# Giant spiders invade Australian Outback town



## Big Don (May 6, 2009)

*Giant spiders invade Australian Outback town
*  Times Online EXCERPT *WARNING! PICTURES AT LINK! WARNING!* 
 May 6, 2009  
            Sophie Tedmanson in Sydney  
      Australia is known around the world for its large and deadly creepy crawlies,  but even locals have been shocked by the size of the giant venomous spiders  that have invaded an Outback town in Queensland.  
  Scores of eastern tarantulas, which are known as &#8220;bird-eating spiders&#8221; and can  grow larger than the palm of a man&#8217;s hand, have begun crawling out from  gardens and venturing into public spaces in Bowen, a coastal town about 700  miles northwest of Brisbane.  
  Earlier this week locals spotted an Australian tarantula wandering towards a  public garden in the centre of town where people often sit for lunch. They  called in a pest controller, but not before using a can of insect spray to  paralyse the spider.  
  Audy Geiszler, who runs Amalgamated Pest Control in Bowen, said that the  spider was a large male with powerful long fangs and was so big that when he  placed it &#8211; dead &#8211; in the palm of his hand its legs hung over his fingers.  
  Mr Geiszler said that he had been inundated with calls from worried locals  reporting sightings of the giant tarantulas, which have been pushed out of  their natural habitat over the past month by heavy, unseasonal rain. 

END EXCERPT
Get me a shotgun and Ronald McDonald's shoes! Holy CRAP


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## Carol (May 6, 2009)

Thanks for the warning about pictures on the link.  I haven't opened it up...I'd rather not have nightmares tonight


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## hongkongfooey (May 6, 2009)

I hate spiders. I would be tempted to squash that sucker.


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## Flea (May 6, 2009)

Creepy crawlies don't bother me at all.  I love insects, and as a girl scout I was notorious for chasing the other girls around with them on camping trips.  :whip1:  I'm especially fond of spiders.

There are only two bugs I can't stand ... cockroaches and tarantulas.  I won't even get close enough to a roach to stomp it.  I don't live in a region where I'd encounter tarantulas outside of the zoo.  As such, I thank you kindly for the warning on your link.


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## Big Don (May 6, 2009)

Carol Kaur said:


> Thanks for the warning about pictures on the link.  I haven't opened it up...I'd rather not have nightmares tonight


It isn't really THAT bad, but, it made me lean back from the monitor...


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## mook jong man (May 6, 2009)

Eastern tarantulas are certainly big and scary and the bite can cause six hours of vomiting , but most Aussies are more scared of a much smaller spider called the funnel web spider.

The Sydney Funnel Web spider in particular is highly aggressive and the bite can kill a child in 15 minutes and a fully grown man in 40 minutes if anti venom is not given.

 Most Aussies are told from a young age to shake out their shoes before they put them on because the nasty little buggers like to hide in them , another place they like to hide is in swimming pools because they are attracted to water . 

They can hide underwater for hours and hours in a pool and still deliver a fatal bite. One of my friends was a pest controller and he said that he went to peoples backyards in Sydney that were infested with funnel web burrows.

 Where I live there are a lot of new Australians from China and Korea and I'm always telling them to make sure they shake their shoes out before they put them on , because their custom is to leave their shoes outside their door , which would look like a very inviting home to a roving male funnel web.


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## MA-Caver (May 7, 2009)

Shelob's children... harrr...


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## Big Don (May 7, 2009)

MA-Caver said:


> Shelob's children... harrr...


Having just reread a couple of Harry Potter Books, I thought of Aragog...
Great minds, as they say...


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## K-man (May 7, 2009)

If you were lucky enough to find one it may be an opportunity to practise kakato geri!  :rofl:

They do it tough up north!!


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## Chris Parker (May 7, 2009)

Yeah, we do have some pretty cute little critters in this little place of ours... Aside from the aforementioned funnel web, you get to look out for trapdoor spiders, death adders, taipans, and tiny little spiders like red backs and white-tails. At least you'll probably see these guys coming! (We have a semi-famous song here harking back to the days of outside toilets, named "Red Back on the Toilet Seat", fun little ditty to amuse kids...)

