I'm NEVER going to Australia!!!

[Mair of the Tribe of Mar]

This thread is horrible, I will be having nightmares for the rest of the week, spiders are definately the closest thing to the burning circles of hades that we have on earth!

Thank you very much for pushing up the squeem factor!!

[Retro Red]

Golden Orb spiders are indeed very impressive because the female grows large, by spider standards. Different varieties are found around the world, including the U.S.A. I remember coming across one in Arkansas. They're a non-aggressive spider; they'll avoid humans, if possible. I try to avoid killing spiders around my home (unless it's a fairly poisonous one like Black Widows or Brown Recluse) because they're so effective at killing other insects - great natural pest control! You might say I enjoy hosting multiple "web"sites at my house.

Here's a nice article that does a good job of presenting the benign nature of the Golden Orb.
http://calamvalecreek.awardspace.com/minti.html

Hey, AL-58, thanks for sharing the pic of the St. Andrews Cross spider. I'd never heard of that one - very cool!

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[Squeaky McMurdo]

This thread is horrible, I will be having nightmares for the rest of the week, spiders are definately the closest thing to the burning circles of hades that we have on earth!

Thank you very much for pushing up the squeem factor!!

*gets an evil glint in her eye*
Ya know...when I was in College at Dixie State in St. George, Utah, I had a tarantula follow me all the way from the math building to the science building...He was just walking merrily on his way right down the sidewalk.

On a side note, there was also a little gecko that got into my dorm and remained there all semester. Every time someone would slam the door, he'de fall off the ceiling, run across the room, and climb back up the wall.

[Big Homestead]

If spiders eating birds turn you off, you shouldn't go. On that note,...

I wonder if spiders in Aussialand have seen pics of you eating chicken and said,.." I'm never going to the States, look at them eat that thing." lol.

Great post mate.

[GDub]

I like spiders. They actually make our lives more pleasant doing what they do (eating the more annoying insects by the billions of tons every year), but that one is a BEAST! Damn, my 2" garden spiders are dwarfs in comparison. Tarantulas are like cats so they're no big deal, but the bird eater is impressive. Hell, I would go to Australia just to see one of those big boys!

[Red_Raven]

We Have banded orb spiders here but they only get about 2-3" across, not bird eating size. one from our friends garden

[###KILTEDKIWI###]

Krykie!! That is disturbing! I think i'll stay away from that part of australia.

Although I hear that Australia is amazing, it's also home to pretty much all the deadlist insects, reptiles, and sea life in the world.

The spider would probably be the least of my concerns if I were to go to Australia.
__________________

uh hum, as someone whos shares a geographical similarity to Australia, may Isuggest that your money, er um, time! would be better spent in our fair land (trans tasman rivalry, brilliant).

The only dangerous creatures we have here, are the primeminister (seriously), a rogue hedgehog named "barry" who has a genetic dispostion to being slighty aggravated at 4 in the afternoon if he hasnt had his sleep, and any aussies that we fail to screen correctly at customs...

;)

[staticsan]

Don't be a wuss. You would normally have to go out of your way to find such a beastie. The vast majority of Aussies wouldn't ever see one in real life. In most of the country, if you leave the wildlife alone, it will leave you alone.

Funnelweb spiders seem to be the exception, but in that case, let the cat or dog attend to it; oddly enough their venom, whilst highly dangerous to humans, is virtually harmless to cats and dogs.

Wade.

[###KILTEDKIWI###]

if you leave the wildlife alone, it will leave you alone.

Unfortunately i can name one very famous aussie who failed to heed that warning and as a consequence, came down with a severe case of death...poor blighter...

[Ian.MacAllan]

I agree that the hazards of Australian wildlife are greatly exaggerated. I met more noxious fauna per day on Guam than in three weeks in Australia.

The only unpleasantries I recall on Australia were the liquor taxes and the drought.

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