About Spiders!

New Aussie Animal Flood Victim Appeal!

2011-01-19T23:09:00.000-08:00

Sydney Pet Rescue & Adoption, has launched the Animal Flood Victims Emergency Appeal, and together with various other rescue groups, they are working hard to raise funds to support animals affected by the recent devastating floods in Qld. The Wildlife Protection Association of Australia is one of the organisations they have chosen to support with the Appeal. We will be using the funds they raise to support foster carers in the worst affected and priority areas, with financial support to assist with the rescue and foster care of wildlife. ……….We thank SPRA and all the rescue groups who are working hard with them, for their support…..

Please click on this link to find out more about the appeal: SPRA Flood Animal Appeal Here!

Spiders 7/12/10

2010-12-06T20:27:00.001-08:00

Spiders

Most people associate this hairy, eight-legged fellow with a stabbing sense of fear not a relief from pain. But Queensland scientists are now studying spider venom for its potential use as a painkiller. Brisbane researcher Glenn King was granted $550,000 by the Australian Research Council over four years to probe compounds within spider venom for pain-relieving properties. His research follows the discovery of a family in Pakistan who have a defective gene, or SCN9A, which eliminates the ability to feel pain. The SCN9A gene has become a target for pharmaceutical companies keen to develop new drugs for chronic pain sufferers, a market worth about $34 billion worldwide a year. Professor King, of the University of Queensland's Institute of Molecular Bioscience, said spider venom contained compounds that knocked out the function of a similar gene in insects, pointing to the venom's potential as a painkiller for humans.

He is searching for molecules in spider venom that may block a protein produced by the SCN9A gene in humans to effectively silence pain signals throughout the body. He said UK scientists were alerted to the Pakistani family by stories of a boy who performed dangerous stunts during street performances, apparently without feeling pain. Meanwhile, other researchers are studying a molecule in the venom of the Brazilian wandering spider for its potential use as "the next Viagra''. *Courier Mail

Spider Photography 7/12/10

2010-12-06T20:16:00.000-08:00

Spider Photography

I know a photographer who loves spiders. She found a lovely big huntsman, and purchased a glass photo box to put her in so she could take some spider photos. Then she realised that the spider might be hungry, so she tootled off to the local pet shop and bought a box of crickets to feed the spider on. She dropped one cricket into the glass box, and was so upset watching the spider eat the cricket, that she let the rest of the crickets go in the backyard, where they happily whistled and sang for some weeks. She hurriedly photographed the spider, then released it down the road away from the crickets in the backyard.

I suspect she now may be thinking about starting up a "save the crickets" campaign. So then she found a couple of redbacks, and put them in the glass box in her office to take some redback photos. One escaped. Now she is asking me to come and catch all the little redbacks that are hanging off her computer monitor, living under the bookshelves, and beneath her office chair. But I'm not that fond of redbacks, so I'm stalling. But now she tells me she needs some snake photos..........

Visit the Spiders!

2010-05-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

Visit the Spiders!

A new spider website! http://www.aboutspider.webs.com

New Spider Found 4/3/10

2010-03-03T11:28:00.001-08:00

A new and previously unknown species of spider has been discovered in the dune of the Sands of Samar in the southern Arava region of Israel by a team of scientists from the Department of Biology in the University of Haifa-Oranim. Unfortunately, however, its habitat is endangered. "The discovery of this new spider illustrates our obligation to preserve the dune," says Dr. Shanas, who headed the team of scientists. The Sands of Samar are the last remaining sand dune in Israeli territory in the southern Arava region. In the past, the sands stretched across some 7 square kilometers, but due to the rezoning of areas for agriculture and sand quarries, the sands have been reduced to fewer than 3 square kilometers. During a course of studies that Dr. Shanas's research team has carried out in the region, they discovered this new spider, a member of the Cerbalus genus. Since it has been found in the Arava, it has been given the name Cerbalus aravensis.

The researchers say that this spider's leg-span can reach up to 14 cm., which makes it the largest spider of its type in the Middle East. Even though details are still lacking to enable a full analysis of its biology and of its population in the sands, the scientists know that this is a nocturnal spider, mostly active in the hottest months of the year, and that it constructs an underground den which is closed with a "lifting door" made of sand particles that are glued together to camouflage the den. The scientists' excitement is indeed mixed with apprehension. According to Dr. Shanas, the Israel Land Administration intends to renew mining projects in the Sands of Samar in the near future, which will endanger the existence of the newly discovered spider. He adds that it is possible that there are additional unknown animal species living in the sands, and therefore efforts should be made to preserve this unique region in the Arava."The new discovery shows how much we still have to investigate, and that there are likely to be many more species that are unknown to us. If we do not preserve the few habitats that remain for these species, they will become extinct before we can even discover them," Dr. Shanas concludes. ScienceDaily

Tarantulas 5/1/10

2010-01-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

Tarantula lovers be warned: if you are going to get up close and personal with your hairy eight-legged friend, do it from the other side of an aquarium pane or wearing a pair of glasses. That's a lesson that a 29-year-old man from Leeds in Britain learned the hard way, the British medical journal The Lancet has reported. In February of 2009, the man turned up at St James's University Hospital in Leeds after three weeks of stinging pain in one eye, which had become red, watery and light-sensitive. Doctors prescribed antibiotics, assuming he was afflicted with a particularly stubborn case of conjunctivitis, but the treatment did not relieve the symptoms. When they re-examined the patient with high-magnification lenses, doctors spotted ultra-thin, hair-like projections sticking into the cornea. They were so small that even microforceps could not remove them.

