Incy Wincy
Jan. 23rd, 2003 08:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gemfyreThis orb weaver has been spinning her web across our driveway for quite a while now. I often find myself driving straight through the web before I realise it's there. A few nights ago we noticed the web had been built off to the side - maybe she was learning. But last night it was slap bang in the middle of the driveway again, so I took a few photos.
I actually DID get the web, on the camera screen it looked like the web wouldn't show.
This is how her topside looks. All the photos I took of her other side were blurry, but it has pretty stripes all over. She is HUGE, a good 8cm from top to bottom.
Here's a shot to get some perspective of her size.
I actually DID get the web, on the camera screen it looked like the web wouldn't show.
This is how her topside looks. All the photos I took of her other side were blurry, but it has pretty stripes all over. She is HUGE, a good 8cm from top to bottom.
Here's a shot to get some perspective of her size.
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Date: 2003-01-22 05:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-01-22 06:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-01-22 05:09 pm (UTC)What do they even eat? Cats? Small rodents?
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Date: 2003-01-22 05:30 pm (UTC)and they're not even as big as the wolf spiders we get sitting around inside.
Both species are harmless to humans tho. Some orbs from some school here just went into space on the shuttle, the news article showed a spider running up a kid's face.
The dangerous spiders where I live - white tails and redbacks are considerably smaller. But over east they get the funnel web, which is freaking huge and deadly.
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Date: 2003-01-23 02:24 am (UTC)And comes in at head height.
:)
Or near enough.
Funnel webs r cool. They will ACTIVELY attack a human being, even runnign across a floor to leap on their toesywosys and drive their HUGE POINTED DRIBBLY VENEMOUS FANGS deep through the toenail (yes they can do that) of even the largest toe.
They can bite through shoe leather if its thin enough. They'll bite numerous times.
They are known to do it all unprovoked. (Well, by unprovoked I mean the human did nothing other than come within 10 feet of it)
They are furry little balls of fury with fangs and an aggressive streak that puts even most humans to shame.
And they live in only a very small area of australia.
Right bang smack where they decided to build sydney.
I love that fact. It smells of nature's justice.
"Oh, so you build a great big smelly city eh?? FINE THEN! SPIDER ATTACK!"
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Date: 2003-01-22 05:36 pm (UTC)and this spider seems to be trying to a catch a car considering the location of the web, unfortunately, the car usually wins and half the web is destroyed.
Ever seen the Gary Larson cartoon with the two spiders that have spun a web across a slide. One says to the other "If we can pull this off, we'll eat like kings."
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Date: 2003-01-22 06:10 pm (UTC)I was fine until you showed the last picture with her in respect to the garage and car...I would faint on the spot (but not under the spider) if I came outside and a spider THAT big was making a web above my driveway!
Still beautiful, though... Spiders are so morbidly fascinating. I like watching the shows about them on Discovery Channel and such.
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Date: 2003-01-22 06:36 pm (UTC)*recovers about 3 months later*
Uhh ... how do you sleep at night??? ROFL If a tiny little, bitty spider, small than an eraser is in my room, I refuse to sleep in it for days to weeks after it is removed!
I came home one day (when I was living with my dad) and there was a spider about the size of a quarter sitting on the door knob to the front door, so I left and spent the night elsewhere!!!
*very terrified of spiders ... any and all of 'em*
You titled the post "Incy Wincy" ... I figured it was a small spider (and was quite curious how it was spinning a web as big as you was making it sound). Now I'm going to have nightmares about that spider ...
Yeah, its definitely trying to catch a car ... so it can have a nice appetizer. ;c)
Thanks for sharing your creepy pics. ROFL
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Date: 2003-01-22 07:38 pm (UTC)Most of the time they just sit on the walls and mind thier own buisness, so I let 'em be to catch other bugs in the house.
However there was one once on the bathroom roof. I let him be for a while until he decided to do laps on the roof while I was having a shower. THAT was unnerving, he got moved outside quick smart after that stunt.
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Date: 2003-01-22 07:48 pm (UTC)I had a spider crawl into the shower with me before. It was creepy. I think it was called a wood spider or something like that ... It was like a mini tarantula ... all fuzzy ... and scary looking. I did NOT like that! I scared the bejeezus out of my dad because I was screaming in terror. ROFL He had to come get it out of the shower for me (well, I covered myself up properly first).
I freak out over grandaddy-long-legs!! I just can't handle spiders at all!! Spiders, crickets, basically anything that doesn't make a good ordinary house pet (read = cats, dogs, birds, lizards, fish). ;c)
And I can't believe you have even BIGGER spiders! People here freak if they see a spider bigger than about 3cm!! I'm glad I don't live anywhere near you ... I'd die of fright! ROFL ;c)
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Date: 2003-01-23 12:03 am (UTC)I guess that's what a life of keeping creepy crawlies does to you. I had a cockroach on me yesterday, I just brushed the thing off and let the cat go after it.
Lucky you don't live in South America!! Where the tarantulas grow to the size of dinner plates!
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Date: 2003-01-23 12:11 am (UTC)I was showering in my dorm one morning and a frigging cockroach attacked me!!!! It was seriously attacking me! Like I was its prey or something!!!
Boy, I was screaming. I woke everyone on my floor and the floor below me (the boys floor) up. The RA came in there and had to help get it away from me. The damn thing refused to die! We put the metal trash can on top of it and stood on it ... several days later ... the damn thing was still living! I dunno what happened to it after that ... but it was terrifying. I left the school 3 days later. Couldn't handle roaches in the shower with me and in my room. *shudders*
And yeah, it is a good thing I don't live in S. America. I'd freak!! LoL
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Date: 2003-01-23 12:13 am (UTC)Maybe you smell good to cockroaches :p
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Date: 2003-01-23 08:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-01-23 02:30 am (UTC)Or so I hear.
Daddy long legs have the MOST venomous poison in the entire world of any spider.
Daddy long legs have jaws so small, they cannot pierce the skin, or even make a dent on it. It would be like you trying to knaw on tank armor.
Or so I hear.
*looks at the animal specialist to confirm this*
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Date: 2003-01-23 02:43 am (UTC)Daddy Long Legs aren't spiders but they aren't insects either. They are still chelicerates(arachnids) along with spiders, scorpions and psuedoscorpions.
no subject
Date: 2003-01-23 02:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-01-23 08:35 am (UTC)Something I read as a kid.
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdaddy.html
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Date: 2003-01-23 08:44 am (UTC)I was told by a park ranger that they was the 2nd most poisonous ... but then again ... I didn't listen very well. I tried to find the exhibit on it ... but since I didn't listen very well ... I didn't know where it was. *chuckles*
But yeah, you're right. They can't pierce the skin ... but any open wound ... they can have a field day with! But I didn't know they wasn't classified as un-spiders. That's really neat. Thanks for the trivial knowledge!
ugggh...
Date: 2003-01-22 06:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-01-22 09:55 pm (UTC)We had a bigger spider in gero once. it was about 1/2 the size of my hand, not counting the legs.
for those who dont know me, my hands r rather big.
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Date: 2003-01-23 01:33 am (UTC)HELP!!
We have spiders like that in the UK, Garden spiders they are called, they decide to buid webs across gateways, windows or where ever they think they can catch a human..
and they bite..
Ok, to they bite 4yr old girls who love spiders sooo much that she is collecting them.... they hurt when they bite... they give phobias when they bite....
and that spider looks like a garden spider *hides*
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Date: 2003-01-23 01:47 am (UTC)