Posted on 11/06/2009 2:08:50 PM PST by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
STOP IT.
the pictures are bad enough.
I hate spiders!
The female one looks like it’s wearing a boob belt...
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.
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
No doubt hitched a ride on some kiwi’s surfboard and have since gone on the dole.
They look so happy. lol
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.
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