fears, phobias and freaking spiders!

[Cynical Ninja]

That spider can't possibly be real.

Jesus Christ.

[Maggot]

I wonder what two koalas fighting would look like?

[sally]

Spiders don't bother me, I kinda like them actually. If I find them in the house I just pick it up and put them outside. I don't know about that snake eating sucker, however, I think I'd have to sweep him out with the broom.

[Lady Cop]

Spiders don't bother me, I kinda like them actually. If I find them in the house I just pick it up and put them outside. I don't know about that snake eating sucker, however, I think I'd have to sweep him out with the broom.

broom?

i'd use my shotgun on that bitch!

i want to know how that spider's body can contain that snake?? does it just suck out the snake's bodily fluids?? ewwwwwwwwwww

[Lady Cop]

oh sure he's happy, he lives in Hawaii.







The photographer who was delighted to capture the unusual creature on camera was Darlyne Murawski from Massachusetts.

She said: 'I took the picture when I was in Maui, while I was there I wanted to take the opportunity to see if I might be able to find a Happy Face Spider.

Found in the rainforests of Hawaiian islands, the tiny insect which has the scientific name Theridion grallator, is just a few millimetres big and said to be harmless to humans

[HairOfTheDog]

That little guy is freaky cute. Looks like a cartoon spider.

[Lady Cop]

THE END IS NEAR! AGGGHHHHHHHHH

NewsCore

SADIYA, India – A town in India has suddenly been overrun by swarms of venomous spiders, leaving two people dead after being bitten.

It may sound like a B-grade horror movie, but residents of the town of Sadiya, in Assam state, say that on the evening of May 8 as they were celebrating a Hindu festival swarms of spiders suddenly appeared and attacked them, The Times of India reported.

Over the next few days two people -- a man, Purnakanta Buragohain, and an unnamed school boy -- died after being bitten by the spiders. Scores more turned up at the town's hospital with spider bites.

Local resident Jintu Gogoi spent a day in the hospital complaining of excruciating pain and nausea after being bitten. He said weeks later his finger was still blackened and swollen.

District authorities are also panicking -- and they are considering spraying the town with the insecticide DDT.

Locals say the most terrifying aspect is that spiders appear in swarms and their behavior is highly aggressive.

"It leaps at anything that comes close. Some of the victims claimed the spider latched on to them after biting. If that is so, it needs to be dealt with carefully. The chelicerae and fangs of this critter are quite powerful," head of the department of life sciences at Dibrugarh University Dr. L.R. Saikia said.

Teams of Indian arachnid experts have flocked to the town, hoping to identify the species, but so far they have drawn a blank.

They say it could be a tarantula, a black wishbone or even a funnel-web spider -- or it could be a whole new species.

One thing they agree on is that it is not native to the area as there is no record of venomous spiders in Assam. The black wishbone and funnel-web are native to Australia.

Researchers are also still running tests to find out the toxicity of the spiders' venom.

Dr. Anil Phatowali, superintendent of the town's hospital, said they had not administered antivenin as they could not be certain the spider was venomous at all.

He also pointed out other factors may have contributed to the two reported fatalities.

"All the bite patients first went to witch doctors, who cut open their wounds with razors, drained out blood and burnt it. That could have also made them sick," Phatowali said.




edit to add: whole story here

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/envi...753398.cms

[Duchess]

Ugh. Imagine a spider leaping at you. Jesus Christ.

[Ma Huang Sor]

Ive had that happen. I actually screamed like a girl. Spiders are the only things Im afraid of. I'd rather be locked in a cell with three greased Turkish wrestlers who havent had sex in a year than be near a spider.

[Clang McFly]

Spiders I can handle. I'm scared of bees, wasps, scorpions, etc. Basically anything with a stinger. And snakes.

[Lady Cop]

OH.GOD.NO.





daily mail
The giant spider is the Goliath bird eating spider (theraphosa blondi) and is the largest (by mass) spider in the world, reaching the weight of 170g and leg span of 30cm.

It was observed by Conservation International's Rapid Assessment Program scientists in Guyana in 2006, where it lives in burrows on the floor of lowland rainforests.

Despite the name, it feeds primarily on invertebrates - but have been observed eating small mammals, lizards and even venomous snakes.

They have venomous fangs, which are not deadly to humans, but their main line of defense are hairs that cover their entire body – when threatened their rub their legs agains the abdomen and send a cloud of microscopic barbs that lodge in the skin and mucus membranes of the attacker, causing pain and long-lasting irritation.

[Lady Cop]

i would be living in a motel!!

KETV

OMAHA, Neb. -

An Omaha man's apartment is infested with venomous spiders thought to be brought in by the hot summer temperatures.

Dylan Baumann said he has been catching brown recluse spiders in his apartment near 77^th and Howard streets for four months.

