T Lo Sweater
formerly troyd
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i got not beef with spiders but man these vids of spiders in ears is wild freaky
minotauro nogueira
Banned
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- Nov 10, 2007
This picture made me feel better, cuz i hate mosquitoes the most
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- Jul 18, 2012
[h1]Worker unearths giant Wairarapa spider[/h1]
If Matt Charlton had taken home a large spider he found crawling through Pongaroa forestry he'd have "been out on his ear so fast" he wouldn't have had time to think twice, his partner Renee Floyd says.
The Tararua district earth works business owner was clearing forestry for a road at Pongaroa with a worker when he came across a very large spider "bigger than his hand" and flicked a photograph of it to his very terrified partner.
She told the Times-Age it was a good thing he'd left the spider, commonly known as a tube web spider, right where he found it.
A Te Papa arachnologist has identified the spider as one of 10 from the stanwellia species which are similar to the trapdoor spider, only they burrow under the ground.
Ms Floyd readily admits to loathing the creepy, crawly arachnids.
"I'm terrified of them."
The photograph was enough to scare her, she said.
"I could barely look at it ... If Matt had brought it home he'd have been out so fast. It was just horrible. I'd have been knocked out if I'd seen it. It was bigger than his hand ... I can't believe they exist that big in New Zealand."
On first seeing the large spider crawling across pine cones towards his backpack, Mr Charlton thought it was a baby possum: "He couldn't believe it was a spider."
Arachnophobics be warned - these spiders are common to New Zealand and can be found anywhere in the country "from the Three Kings Islands to Stewart Island", said arachnologist Phil Sirvid from Te Papa.
"They are everywhere ... they are not found anywhere else in the world."
However, it's not often people come across the open-mouthed burrowing spiders, as they live underground, he said.
"If you come across one, be amazed, you have seen something that is uncommonly seen."
While these spiders are not as big as the Nelson Cave spider they can have a body size around 20mm and legs as long as 15cm.
They are not poisonous but can leave a good bite, Mr Sirvid said.
"They are large enough to bite but are not considered dangerous to people."
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11307026
also...
If Matt Charlton had taken home a large spider he found crawling through Pongaroa forestry he'd have "been out on his ear so fast" he wouldn't have had time to think twice, his partner Renee Floyd says.
The Tararua district earth works business owner was clearing forestry for a road at Pongaroa with a worker when he came across a very large spider "bigger than his hand" and flicked a photograph of it to his very terrified partner.
She told the Times-Age it was a good thing he'd left the spider, commonly known as a tube web spider, right where he found it.
A Te Papa arachnologist has identified the spider as one of 10 from the stanwellia species which are similar to the trapdoor spider, only they burrow under the ground.
Ms Floyd readily admits to loathing the creepy, crawly arachnids.
"I'm terrified of them."
The photograph was enough to scare her, she said.
"I could barely look at it ... If Matt had brought it home he'd have been out so fast. It was just horrible. I'd have been knocked out if I'd seen it. It was bigger than his hand ... I can't believe they exist that big in New Zealand."
On first seeing the large spider crawling across pine cones towards his backpack, Mr Charlton thought it was a baby possum: "He couldn't believe it was a spider."
Arachnophobics be warned - these spiders are common to New Zealand and can be found anywhere in the country "from the Three Kings Islands to Stewart Island", said arachnologist Phil Sirvid from Te Papa.
"They are everywhere ... they are not found anywhere else in the world."
However, it's not often people come across the open-mouthed burrowing spiders, as they live underground, he said.
"If you come across one, be amazed, you have seen something that is uncommonly seen."
While these spiders are not as big as the Nelson Cave spider they can have a body size around 20mm and legs as long as 15cm.
They are not poisonous but can leave a good bite, Mr Sirvid said.
"They are large enough to bite but are not considered dangerous to people."
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11307026
also...
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i dont know why i even clicked on this
akajae
formerly akajaedeuce
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Last edited:
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Beautiful, fascinating creatures. The 7th most diverse species of organism on planet Earth...
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I don't know what happens when they go up the vacum cleaner though
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Terrifying City-Dwelling Spiders are Bigger and More Fertile
Posted: 11:02 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014
If you live in a big city and somehow weren't a little creeped out by spiders before, you definitely will be now.
According to a new study out of Australia, spiders get bigger and multiply faster when they live in the city. Cue the giant spider nightmares.
Researchers from the University of Sydney found that golden orb weaver spiders like this one living near heavily urbanized areas in Sydney tend to be larger, better-fed and have more offspring than their country-dwelling counterparts. (Video via YouTube / MyBackyardBirding)
To come to this terrifying conclusion, the study's authors collected 222 female golden orb weavers from different places around Sydney and measured each area's urbanization based on qualities like leaf-litter cover, grass coverage and amount of hard surfaces, such as concrete.
The researchers then measured the spiders' body size, fat reserves and ovary weight to determine their reproductive capacity. And, sure enough, the more urban the area, the bigger, fatter and more potentially fertile the spiders were. Lovely.
One of the study's authors told The Atlantic's CityLab they believe two factors present in most cities are responsible for this so-called superspider trend.
First, the hot microclimates sustained by a paved-over city makes for an ideal environment for spiders to grow and thrive.
And second, thanks to the massive amount of artificial light in cities, they attract an abnormal amount of insects to the area. Translation: The spiders are never without a plentiful food source.
Now, this may seem like bad news all around for city dwellers. But as gross as spiders are, they're actually good to have around.
They eat insects we consider to be annoying pests, like flies and mosquitoes, and keep their populations down. And they're also an important food source for other creatures, including frogs and toads. Ah, the circle of life.
While the research in Sydney was confined to just one species of spider, the study's authors say other types of spiders are probably reaping the benefits of city living too. You can check out the entire study in the journal PLOS One.
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/terrifying-city-dwelling-spiders-are-bigger-and-mo/ng6gg/
Posted: 11:02 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014
If you live in a big city and somehow weren't a little creeped out by spiders before, you definitely will be now.
According to a new study out of Australia, spiders get bigger and multiply faster when they live in the city. Cue the giant spider nightmares.
Researchers from the University of Sydney found that golden orb weaver spiders like this one living near heavily urbanized areas in Sydney tend to be larger, better-fed and have more offspring than their country-dwelling counterparts. (Video via YouTube / MyBackyardBirding)
To come to this terrifying conclusion, the study's authors collected 222 female golden orb weavers from different places around Sydney and measured each area's urbanization based on qualities like leaf-litter cover, grass coverage and amount of hard surfaces, such as concrete.
The researchers then measured the spiders' body size, fat reserves and ovary weight to determine their reproductive capacity. And, sure enough, the more urban the area, the bigger, fatter and more potentially fertile the spiders were. Lovely.
One of the study's authors told The Atlantic's CityLab they believe two factors present in most cities are responsible for this so-called superspider trend.
First, the hot microclimates sustained by a paved-over city makes for an ideal environment for spiders to grow and thrive.
And second, thanks to the massive amount of artificial light in cities, they attract an abnormal amount of insects to the area. Translation: The spiders are never without a plentiful food source.
Now, this may seem like bad news all around for city dwellers. But as gross as spiders are, they're actually good to have around.
They eat insects we consider to be annoying pests, like flies and mosquitoes, and keep their populations down. And they're also an important food source for other creatures, including frogs and toads. Ah, the circle of life.
While the research in Sydney was confined to just one species of spider, the study's authors say other types of spiders are probably reaping the benefits of city living too. You can check out the entire study in the journal PLOS One.
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/terrifying-city-dwelling-spiders-are-bigger-and-mo/ng6gg/
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