Queensland alert over giant funnel-web sightings

Courier Mail ^ | 7th November 2009 | Brian Williams

[naturalman1975]

SOUTHEAST Queenslanders should be on the lookout for large black funnel-web spiders as big as an adult hand.

As the hot, humid weather arrives, the potentially deadly spiders are on the move, with the first reports of the season this week.

Queensland Museum senior curator Robert Raven said yesterday sightings of male funnel-webs had been confirmed at Mt Tamborine in the Gold Coast hinterland and Mt Glorious, west of Brisbane.

With summer temperatures and rain, male funnel-webs would be active until at least March or April.

Males often wandered at night searching for females, especially during rain. They are black, long legged and will rear quickly into an attack position, with front legs raised, fangs at the ready and tipped with venom.

Any bite should be treated with utmost care and they should not be handled.

"If the victim has been envenomed (and not simply bitten, the spider controls which), they will very quickly experience severe systemic distress, including laboured breathing, vomiting, pupils fixed and dilated," Dr Raven said.

[naturalman1975]

[Old Sarge]

Big damn bug.

[mnehring]

Those Aussies and their little spiders..

[Marty62]

YUK x 1000

[SkyDancer]

They can bite right through sneakers ....

[Billthedrill]

[freedumb2003]

YIKES!

That is one big, ugly spider.

They should name it the michelle spider.

[RinaseaofDs]

What. Is. That.

[2Jedismom]

Shelob.

[Little Bill]

Biological warfare works well, I would imagine.

[HairOfTheDog]

Dang.... no kidding.

[mnehring]

Australian Golden Orb Weaver spider. One nasty spider. Those aren’t photoshops.

[naturalman1975]

Golden Orb Weaver (Nephila edulis - another Australian spider, although it has close relatives around the world) - eating a bird (a chestnut-breasted mannikin). It is venomous but not incredibly dangerous to people.

[reagan_fanatic]

Big damn bug, meet big damn sneaker.

[Zathras]

I LOVE Queensland!
Hate all the deadly critters.

Crocs
Tai Pan
Box Jelly
Cone Shell
Sea Snake

Travelling around Northern Queensland is spooky.
And it was the best vaction I’ve ever been on!!!

[mnehring]

Big damn bug, meet big damn sneaker.

Unless it has an egg sack on its back, then it breaks open and you have millions of the little buggers crawling all over you.

[ReneeLynn]

You cheated. That’s an ant. I mean Them!s an ant.

[dfwgator]

Unless it has an egg sack on its back, then it breaks open and you have millions of the little buggers crawling all over you.

An arachnophobe's worst nightmare.

[IYAS9YAS]

Big damn bug, meet big damn sneaker.

I saw a show on these little dandies a few years ago. In one incident, the spider managed to pierce a leather shoe (dress shoe) and envenom said shoe's owner.

[Billthedrill]

Yeh. Busted. I couldn't find a decent giant spider pic. Anyway, Them was a documentary. Take a look at south central LA and tell me it ain't so...

[Marty62]

STOP IT.
the pictures are bad enough.

[StormEye]

I hate spiders!

[Secret Agent Man]

The female one looks like it’s wearing a boob belt...

[Secret Agent Man]

I hate big spiders.

I really hate them if they kill off birds and small animals. I’d make it my mission to wipe out as many as possible in my yard. My safety and the animals’ safety.

[Landru]

"Queenslanders should be on the lookout for large black funnel-web spiders as big as an adult hand."

Oy vey.

Reminds me of a cartoon I saw many years ago.
Old salty sailor's sitting in a doctor's office, his skivvies down 'round his ankles. The doc's looking on in utter horror. A gigantic *creature" with even bigger claws solidly attached to the old salt's genital area. Caption below said, "Picked the somabitch up in Tijuana, Doc." LOL

[ReneeLynn]

Here you go.

[steveo]

No doubt hitched a ride on some kiwi’s surfboard and have since gone on the dole.

[Billthedrill]

Yeah, now that's what I'm talkin' about! Put a little collar and maybe a saddle on him and I'd be getting the good parking spots. Or else.

[USMCPOP]

I prefer jumping spiders.

[TNdandelion]

They look so happy. lol

[USMCPOP]

I think someone Photo Shopped this one and flipped a frown into a smile. Nonetheless, they are cute, they eat critters and don’t leave messy webs.