"I saw them crawling across my walls, crawling along my floor boards and saw it crawling by my foot," Baumann said.

Brown recluse spiders are not aggressive, but they could be harmful due to their venomous bite. Out of the 200 species of spiders found in Nebraska, the black widow and brown recluse are considered the most dangerous.

Dennis Ferraro at the Douglas County Extension Office said the higher number of spiders and bugs in general is likely due to the weather.

"We virtually did not have a cold winter this winter, and the hotter temperatures that we're having would probably allow for more reproduction," Ferraro said.

Baumann said he planned to move out of the apartment, but not until September. In the meantime, Baumann said he is trying to co-exist with the spiders by taking precautions like pushing the bed away from the wall and shaking out clothes and shoes before putting them on.

"It's terrifying just thinking that might happen to me," Baumann said.

The brown recluse spider is rare but has been showing up more in Omaha.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

My son got bit last month on the foot by one of those things, looks like he has the flesh eating bacteria, nasty bite.
He is a Dr, so he is getting it treated, abraidment every other day, had a couple shots and putting on an antibacterial and antibiotic ointment every day.

[Lady Cop]

damn nasty things





The number of Black Widow spiders is rapidly increasing in New York as a result of a mild winter and scorching summer.

Although not common in the Tri-State area, there have been reports of a boom in spider activity which experts believe is down to the weather.

keep an eye on any areas which would be rich in the insects the spiders eat such as storage areas or open areas under porches. Black Widows ought to be dealt with by professional due to the danger of their bites.

Its venom is reportedly 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake's and its bite produce muscle aches, nausea, and a paralysis of the diaphragm .

Not all bites are lethal and most people suffer no serious damage after a bite.

Reports of death from Black Widow bites are commonly elderly people and small children.

[Barbara]

I am afraid of roaches. Other insects do not bother me.

[imsuchawildflower]

A Colorado resident was bitten by a poisonous black widow spider 19 times -- and DIED!

Black widow spider bites are poisonous, but rarely fatal, health experts say.

Jeff Seale, 40, reportedly noticed the bites on his foot two weeks before he died. The Boulder County Coroner's Office says it could be 4-6 weeks before an official cause of death is released -- but Seale's sister is nevertheless convinced that the bites are responsible.

"I think it's definitely related. He was in really good health up until that point," she told a reporter for Fox. "He worked at a horse stable in the evenings, and he very well could have brought one of the spiders home in his things, or picked up some stuff from one of the horse sheds and brought one of the things home," she said.

Seale, a former high-school baseball star, became obsessed with the spiders, going so far as to spray his house to prevent a spider infestation.

I have a black widow problem at my house. Seriously, I have killed a little
over 20 of them outside my house (2 were inside, but right by a drafty
door). I am on a constant vigil, since I have 2 grandsons that I care for
daily. I had never seen them in the house before, but Ive definitely
killed more than my fair share of them in 8 years here. No one else on my
block has them. Seems each of my neighbors have a different problem.
One has water roaches, one has scorpions, another has wolf spiders,
and yet another neighbor has vinegerones. I usually only see one or
two vinegerones a year, because they are so shy. Ive seen several
more child of the earth this year as well. Like vinegerones, they are
ugly and creepy as fuck, but not harmful. SO, I just stare at them and
walk away. I learned quickly you never ever smush a vinegerone, though.
Its noxious.
Im not scared of bugs of any sort, but I am scared of scorpions and
snakes, and big dogs. Rodents too...but just because of where I live,
they have had cases of bubonic plague associated with mice and rats
within the state, albeit several hours driving away.

[imsuchawildflower]

Vinegerone



Child of the Earth (Jerusalem Cricket)

[imsuchawildflower]

Lets all take a minute and thank God that spiders dont fly...specifically, that they dont fly like June Bugs.

[Lady Cop]

ACK!

spidee eyeballs looking out of ear canal---->






That old urban legend about spiders crawling into your orifices while you sleep has come true. A woman who checked into China's Changsha Central Hospital Wednesday (Aug. 8) with an itchy ear learned she had a small spider dwelling in her ear canal, according to news reports. It had crawled inside five days earlier while she slept.

At the hospital, heebie-jeebie-inducing pictures of the patient's ear canal revealed a stocky, hairy, four-eyed arachnid peering out at the camera, much to doctors' and the patient's surprise.

Amid concerns that disturbing the spider would cause it to "instinctively drill its barbs deeper, scratching the ear canal," local news sources reported that doctors succeeded in removing the creature by pouring saline solution into the ear canal and flushing it out.

As the spider's outstretched foot emerged from her ear, the patient, identified only as "Ms. Lee," reportedly "almost started crying."

[Duchess]

Started crying? I would have needed a tranquilizer. Ugh. *shudders*