Huge Spider Caught on Camera....

[HotHotHeat]

....Eating a BIRD!

PWN'D!


The pictures show the spider with its long black legs wrapped around the body of a dead bird suspended in its web.

The startling images were reportedly taken in Atheron, close to Queensland's tropical north.

Despite their unlikely subject matter, the pictures appear to be real.

Joel Shakespeare, head spider keeper at the Australian Reptile Park, said the spider was a Golden Orb Weaver.

"Normally they prey on large insects… it's unusual to see one eating a bird," he told ninemsn.com.

Mr Shakepeare said he had seen Golden Orb Weaver spiders as big as a human hand but the northern species in tropical areas were known to grow larger.

Queensland Museum identified the bird as a native finch called the Chestnut-breasted Mannikin.





http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/mai...aspider122.xml

[troutman]

I'm never going to Australia.

[Displaced Flames fan]

I was watching a program the other night where some scientists were in Venezuela searching for giant spiders. They believe there are spiders growing to unbelievable sizes in the Venezuelan jungle...and by unbelievable size I mean measured in feet, not inches.

I'm not a fan of spiders.

Thanks for sharing though, awesome stuff.

[burn_this_city]

The biggest known spider is 13 inches in diameter, its a Goliath bird eater.

[Bagor]

Nice!

Here's a mantis taking out a hummingbird.

[Hemi-Cuda]

reminds me of this scene from King Kong

[FanIn80]

%^%$ I hate spiders.

[Machiavelli]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

%^%$ I hate spiders.

Same here. Awful, awful creatures.

[GreenLantern]

Dear god is thereo ne on me?

I really feel like there is a spider on em right now.. my feet are so unprotected down there under this desk.. I need shoes.. socks.. slippers.. something

Help.

our very own SoulofTheFlame lives in Queensland I believe, mayhaps this was at his house?

[Russic]

i believe i had a conversation with a cp'er who was currently living in Australia about how much he hates the spiders. Some are the size of dinner plates *gag*.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Russic

i believe i had a conversation with a cp'er who was currently living in Australia about how much he hates the spiders. Some are the size of dinner plates *gag*.

Could be Icarus. Wonder if he's encountered in Sydney Funnel Web spiders!

[Phanuthier]

I hate spiders too, but what exactly is it about spiders that creeps people out?

[GreenLantern]

Isn't it a fact that the average person will eat 3 spiders during his/her sleep in his/her lifetime?

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

Isn't it a fact that the average person will eat 3 spiders during his/her sleep in his/her lifetime?

I think it's more than that.

Spiders are actually very beneficial to humans yet we still hate them. Most of us anyway. In North America there are only two species that can kill you and even those two aren't prolific killers. Most people bitten survive.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

I think it's more than that.

Spiders are actually very beneficial to humans yet we still hate them. Most of us anyway. In North America there are only two species that can kill you and even those two aren't prolific killers. Most people bitten survive.

The brown recluse and black widow?

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by flameswin

The brown recluse and black widow?

Those are the culprits! I'm not sure of the statistics, I might search for them though. I'll guess that spider bite deaths in the US are single digits.

In doing a little quick research it would seem that the numbers are even lower than single digits.

I can't find anything with a nice tabular display though. Let's just say that you are more likely to be killed by a dog than a spider in North America.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Those are the culprits! I'm not sure of the statistics, I might search for them though. I'll guess that spider bite deaths in the US are single digits.

I know they were saying that the brown recluse can now be found in southern Alberta, including Calgary, however it was mentioned that the chances of being bit by one are so minimal it's not even worth worrying about.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by flameswin

I know they were saying that the brown recluse can now be found in southern Alberta, including Calgary, however it was mentioned that the chances of being bit by one are so minimal it's not even worth worrying about.

Yeah, they are reclusive as their name indicates. You have to be careful in clutter and places that see no human activity for long periods like storage sheds and stuff.

We have a ton of them around here and I've only known of one person who has been bitten by a brown recluse. That guy did have a nasty necrotic wound though on his shoulder. EWWWWWW.

I've known several people who have been bitten by black widows with a wide range of results. One guy I worked with in Colorado was in bed for 2 months.

[missdpuck]

i got bit by a brown recluse that was in someone's mailbox (they used to say there were none in Florida but emergency rooms have been treating people bitten by them according to what I was told..not too many of course..we have more black widows here) I didn't go to the hospital because I figured spider bites are so rare it must be some weird infected scratch. 3 days later about a 3x3 area just below my elbow looked like I had the Black Plague and I couldn't bend my arm. It took about 2 weeks to heal. And I still like spiders

[Machiavelli]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

I hate spiders too, but what exactly is it about spiders that creeps people out?

For me, it has to do with the way they move about.