This is half-pie.

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Posted 21. February 2006, 20:54 in by Alan Macdougall, received 6 comments.

Or so I’m thinking, although maybe I’m anthropomorphising.

whitetail in a jar (cropped)

We noticed this quite large spider in the corner of the bedroom last night. I always worry about whitetails (Lampona cylindrata), but this one wasn’t moving and looked completely dark in the half light. Not typical. And, it was waaaay too large to be a whitetail, so we left it alone.

Of course, in the full light this afternoon, it did turn out to be one, the largest I have ever seen: 17mm from jaw to spinnerets (and Forster & Forster say they only grow to 15mm).

I freaked a little. I don’t like these beasties at all. But I still wanted to show it to the girls. Go figure.

Had a bit of an adrenaline episode trying to catch it. I was way too scared of it to let it loose and take a decent photo of it.

But then I thought it might be nice for Bella to take it to school. Later of course I realised that a live and potentially dangerous spider in a glass jar in a room full of over-energetic five-year-olds was possibly not a great idea.

It’s now in the freezer. Bella can take a safely dead large spider to school, instead.




Comments

  1. Martha
    22 February 2006, 09:21 #

    You’ve provided a public service. We found one of them in our lounge, and I was able to sound knowledgeable (although I can’t really spell knowledgeable).

  2. Caro
    22 February 2006, 13:26 #

    Ugh I’ve found 3 so far since we moved into the house we’re in now. The cat found the first one, and ever since then every few months I find one in some part of the house. shudder

  3. reshma
    22 February 2006, 17:25 #

    OMG! I have never seen such a thing! I find it hard to believe that you found that thing in your home!!

  4. Mr Reasonable
    23 February 2006, 20:46 #

    [cold sweat] If you like them so much, come to my house and take them all away….their little eyes are watching me….

  5. Alan
    23 February 2006, 22:34 #

    Just kill them, Mr Reasonable. I won’t remonstrate with you the next day, as I would if you squash any more of my little long armed friends.

  6. Caro
    27 February 2006, 10:18 #

    shudder came home on Saturday night to discover the kitty playing with something at the door – it was another white tail, though this one was Big (I would estimate approx 2cm).

    And that 15mm thing is all crap. How on earth does anyone know how big a species of anything grows up to? Isn’t everything constantly evolving?

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