But you know, I just thought the furry little guy in question was cute. Just me?


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## Lisa (May 7, 2009)

Big Don said:


> Get me a shotgun and Ronald McDonald's shoes! Holy CRAP



:lfao:

EEWWWWWWW!!!!  I sat there debating "do I wanna look?"  "no, you better not look."  with the cursor hovering......and then curiosity got the better of me! AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!  Sure as hell wouldn't wanna share my sandwich with that thing.....  I am shaking all over!!!  Why do I look?  WHY DO I ALWAYS LOOK!!!!


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## Stac3y (May 7, 2009)

Oh. Dear. GOD! I am NEVER going to Australia. NEVER. :barf:

However, I do live in Texas, and we have (much smaller) tarantulas here, as well as scorpions <shudder>. When I first visited my town to interview for a job, there was a tarantula under the sink in my hotel. When I called the front desk to report it, they told me not to worry, that it was free with the room. :eye-popping:


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## Jade Tigress (May 7, 2009)

hongkongfooey said:


> I hate spiders. I would be tempted to squash that sucker.




I'd be afraid! Guts...ewwwww. I would run screaming doing the heebie jeebie shake! I HATE spiders, I HATE creepy crawlies. 

When we first moved to North Carolina about 13 years ago, the house we bought had been vacant for a while. After we moved in, in addition to your run of the mill spiders, I discovered centipedes and millipedes in the house. I about **** a brick.


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## Cirdan (May 7, 2009)

I love bats and snakes but spiders... AAAARGH HATE THEM!!

I am NOT going to Australia. Not without body armor, a flame thrower and a solid baseball bat as a backup weapon. Where is an army of brave noble halflings clad in mithril mail and armed with blades from fallen Numenor when you need them?


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## ShelleyK (May 7, 2009)

I just HAD to look...and as soon as I did I felt faint...I have a bad case of arachnophobia...I freak when I see spiders...no matter how big or small they are!!


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## Chris Parker (May 7, 2009)

Okay, I'm going to assume here it is just me...

But really, none of our big, strong, experienced, skilled martial arts friends here can handle a little furry friend? Pity, you just need to respect them, like any possible opponent... and I still think he's cute.


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## Jade Tigress (May 7, 2009)

Chris Parker said:


> t... and I still think he's cute.



You, my dear, are disturbed.


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## Chris Parker (May 7, 2009)

You are not the first to suggest such things... and I take it as a compliment, so I thank you.


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## Jade Tigress (May 7, 2009)

chris parker said:


> you are not the first to suggest such things... And i take it as a compliment, so i thank you.




hee hee


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## theletch1 (May 7, 2009)

Stomp him, hell!  You could wear a couple of them like roller skates! 

I have a ball python that freaks visitors out but don't care to own anything that doesn't have an internal skeleton.  Worst spider we have around here is the black widow.  Found several around the outside of the house last year.  Beautiful creatures, really, but not something I care to have around.


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## Brian R. VanCise (May 7, 2009)

I do not mind spider's as long as they stay outside! 

Actually it is fascinating to watch them at work!


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## Flea (May 7, 2009)

Chris Parker said:


> Okay, I'm going to assume here it is just me...
> 
> But really, none of our big, strong, experienced, skilled martial arts friends here can handle a little furry friend? Pity, you just need to respect them, like any possible opponent... and I still think he's cute.



Thank you!!  The irony had not escaped me either.  :lfao:

And for the record, I _don't_ think they're cute.


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## Xue Sheng (May 7, 2009)

if you do doubt your courage or your strength, come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth. 

I&#8217;m not a big fan of spiders; I tend to squash them if I find them in the house but if outside I leave them alone if they leave me alone. However as already mentioned, a spider this size is why they make shotguns. Actually my first wife wanted to buy a pet tarantula and I forget how much the cost at the time but I told her it was an awful lot of money to pay for a dead bug because I would load up the shotgun and kill it.

Here is more info by the way on the Australian creepy crawly...with nasty, big, pointy teeth 



> http://amonline.net.au/spiders/resources/general.htm#bird
> The term 'bird-eating spider' usually refers to large spiders from the family Theraphosidae. These spiders are also referred to as tarantulas. In Australia the theraphosids are represented by the whistling spiders (Selenocosmia sp.). These ground-dwelling spiders are big enough to prey on small frogs and reptiles, but are not known to eat birds. They are also known as barking spiders.


