What the hell is this? If I see it at night I would probably unload a magazine full of .45 ACP into it...
This...and all those pictures just prove my paranoid, fear induced point. Spiders are not of this earth.
The big ugly spiders get all the attention. Have you read about a tiny spider that builds a large 'scarecrow' version on the web? it also shakes the fake, making it look more realistic. Spider That Builds Its Own Spider Decoys Discovered - Wired Science
just nabbed a big brown one in the bedroom. i don't know if i'll sleep better knowing he's gone, or worse, wondering if he's got relatives?
That looks like a coconut crab. Though bigger than I thought they got. Wikipedia says they can reach a meter from leg to leg. They are related to hermit crabs, and eat fruits and nuts. Including their name sake. They have more to fear from us, then we from them. "Adult coconut crabs have no known predators apart from other coconut crabs and people. Its large size and the quality of its meat means that the coconut crab is extensively hunted and is rare on islands with a human population.[45] The coconut crab is eaten by Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders and is considered a delicacy and an aphrodisiac, and intensive hunting has threatened the species' survival in some areas" Coconut crab - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It would seem Britain is to the US what the US is to Australia in regards to dangerously poisonous critters. BBC News - How dangerous are false widow spiders? Steatoda nobilis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "Like almost all spiders, Steatoda nobilis is venomous, but its bite is almost exclusively of mild effect on humans, without the severe consequences that can occur with black widow spiders. Its bite is often alleged to be one of the medically significant for humans, even though the few recorded bites do not typically present long-lasting effects. The symptoms of a bite are typically similar to a bee or wasp sting.[8] The bite of this spider, along with others in the genus Steatoda, can produce a set of symptoms known as steatodism. Symptoms of bites include intense pain radiating from the bite site, along with feverishness or general malaise.[18] Only the female spider bites humans.[6] Sensationalised stories about the bite of Steatoda nobilis have featured in UK newspaper articles.[19][20] Stuart Hine from the Natural History Museum, London responded on the naturenet blog, stating, "Of course I also explain the great value of spiders and how rare the event of spider bite in the UK actually is. I also always explain that up to 12 people die from wasp/bee stings in the UK each year and we do not panic so much about wasps and bees – but this never makes it past editing." [16] Steven Falk, an entomologist, cautioned that without "hard evidence", it is difficult to know how many of the bites reported in the media have been caused by false widow spiders.[21]" Meanwhile, the US has the actual black widow spider and brown recluse, and Australia has redbacks and funnel webs. They also have 17 or 18 of the world's 20 deadliest snakes, but that is farther off topic.