlmDt7hM:&tbnh=112&tbnw=199&usg=__UlIdXdRvniWfe27SXqag3CUFrjw=&docid=iVR28QW9W1igQM&itg=1. This spider is the first documented (primarily) herbivorous specimen:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagheera_kiplingi

I really like the color blue, but not on some big hairy spider!

[MikeWhalen]

Well Varun
as long as those 'cute or pretty' spiders keep their little arachnid asses on continents other than mine, I say god blessem...eat lots of mosquitoes guys,
over there

:)

Mike

[rms2]

What a coincidence! Just two days ago I spotted a big Garden Spider in, of all places, our garden, and snapped a couple of pictures of it.

It scared the crud out of my wife, who wanted to kill it, but I told her to leave it alone. They aren't aggressive, and Garden Spiders are good at polishing off garden pests.

5608 5609

[MikeWhalen]

it looks a bit like mine...is that its real name?
I have no clue what mine is

Mike

[Táltos]

What a coincidence! Just two days ago I spotted a big Garden Spider in, of all places, our garden, and snapped a couple of pictures of it.

It scared the crud out of my wife, who wanted to kill it, but I told her to leave it alone. They aren't aggressive, and Garden Spiders are good at polishing off garden pests.

5608 5609

Yep this is the ONLY spider (well not this particular one) that I have ever liked in my life! One year I was growing cherry tomatoes and one of these guys set up shop among them. I knew he was keeping away the pests from my tomatoes so I cut that one a lot of slack. I grew kind of fond it, but not enough to get over my revulsion of them. That was a good batch of tomatoes though.

[Táltos]

it looks a bit like mine...is that its real name?
I have no clue what mine is

Mike

I thought in your pic the spider looked orange? rms2's pic it is a yellow, black, and white stripe.

[MikeWhalen]

hey Taltos
well, for the first and only time in my life, I will say, that his was larger than mine
:)

I believe mine is more yellow and black and white stripes...the pic I took was really catching the sun and artificially brightened it I think

Here is one more pic, not great focus, but more in the shadow...it kinda looks like rms's, but I'm not sure

5611

Mike


I thought in your pic the spider looked orange? rms2's pic it is a yellow, black, and white stripe.

[Táltos]

hey Taltos
well, for the first and only time in my life, I will say, that his was larger than mine
:)

I believe mine is more yellow and black and white stripes...the pic I took was really catching the sun and artificially brightened it I think

Here is one more pic, not great focus, but more in the shadow...it kinda looks like rms's, but I'm not sure

5611

Mike
Lol! Well in this pic the body does look similar to his, but the legs on his look black and your pic they look striped. I however would not ever get close enough to any of these to know if the one like rms2's look striped too depending on how the sunlight catches it.

[rms2]

The one in my garden is a Garden Spider, and I read that their range does include Canada. Yours looks close enough to mine to be basically the same kind of spider, Mike. I also read that they will bite, but only if grabbed and even then only maybe. The bite is supposed to hurt about like a bee sting and is not dangerous. Of course, grabbing the damned thing is just about the last thing on my mind.

[MikeWhalen]

yessir!
touching the bugger is not plan A, B or friggen Z

Mike

[rms2]

I actually gave my Garden Spider a couple of caterpillars yesterday. I caught them chomping on one of my trees, which is a crime punishable by death. Instead of just squishing them, like I usually do, I fed them to Hillary the Garden Spider. She nabbed them right quick and wrapped them up like Shelob did to Frodo. It was like Thanksgiving Day for her.


https://youtu.be/zxLEmQeOJUY

[MikeWhalen]

yet another reason to never, ever, ever go to f'ing Austrailia!

Giant Mutant Blood Red Spiders

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/warning-giant-mutant-blood-red-094735156.html


dont get me wrong folks, I would normally love to visit Australia and Hobbiton, er New Zeeland---English speaking, similar original background, far away exotic/yet familiar sort of vibe, very pretty girls....but FFS folks, is there no awful sort of creepy crawly missing from your habitat?
and now, mutant huge spiders with dripping fangs

FFS

Mike

[Táltos]

yet another reason to never, ever, ever go to f'ing Austrailia!

Giant Mutant Blood Red Spiders

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/warning-giant-mutant-blood-red-094735156.html


dont get me wrong folks, I would normally love to visit Australia and Hobbiton, er New Zeeland---English speaking, similar original background, far away exotic/yet familiar sort of vibe, very pretty girls....but FFS folks, is there no awful sort of creepy crawly missing from your habitat?
and now, mutant huge spiders with dripping fangs

FFS

Mike
Ugh! Don't look!

