If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
I don't always walk the dogs of an evening, they usually walk themselves while I drink beer. When I do walk with them I don't always take a camera but tonight I did both and I spotted this amazing "funnel" web in a bramble type bush. While I was happily shooting away the occupant popped out to see what I was up to.
Thanks Mike - a high shutter speed is what did it ! Seriously though, I know that many people genuinely fear spiders, fortunately I am not one of them. This little one is pretty harmless unless you are a small insect but we have one or two here that will give you a nasty bite. One in particular, the wolf spider, has a habit of jumping at you if you get too close. It is about 3-4 inches across the legs from tip to tip with a body about 3/4 of an inch. In the autumn they love to come into the house and hide in the bed linen. I regularly remove them from the bedroom before retiring for the night. They will bite and the bite can cause a nasty reaction but is not generally too troublesome. We also have some varieties of recluse that give a far nastier bite but they are, well, reclusive !
Yup, I'm not afraid of spiders. I don't think there are many in the UK that can actually hurt you anyway. With most insects, my main fear is that if I pick one up I will damage it!
This reminds me of when we emigrated to Victoria,Australia in 1965 and on arrival we initially went to stay with my parents. Their house was on the outskirts of Melbourne which at that time was still developing and houses only had a septic tank usually under the house. Their 'loo' was in a small hut at the bottom of the garden and we were warned to always look under the lid before sitting as there could be spiders lurking beneath. We we the told of the dangers of bite from some species of spider as some could be fatal, in paricular the 'Funnel Web' spider.
Here is a link to a descripion on Wickipedia :-
This reminds me of when we emigrated to Victoria,Australia in 1965 and on arrival we initially went to stay with my parents. Their house was on the outskirts of Melbourne which at that time was still developing and houses only had a septic tank usually under the house. Their 'loo' was in a small hut at the bottom of the garden and we were warned to always look under the lid before sitting as there could be spiders lurking beneath. We we the told of the dangers of bite from some species of spider as some could be fatal, in paricular the 'Funnel Web' spider.
Here is a link to a descripion on Wickipedia :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austral...nel-web_spider
I vaguely recall that in Australia many venomous critters had evolved particularly strong venoms compared to the rest of the world.
So you emigrated - and came back! Was the intention to stay for good?
I was born in Australia, but my parents were mature students there, and always planned to return to the UK.
I believe that the Australian Funnel Web is one of the more dangerous spiders. It's bite can be fatal to human adults ! The one in the picture is not dangerous and it's bite is highly unlikely to penetrate human skin.
We process personal data about users of our site, through the use of cookies and other technologies, to deliver our services, personalise advertising, and to analyse site activity. We may share certain information about our users with our advertising and analytics partners. For additional details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
By clicking "I AGREE" below, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our personal data processing and cookie practices as described therein. You also acknowledge that this forum may be hosted outside your country and you consent to the collection, storage, and processing of your data in the country where this forum is hosted.
Tweet
Comment