 
And surprisingly it is not the biggest Australia has to offer



> http://amonline.net.au/spiders/resources/general.htm#australia
> Australia's biggest spiders belong to the same family as the Goliath Spider. They are the whistling spiders. The northern species Selenocosmia crassipes can grow to 6 cm in body length with a leg span of 16 cm


 
This is not the biggest in the world&#8230;.this one is



> http://amonline.net.au/spiders/resources/general.htm#biggest
> The biggest spider in the world is the Goliath Spider, Theraphosa leblondi. It lives in coastal rainforests in northern South America. Its body can grow to 9 cm in length (3.5 inches) and its leg span can be up to 28 cm (11 inches). (from: Carwardine, M. 1995. The Guinness Book of Animal Records. Guinness Publishing.)


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## theletch1 (May 7, 2009)

Xue, if it has big, pointy teeth you're supposed to use the Holy Hand Grenade.  And count to three...not to two.. the count shall be three. 
I love Monty Python references.


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## Chris Parker (May 8, 2009)

Love the Python too...

Oh, and if anyone wants some fun, try googling "Camel Spiders"... go on, dare you.


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## Stac3y (May 8, 2009)

Chris Parker said:


> Love the Python too...
> 
> Oh, and if anyone wants some fun, try googling "Camel Spiders"... go on, dare you.


 
Why, oh WHY must I be unable to refuse a dare? Iraq is now permanently off my list of vacation spots. <shudder>


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## Chris Parker (May 8, 2009)

Aww, I almost feel bad about that, you're running out of holiday destinations...

How about this? New Zealand. Next door to us here in Australia, but totally devoid of venomous spiders and snakes. Very pretty too. I had a New Zealander as a housemate for a while, he never could get used to how many things here could kill him that he had never encountered growing up...


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## Stac3y (May 8, 2009)

Hmmmm. New Zealand is a possibility. I love Flight of the Conchords.


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## Tez3 (May 8, 2009)

Chris Parker said:


> Love the Python too...
> 
> Oh, and if anyone wants some fun, try googling "Camel Spiders"... go on, dare you.


 
One of our students went to Iraq with her regiment and as she was the 'cage fighter she was the one the guys ( roughie toughie infantry soldiers) let fight off the camel spiders.
In the UK we have 14 native species of spider who bite but beyond swelling and reddening there's no other damage so no deaths no even from allergies. I like spiders too, always put them outside if they are in the house, we have some quite big ones as we live in the country. We do worry about camel spiders though funnily enough as we also live on the garrison where they may have stowed away in the army kit and have entered 'illegally'. there's been poisonous spiders found on imported bananas though around the country though it's rare.


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## Thems Fighting Words (May 8, 2009)

Flea said:


> Creepy crawlies don't bother me at all.  I love insects, and as a girl scout I was notorious for chasing the other girls around with them on camping trips.  :whip1:  I'm especially fond of spiders.
> 
> There are only two bugs I can't stand ... cockroaches and tarantulas.  I won't even get close enough to a roach to stomp it.  I don't live in a region where I'd encounter tarantulas outside of the zoo.  As such, I thank you kindly for the warning on your link.



Cockroaches are my second favorite animal, after crocodiles. Oh well, living in Queensland, I have nothing against big spiders, its the little poisonous ones like red backs that I don't like.


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## teekin (May 8, 2009)

theletch1 said:


> Xue, *if it has big, pointy teeth you're supposed to use the Holy Hand Grenade. * And count to three...not to two.. the count shall be three.
> I love Monty Python references.



Dude, I'm with you. I Still believe that there are few problems that can't be solved with the sufficient application of C-4. Camel Spiders are a very good example, red fire ants, not so much.:bomb::lol:
lori


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## mook jong man (May 8, 2009)

Thems Fighting Words said:


> Cockroaches are my second favorite animal, after crocodiles. Oh well, living in Queensland, I have nothing against big spiders, its the little poisonous ones like red backs that I don't like.