[rms2]

Doesn't New Zealand, being farther south than most of Australia, actually have a temperate climate and thus misses out on all the gross monsters found in Australia? I mean, going south in the Southern Hemisphere is like going north in the Northern Hemisphere. In watching films like Willow, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and The Hobbit trilogy, I was amazed by how much New Zealand resembles North America and Europe. Australia, on the other hand, is very noticeably different, although I guess there are parts of southern Australia that are likewise pretty temperate and maybe lack all the snakes, spiders, crocodiles, etc., for which the rest of Australia is known.

[MikeWhalen]

Ha! ever word is true...you do have to admire their sense of humor, but not enough to see it up close and in person!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNEeq5qGh8I

Mike

[rms2]

Ha! ever word is true...you do have to admire their sense of humor, but not enough to see it up close and in person!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNEeq5qGh8I

Mike

When I was in high school my friends and I seriously discussed immigrating to Australia. Probably a good thing we didn't actually do it.

[MikeWhalen]

The sad tale of a big orb weaver spider that built her web about 6" from Mikes main door at face level
...1-click 'flash' pic taken
2-huge 'Broom of Death' enters stage right
3-WHAMMO_SQUISH
4- The End

5713

5714

5715

Mike

[rms2]

The Garden Spider in our garden out back is going strong. I still drop the occasional caterpillar in her web. I don't have any new photos of her though. I'll have to see if I can take some soon. I'm back at work now, however, so my time is more limited than it was. Sigh . . .

[MikeWhalen]

lol-I seem to not be the big spider hunter killer that I thought/hoped I was
...I walk out my door this morning, and what do I see...the same big assed spider, sitting in the middle of his new big assed web, about 8 inches from my face
sigh

my mistake was using the big push broom, not nearly fine enough control...

after bringing in the groceries after work, I get the camera and small broom to repeat yesterdays exercise (cause he was there bold as brass as I took in the groceries)
and the little swine was hiding...I pinged his web a few times, but he was too smart for that...so he wins this round, but there will be another round soon, very soon!

Mike

[rms2]

My big Garden Spider, whom I had named Hillary Rodham Spiderton, has disappeared. I think something must have eaten her, because she is gone without a trace, her web shredded. My wife says she didn't kill her, so I suspect a bird or some other spider-eating predator. I looked around on the ground for some sign of her body, but no trace. I'm kind of bummed out about it. I had grown attached to her.

[Gray Fox]

My big Garden Spider, whom I had named Hillary Rodham Spiderton, has disappeared. I think something must have eaten her, because she is gone without a trace, her web shredded. My wife says she didn't kill her, so I suspect a bird or some other spider-eating predator. I looked around on the ground for some sign of her body, but no trace. I'm kind of bummed out about it. I had grown attached to her.

I had the same species of spider on the outside of a window for a good year. It would come and go.. Sometimes missing for a few days and then would mysteriously re-appear (both of the more memorable times she came back pregnant). Mrs. Spiderton may just be checking up on ol' Bill again ;)

I too fed my femme fatale. Often moths and the occasional caterpillar.

[MikeWhalen]

you guys are weird!

[Gray Fox]

you guys are weird!

Who?? Me?!? :behindsofa:

[rms2]

I hope she does show back up. I thought she was kind of cool . . . out in the garden . . . where she belonged. Crawling on me would have been a completely different and unacceptable story!

[Gray Fox]

I hope she does show back up. I thought she was kind of cool . . . out in the garden . . . where she belonged. Crawling on me would have been a completely different and unacceptable story!

Feel the same way.. Outside? Sure we can be friends. Inside, just crawling across the floor? Yeah, I'll try to get you back outside. In my room at night while I'm trying to sleep or I find you in the bed?? CRUNCH!! Without hesitation :)

[MikeWhalen]

I saw this and thought some of you might appreciate it...

6190

Mike

[MikeWhalen]

oh ick, wtf is a 'false widow'-never heard of it before, like the regular 'widow' isnt bad enough

poor kid-right on her face too!

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/teenage-girl-scarred-life-spider-104741043.html

Mike

[MikeWhalen]

it does not matter if you scream like a little girl, the guy is a stud for killing the huge wretched thing!

