If you don't like spiders, DON'T look at this post

[LiberalElite]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/goliath-encounter-puppy-sized-spider-surprises-scientist-in-rainforest/

-snip-
Piotr Naskrecki was taking a nighttime walk in a rainforest in Guyana, when he heard rustling as if something were creeping underfoot. When he turned on his flashlight, he expected to see a small mammal, such as a possum or a rat.

"When I turned on the light, I couldn't quite understand what I was seeing," said Naskrecki, an entomologist and photographer at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology.

A moment later, he realized he was looking not at a brown, furry mammal, but an enormous, puppy-size spider.

-snip-

[TwilightGardener]

1. Neat--looks like a giant tarantula.

(But then, I enjoy seeing tarantulas around my gardens and driveway--they don't try to come into the house, and they're slow and deliberate.)

[Fred Sanders]

4. So it is about the size of an IPad?

[Fred Sanders]

2. Those darn scientists, can't they just leave discovery and fact finding for the media personalities?

Incredible find, nature is awesome.

[Major Hogwash]

30. This reminds me of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins.

"While Jim is working his way down river, tracking the large crocodile he saw from the other side of the river, me and my guide, Babakutuho, are going back to camp for more net.
We need more net because this was a very large crocodile.

"In fact, that crocodile is so large, that we had to edit this scene for tv.
Because when Jim first saw that croc, Jim shouted, "Holy shit, Marlin! Did you see the size of that motherfucker!?"

"So, as you can see, there are reasons why we have to edit this program.
And there are also reasons why Mutual of Omaha forces us take that editor with us on trips like this in to the jungle."

[hlthe2b]

3. I've finally forced myself to leave the occasional "good spiders" that eat the bad ones...

even if in the basement (as long as there is only one--LOL)... More than that or found elsewhere and I still try to trap live and relocate.

At least this guy would be large enough not to miss.

[dionysus]

17. i leave mine alone cause they eat ants. if i saw that thing i'd freak out.

[GGJohn]

22. The only ones I will kill, if absolutely necessary,

are Black Widows and Brown Recluse spiders if they're in our house, otherwise I leave them alone.
Mom Nature created them for a reason, who am I to wantonly kill them if they're no threat to me, my wife or our animals?

[dionysus]

25. luckily i havent seen those! today i saw a daddy long legs inside! i used an empty paper grocery bag

to fan the poor thing across the floor so I wouldn't step on it.

[GGJohn]

26. Daddy Long Legs are really cool spiders.

I remember growing up in Calif. in Loomis, we had a creek that ran through our property and we had these, what we called Creek Spiders, they would spin a web across the creek and catch really small fish in their webs.
Really cool to watch these spiders in action.

[dionysus]

27. i've got several species of spider inside my house. if a web gets too unsightly i'll vacuum it up,

but I take a quick look to make sure the spider isn't in it so they can start a new one. I was surprised to see daddy long legs living inside my crib, though. the spiders love the basement near the window; ants try to get in through there and they clean up.

[Scootaloo]

32. well, this one will eat unwanted house guests, too

[Cali_Democrat]

33. I leave most spiders in my home that have webs in the corners

I couldn't believe the amount of insects they catch. They're great...



Then again I've never been scared of spiders. Cockroaches on the other hand......aaaaaack!

Distgusting.

[lonestarnot]

5. Pic at link. Icky look'n.

[hfojvt]

6. seen this already, don't you have any snakes

or frogs

[GGJohn]

7. Holy crap!!!!!

That is one freakin BIG spider.
I really wish he hadn't captured it, now it's in a museum.
Is it still alive? Or is it some kind of exihibit now?
He should have just let her go on her way, she belonged in the wild, not some laboratory being studied.

[Big Blue Marble]

13. I agree.

Sad ending to an interesting article. Why do we think we have the right
to take a spider out of her environment and turn her into a sideshow
because she is so unusual?

[G_j]

15. My thought also, if it's so rare

why not leave it be?

[Arkansas Granny]

8. There's no doubt in my mind that it's a deadly spider.

I would have died on the spot.

[AwakeAtLast]

9. Baby Aragog

[WhiteAndNerdy]

28. +1, nt

[Jamastiene]

10. That is amazing!

K&R

[City Lights]

11. Holy Cow!

[kestrel91316]

12. All I can think of when I see those is what it would sound and feel like

if you stepped on one. And the GOO!!!!!!

I'm gonna go get sick now.

[Enthusiast]

14. I crush all spiders.

That is one part of nature that I d not abide.

[silverweb]

16. Cool...

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]From a former 8th grader who kept bugs & spiders in terrariums as "pets."

(I was not a "normal" girl.)

[Omaha Steve]

18. I'm not trying to hijack your post

I have this post from today about tarantulas too: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025687659

K&R!

OS

[Warren DeMontague]

19. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

eeeeee.

[Adrahil]

20. Not enough fire in this thread. Needs more FIRE!!!!!

[petronius]

21. Very cool! Never heard of the 'cloud of hairs' defense - that would totally

get me...

[johnp3907]

23. Reminds me of the old time radio show where 2 guys are in the jungle trying to catch a huge spider.

One of the guys, Joe, disappears. He seems to reappear the next morning, but of course all is not well: "Joe.. Your hand! Why do you grab my arm? Ah! Your other hand! My other arm! Why do your fingers hold my arm so tight! They hurt me! Another arm on my shoulder! Joe, what- Ah! Another arm! Holding my neck! Joe! So many arms! How can it be?"

[Liberal_in_LA]

24. "nightime walk in rainforest"

don't like big bugs

[WhiteAndNerdy]

29. My first pet was a tarantula,

and I love spiders, but even I would not want to encounter that beast unexpectedly.

[GGJohn]

31. But it's not bigger than this.

[Art_from_Ark]

35. It's not bigger than this, either

[GGJohn]

36. Now that's a SPIDER!!!!!

[GGJohn]

37. The region I live in, we have these.

And these.



There more scary than dangerous.

[lunasun]

34. Awesome and super sized