 
Being a Queenslander , have you ever seen the Aussie native cockroaches , they are supposed to be the worlds heaviest cockroach at up to 35 grams or 1.2 oz . 

I saw one in a petshop down here in Sydney , I couldn't believe the size of it , apparently some people like to keep them as pets.


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## Thems Fighting Words (May 9, 2009)

mook jong man said:


> Being a Queenslander , have you ever seen the Aussie native cockroaches , they are supposed to be the worlds heaviest cockroach at up to 35 grams or 1.2 oz .
> 
> I saw one in a petshop down here in Sydney , I couldn't believe the size of it , apparently some people like to keep them as pets.




Yeah I've seen a few Queensland cockroaches which are said to be the bulkiest in the world. Not in the wild though, just in museums and displays at shopping centers. I think they look great, like trilobites. Here's a link to an Aussie roach site so people don't think we only have spiders, cus we also have beaut roaches: http://natureitems.blogspot.com/2006/11/australian-cockroaches-can-be.html


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## Senjojutsu (May 9, 2009)

Some mind droppings from me when I read this story.

The 1990 Movie, ARACHNOPHOBIA's Tagline: 
*Eight legs, two fangs and an attitude*.

I wonder if this song made the Australian hit parade back in 1974?

"SPIDERS AND SNAKES" by JIM STAFFORD - 1974 - Chorus: 
_I don't like spiders and snakes_
_And that ain't what it takes to love me_
_You fool, you fool_
_I don't like spiders and snakes_
_And that ain't what it takes to love me_
_Like I wanna be loved by you_
-------------------------------------- 

"The itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water spout."
MAYBE NOT IN THIS CASE.


It was only AFTER I had gotten home from my two-week Sydney visit 
that I found out about NSW venomous eight-legged natives.
*DOH!*


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## Tez3 (May 9, 2009)

Camel spiders while being arachnids aren't true spiders though I doubt that's much comfort if bitten by one!


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## Big Don (May 9, 2009)

Tez3 said:


> Camel spiders while being arachnids aren't true spiders though I doubt that's much comfort if bitten by one!


Shoot Tez, it isn't much comfort seeing pictures of them...


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## geezer (May 25, 2009)

Big Don said:


> *Giant spiders invade Australian Outback town
> *  Times Online EXCERPT *WARNING! PICTURES AT LINK! WARNING!*
> May 6, 2009
> Sophie Tedmanson in Sydney
> ...



OK, I googled this just to be sure. For what small comfort this is worth, the ruler in that photo is marked in _centimeters_, not inches! The  Australian eastern tarantula is a big'un and its body can reach 6 cm. in length, or nearly 2.5 inches. The legs can stretch out to over 16 cm or about 6.5 inches. 

Still, like most Yanks, my first thought was that the ruler was marked in inches, _meaning that that these spiders, legs and all, would be over 16 inches long,_ apparently surviving on a diet of chihuahuas and stray cats! 

BTW, I'm from Arizona and used to spend the summers out on my Grandad's ranch. What you Aussies call a "station", I believe. Now we don't have anything near as venemous as you guys, but we do have scorpions, centipedes, and widow-spiders, recluse spiders, "hualapai tiger" bugs, desert tarantulas (a good deal smaller than that beastie in the picture), velvet ants, rattlers and a few other nasties too. Oh and we've also got a smaller version of that "camel-spider" thingie. We call it a "sun-spider" or solpugid. _Uh-ugly!_ Anyway, the ranch was sold in back '94, and now I live in the middle of civilization... if you can call it that (Phoenix). But I still shake out my shoes, _hard_, every day before I put them on. And stories like this don't help!!!


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## ArmorOfGod (May 26, 2009)

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=651337

Check that out, but be ready.


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## Chris Parker (May 27, 2009)

See, now, if I start saying that Golden Orbs are incredibly pretty, it's just going to be me again, isn't it?


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## Stac3y (May 27, 2009)

I think I'm gonna hurl.


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## JadecloudAlchemist (May 27, 2009)

If you can't beat em eat em!!


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## Big Don (May 27, 2009)

JadecloudAlchemist said:


> If you can't beat em eat em!!


I threw up a little in my mouth, and I didn't even click them...


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