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-buzz/police-respond-to-domestic-abuse-call-to-find-man-193203194.html

[rms2]

it does not matter if you scream like a little girl, the guy is a stud for killing the huge wretched thing!

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-buzz/police-respond-to-domestic-abuse-call-to-find-man-193203194.html

Funny! Maybe the spider had a grip on something that raised the pitch of his screaming?

[Baltimore1937]

Investigating blue tarantulas:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/151127-blue-tarantula-science-explain-animals/

[Táltos]

Ugh! Leave Johnny Cash out of it! http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35473946

[rms2]

Ugh! Leave Johnny Cash out of it! http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35473946

Well, it is stuck near Folsom Prison, after all, and time just keeps dragging on. ;)

[MikeWhalen]

Friggen Australia
stop it, right now!!

and NO, its not cute

This Newly-Discovered Australian Spider Is Called Brian - And He Likes To Surf
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/newly-discovered-swimming-spider-looks-101902890.html

Mike

[Táltos]

Friggen Australia
stop it, right now!!

and NO, its not cute

This Newly-Discovered Australian Spider Is Called Brian - And He Likes To Surf
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/newly-discovered-swimming-spider-looks-101902890.html

Mike

No nasty! Reminds of those smaller water spiders you find in the pool ugh!

[MikeWhalen]

you know its going to be a strange and scary story when you sorta feel sorry for a nasty super poisonous snake?

bloody Australia and its little horrors are at it again!
spider attacks snake, liquefies it and then has a nice refreshing drink of it!

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-buzz/spider-catches-snake-in-web-liquefies-it-with-163259711.html?nhp=1

Mike

ps-we got another unexpected spring snow storm the last few days, and I was cursing a blue streak this morning at having to scrape some tough ice off my truck windshield (at 6:30 AM) before I could go to work...but reading this made me feel quite a bit better as its our long cold weather that prevents such critters from ever being near where I live...yay snow

[Táltos]

you know its going to be a strange and scary story when you sorta feel sorry for a nasty super poisonous snake?

bloody Australia and its little horrors are at it again!
spider attacks snake, liquefies it and then has a nice refreshing drink of it!

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-buzz/spider-catches-snake-in-web-liquefies-it-with-163259711.html?nhp=1

Mike

ps-we got another unexpected spring snow storm the last few days, and I was cursing a blue streak this morning at having to scrape some tough ice off my truck windshield (at 6:30 AM) before I could go to work...but reading this made me feel quite a bit better as its our long cold weather that prevents such critters from ever being near where I live...yay snow

Wow, well just when I thought I've seen and heard all the disturbing spider stories!

Yeah Mother Nature is topsy turvy here too. After a beautiful winter, we had some snow this weekend. So cold. I feel like we are being punished for the mild winter!

[GMan71]

you know its going to be a strange and scary story when you sorta feel sorry for a nasty super poisonous snake?

bloody Australia and its little horrors are at it again!
spider attacks snake, liquefies it and then has a nice refreshing drink of it!

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-buzz/spider-catches-snake-in-web-liquefies-it-with-163259711.html?nhp=1



I still don't feel sorry for the snake - I really don't like them.
I have plenty of redbacks in the shed and in various hiding spots around the house - outside not inside! Not a problem - but if I were to see one snake I don't know if I could live there anymore :)
I'm in the 'burbs 10 k's from the city centre so "shouldn't" have to worry about snakes....

[MikeWhalen]

fair is fair...I have taken Australia to task many times for its truly awful assortment of deadly creepy crawlies

now I find a kind of cute spider they have, wee tiny, the kind I can like...and it is actually kind of cute

so here it is, the peacock spider

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNZ3i7kZIGo

Mike

[Baltimore1937]

Here's another Aussie:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/huge-spider-huntsman-australia_us_581df761e4b0aac62484c203

[MikeWhalen]

an interesting article on all the various creepy crawlies hunting and killing just about ever damn thing, including nasty critters bigger than them
!
ick

I am proud to note that of the dozens of examples they used accross the globe, not one came from Canada
...Yay, Land where the weather hurts my face!

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170118-monstrous-spiders-and-centipedes-that-prey-on-large-animals

MIke

[rms2]

I definitely would have pulled that bird out of that friggin' spider's web.

[MikeWhalen]

apparently, God really does hate Australians...donno why, they seem to be very nice blokes to me

and btw, lookit the size of that nasty monster!!

