Miss Tiggywinkle
Unwelcome visitor
My apologies to all the Arachnophobics who may view this photo.
This baby Huntsman spider was right in the corner, on the ceiling of our bedroom. I stood on the bed to take this photo, so am amazed that I was able to stay still enough to get clear focus without blurring. As the photo is heavily cropped, the spider is not as big as it appears, its body being around a centimetre long, with the legs about 2cm or so each. The adults grow to at least double this size and can measure up to 15 cms wide from leg to leg.
The next day, when it had moved down onto the wall, I put a glass over it and slid a piece of cardboard between the rim of the glass and the wall, trapping the spider inside the glass. I took it outside and shook it into the garden, then went back in to put the glass in the dishwasher. When I reached into the dishwasher, I realised that the spider was still on the glass, but now on the outside! I quickly went out again, and this time, made sure it stayed out in the garden!
The common huntsman spider is found throughout south-eastern Australia. As adults, huntsman spiders do not build webs, but hunt and forage for food: their diet consists primarily of insects and other invertebrates, and occasionally small skinks and geckos. They live in the crevices of tree bark, but will frequently wander into homes and vehicles.
These large spiders move very quickly, they are hairy with long legs. They are able to travel extremely fast, often using a springing jump while running, and walk on walls and even on ceilings. They also tend to exhibit a "cling" reflex if picked up, making them difficult to shake off and much more likely to bite. The females are fierce defenders of their egg sacs and young. They will generally make a threat display if provoked, but if the warning is ignored, they may attack and bite. They have been known to inflict defensive bites, but are not widely regarded as dangerous to healthy humans.
The female huntsman lays up to 200 eggs and guards these eggs, without leaving them or eating for around three weeks. Which makes me wonder where the remainder of the baby Huntsman spiders are hiding????
Unwelcome visitor
My apologies to all the Arachnophobics who may view this photo.
This baby Huntsman spider was right in the corner, on the ceiling of our bedroom. I stood on the bed to take this photo, so am amazed that I was able to stay still enough to get clear focus without blurring. As the photo is heavily cropped, the spider is not as big as it appears, its body being around a centimetre long, with the legs about 2cm or so each. The adults grow to at least double this size and can measure up to 15 cms wide from leg to leg.
The next day, when it had moved down onto the wall, I put a glass over it and slid a piece of cardboard between the rim of the glass and the wall, trapping the spider inside the glass. I took it outside and shook it into the garden, then went back in to put the glass in the dishwasher. When I reached into the dishwasher, I realised that the spider was still on the glass, but now on the outside! I quickly went out again, and this time, made sure it stayed out in the garden!
The common huntsman spider is found throughout south-eastern Australia. As adults, huntsman spiders do not build webs, but hunt and forage for food: their diet consists primarily of insects and other invertebrates, and occasionally small skinks and geckos. They live in the crevices of tree bark, but will frequently wander into homes and vehicles.
These large spiders move very quickly, they are hairy with long legs. They are able to travel extremely fast, often using a springing jump while running, and walk on walls and even on ceilings. They also tend to exhibit a "cling" reflex if picked up, making them difficult to shake off and much more likely to bite. The females are fierce defenders of their egg sacs and young. They will generally make a threat display if provoked, but if the warning is ignored, they may attack and bite. They have been known to inflict defensive bites, but are not widely regarded as dangerous to healthy humans.
The female huntsman lays up to 200 eggs and guards these eggs, without leaving them or eating for around three weeks. Which makes me wonder where the remainder of the baby Huntsman spiders are hiding????