...and what a brave kid

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-39075961

Mike

[MikeWhalen]

you mean to say there is some actual good reason for these icky huge creepy crawlies to exist?
go figure

but it does sound promising!

https://ca.yahoo.com/news/venom-from-deadly-spider-could-stop-stroke-brain-damage-say-scientists-112743366.html

Mike

[MikeWhalen]

white tailed spider?
Even with all the articles I've read about Australia's spiders, I never heard of this little fu#ker

jeeez

http://cnews.canoe.com/CNEWS/World/2017/03/27/22713565.html

Mike

[rms2]

white tailed spider?
Even with all the articles I've read about Australia's spiders, I never heard of this little fu#ker

jeeez

http://cnews.canoe.com/CNEWS/World/2017/03/27/22713565.html

Mike

Both legs amputated and the possibility that they might have to amputate his arms, too? Whoa!

Man, Australia has got some nasty creepy crawlies!

[MikeWhalen]

I had to laugh when I saw this pic posted on a local history FB site

They 'suggested' it was real, but I rather think it was from on of our big Winter Festival (Bon Soo) and the ice sculpture competitions they run

in any case, for all the whining some do about our winters, it is why we don't have any poisonous spiders or snakes in my neck of the woods...so keep on blasting them spiders Father Winter

20837

Mike

[rms2]

My youngest son was bitten on the hand by a Brown Recluse (aka Violin Spider) this past summer while at my maternal grandmother's old house in northeast Arkansas. The nasty bite turned into a big wound that grew larger and larger and exuded a lot of pus. He was on antibiotics for at least a month.

[MikeWhalen]

yikes!

I've read those brown recluse are bad guys, or am I mixing that up with one of the god forsaken Aussie types?

anyway, glad it ended well, but a month on antibiotics tells how dangerous that poison is

Mike

[rms2]

yikes!

I've read those brown recluse are bad guys, or am I mixing that up with one of the god forsaken Aussie types?

anyway, glad it ended well, but a month on antibiotics tells how dangerous that poison is

Mike

They're pretty bad, but not deadly like their Aussie cousins. When I was a teenager I thought about emigrating to Australia. Glad I didn't.

[MikeWhalen]

if there is one thing I know, there is a never ending supply of horrible creepy crawly's

the good news is this wicked little critter died out about 100 million years ago....awwww

https://www.yahoo.com/news/prehistoric-spider-arachnid-found-preserved-amber-even-tail-170437187.html?.tsrc=fauxdal

Mike

[MikeWhalen]

could not resist....

21518

way frikken ick!

Mike

[George Chandler]

LOL! All illegit?

[MikeWhalen]

note how the dopey spider lovers try to write this article to make the champion size icky monster a good guy...bah, dont fall for it folks...

https://ca.yahoo.com/news/enormous-deadly-spider-named-apos-133002908.html

Mike

[MikeWhalen]

I dont know why I do this to myself, I really do hate the creepy crawlyies...I guess in this case I was amazed that a stupid spider could live 43 years
---God, is mean


https://www.msn.com/en-ca/video/animals/worlds-longest-lived-spider-died-at-43/vi-AAwtne0

Mike

ah, to be clear, God is 'mean' for allowing such horrible creepy crawly's to last so many years, just sayin

[rms2]

Notice where that thing was from?

[MikeWhalen]

lol, yup, land that I aint visitin, even though I'd like too

Mike

[JeniferWilliams]

I don't like spiders and I don't want to hear anything about it.:\

[rms2]

I don't like spiders and I don't want to hear anything about it.:\

Yet you live there in the place with probably the biggest collection of seriously venomous spiders (not to mention super bad snakes) anywhere.

Have you thought about a short move to New Zealand?

[MikeWhalen]

I guess this is sort of the default bug thread...anyway, I just saw this critter, man does it look nasty...fortunately, its far the hell away from me

Newly Discovered Wasp Has a Terrifyingly Large Stinger
Scientists just discovered a parasitic wasp with a monstrous stinger almost as big as its body.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a22079421/newly-discovered-wasp-has-terrifyingly-large-stinger/

Mike

[rms2]

When I was a teenager, my buddies and I talked about moving to Australia someday.

No Way!

24552

[rms2]

A couple of days ago I was weed whacking the stone circle (cromlech?) around the big red maple in our front yard, when I saw a big, fat black widow spider. I got a good look at her before she scurried back into a crevice. I've seen plenty of them, so I was 100% sure this was a black widow: big, fat abdomen with a red hour glass on the underside. This one was reddish-brown-black in color.

A few years ago I saw one in the same place. Guess this is one of her descendants.

[rms2]

Apparently Brown Recluse spiders get the blame for a lot they don't do:

Do Brown Recluse Spider Bites Really Lead to Amputations? (https://www.livescience.com/63124-recluse-bite-amputation.html?utm_source=notification)

[MikeWhalen]

I'm usually the first to go ick, yuck with insects and such, but I saw this little guy and was fairly amazed at how pretty it is

I have no clue if it is harmless, zombiafies its meals, or makes you do a sex change if bitten, but I thought some might appreciate the pic

Saturniidae Moth Caterpillar
26492

Mike

[jdean]

Australian man screaming at spider 'why don't you die?' triggers full police response (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/02/australian-man-screaming-at-spider-why-dont-you-die-triggers-full-police-response)

Apparently not a fan : )))))

[Webb]

A couple of days ago I was weed whacking the stone circle (cromlech?) around the big red maple in our front yard, when I saw a big, fat black widow spider. I got a good look at her before she scurried back into a crevice. I've seen plenty of them, so I was 100% sure this was a black widow: big, fat abdomen with a red hour glass on the underside. This one was reddish-brown-black in color.

A few years ago I saw one in the same place. Guess this is one of her descendants.

It is interesting that growing up in Virginia, I have seen oodles of Black Widow's, but since living here in Pittsburgh since 2006, I haven't seen any. Of course, I don't go looking for them, really. I have a huge fear of spiders. Snakes don't bother me. I am like Steve Irwin and I'll grab a snake in a heartbeat, but spiders do me in.

[Webb]

Australian man screaming at spider 'why don't you die?' triggers full police response (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/02/australian-man-screaming-at-spider-why-dont-you-die-triggers-full-police-response)

Apparently not a fan : )))))

I just read the article this morning. Hilarious!!!!

[rms2]

It is interesting that growing up in Virginia, I have seen oodles of Black Widow's, but since living here in Pittsburgh since 2006, I haven't seen any. Of course, I don't go looking for them, really. I have a huge fear of spiders. Snakes don't bother me. I am like Steve Irwin and I'll grab a snake in a heartbeat, but spiders do me in.

I know you've got them up there. You're not that far away.

Turn over some rocks and logs this summer, but do it with a long stick.

[rms2]

Australian man screaming at spider 'why don't you die?' triggers full police response (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/02/australian-man-screaming-at-spider-why-dont-you-die-triggers-full-police-response)

Apparently not a fan : )))))

That would be my wife and youngest daughter. You should hear them scream when even a very very small spider is sighted in the house.

[jdean]

That would be my wife and youngest daughter. You should hear them scream when even a very very small spider is sighted in the house.

My wife describes them by the area their legs cover and will call spiders that probably don't outweigh postage stamps massive : ))))

[Webb]

28073

Yellow Sac Spider. We get these in the house during the winter. Not too often, but I usually run into them two to three times a year. They like to hide in a wall corner somewhere. They are aggressive and the bite is anywhere form very mild to slightly toxic, depending on the individual spider and the person being bitten. I don't let them get close enough to bite me.

[Webb]

28074

House Centipede. To me, these are much worse than finding a spider. You never see them until you flip on a light then see them scurry off. They eat other insects, but they can get quite large and are very creepy looking!!!!

[MikeWhalen]

time to give poor Australia a break and focus on a monster from another continent...
spiders big enough to hunt and kill an opossum

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/02/tarantula-kills-opossum-first-time-photos-video/

Mike

[jdean]

time to give poor Australia a break and focus on a monster from another continent...
spiders big enough to hunt and kill an opossum

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/02/tarantula-kills-opossum-first-time-photos-video/

Mike

Cripes !!!

[rms2]

That's like something out of a nightmare.

I'd kill every last one of those s.o.b.s I came across. Screw the ecosystem.

[jdean]

That's like something out of a nightmare.

I'd kill every last one of those s.o.b.s I came across. Screw the ecosystem.

Normally I'd disagree with a statement like this but in this case I'm totally with you : )

[Baltimore1937]

That's like something out of a nightmare.

I'd kill every last one of those s.o.b.s I came across. Screw the ecosystem.

Maybe we could extend that to include venomous serpents.