That's when the man recalled a close encounter with his pet spider shortly before his eye first became irritated. While cleaning a stubborn stain on the glass tank that was home to his chilean rose tarantula, he turned his head to find the fist-sized arachnid very nearby. The spider released a "mist of hairs" which hit his eye and face, according the journal. Treatment with topical steroids largely cleared his symptoms, but as late as August he continued to complain of mild discomfort. "As a defence mechanism against potential predators, the tarantula will rub its hind legs against its abdomen to dislodge" special hairs from the back of its body, the study explained. "Multiple barbs allow the hairs to migrate through ocular tissue as well as other surfaces." Moral of the story? "We suggest that tarantula keepers be advised to routinely wear eye protection when handling these animals," it concluded. *AFP

Spiders on the Move 5/1/10

2010-01-04T13:02:00.000-08:00

They are heavily armed and efficient predators _ and they're on the move. Weeks of hot, dry weather followed by recent rain has brought creepy crawlies out to invade backyards, laundries and pools in Sydney and regional centres. The conditions, and factors such as urban development and lots of pollen, has snakes, spiders, stinging caterdhpillars, bees, paper wasps and other bities looking for food or a mate. The Australian Reptile Park collection of funnel web spiders, which until a few weeks ago was down to a handful, is now teeming with specimens brought in by the public. The park at Somersby on the state's Central Coast is the only zoo in the world to milk funnel webs and is sole supplier of snake venom to the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories.

While snakes are bred on site or come from other zoos, the park's funnel web milking program relies on spiders caught in backyard pools, behind sheds or in other crannies. Since its inception 60 years ago, antivenene produced from the park's snakes and spiders has saved an estimated 30,000 lives in Australia and in Papua New Guinea. ``We had a really cold October, comparatively, and now we've had a long spell of very warm weather combined with rain,'' park manager Mary Rayner said. `So this is a crucial time for parents with young kids especially with the school holidays to watch out. People should always shake their shoes, never leave washing on the ground or out overnight and really be careful around laundries and other dark, damp places.'' Funnel webs are most active in the breeding season, typically February and late summer but if conditions are right _ like those in Sydney and regional centres right now _ males will be on the prowl for a mate.

And that can be very bad news for people who are also drawn out into their gardens by the summer weather. Reptile experts also believe hot weather and earthworks for housing estates and development across Sydney's sprawling north and southwest has also contributed to snakes showing up in people's backyards. Ms Rayner said several species such as red-bellied black snakes and brown snakes had adapted well to suburban environments where landscaped rockeries, wood piles and other ``human influence'' provided excellent habitat. *Daily telegraph

Cave Spiders 18/12/09

2009-12-17T11:39:00.001-08:00

A colony of mysterious spiders normally found lurking deep underground in caves is being re-housed after found squatting in a redundant National Trust building. Ten years ago a team of archaeologists from the University of Bradford carried out a major survey of the nearby Chapel Fell cave. At the end of each day they took some of their equipment to the nearby old orchid house to store overnight.

Unbeknown to the archaeologists they had unwittingly brought with them enough cave spiders to start a new colony in the completely new territory of a small and dark building above ground level. The colony of spiders has been living on the National Trust's Malham Tarn estate in the Yorkshire Dales less than a quarter of a mile (half a kilometre) from their natural home. The colony of 150 rare spiders will be relocated tback to the caves. * Wildlife Extra

Redback Spiders 26/11/09

2009-11-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

A new report indicates that Japan is being overun by Aussie redback spiders. Believed to have been introduced years ago in imported cargo, the spiders have bred prolifically and have spread throughout the country. Over a dozen people have reportedly been bitten in the Osaka area alone. The redback spider is a smallish black spider with distintive red markings on the back. A very similar spider, the katapo, lives in coastal areas of New Zealand.

Spiders 12/11/09

2009-11-16T13:34:00.000-08:00

Spiders

The world's biggest web-weaving spider has been recently discovered in South Africa. The female of the new species of golden orb weaver spider has a leg span of 13cm -- many times the leg span of the tiny male. Only the females are giants with a body length of 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) and a leg span of 4-5 inches (10-12 centimeters); the males are tiny by comparison.

More than 41,000 spider species are known to science with about 400-500 new species added each year. But for some well-known groups, such as the giant golden orb weavers, the last valid described species dates back to the 19th century.

Nephila spiders are renowned for being the largest web-spinning spiders. They make the largest orb webs, which often exceed 3 feet (1 meter) in diameter. They are also model organisms for the study of extreme sexual size dimorphism and sexual biology.*

Redbacks Spiders

2009-11-02T16:55:00.001-08:00

New research has showmn that redback spiders eat male mates who do not spend enough time on foreplay. To keep cranky females happy, their partners have to spend about 100 minutes on courtship, doing things such as vibrating their webs and rubbing their tummies. But once the fickle babes are brought to a peak of amorous and receptive behaviour, they will let a stray male mate with them even if he hasn't done any courting at all. If he's quick, he can do the business and then run off before she gets a chance to eat him.

Research at the University of Toronto, in Canada, found Australian redbacks chose males based on a courtship duration threshold. If the first male did not spend enough time wooing the female, she would eat him before he had a chance to mate. But they found that once the female's courtship demands were met, other males could take advantage of the efforts of the first male. The scientists think their work may have clarified why clusters of males are seen around some females when other females remain uncontested.

Redback Revenge

2009-11-02T16:52:00.000-08:00

New research has shown that redback spiders eat male mates who do not spend enough time on foreplay. To keep cranky females happy, their partners have to spend about 100 minutes on courtship, doing things such as vibrating their webs and rubbing their tummies. But once the fickle babes are brought to a peak of amorous and receptive behaviour, they will let a stray male mate with them even if he hasn't done any courting at all.

If he's quick, he can do the business and then run off before she gets a chance to eat him. Research at the University of Toronto, in Canada, found Australian redbacks chose males based on a courtship duration threshold. If the first male did not spend enough time wooing the female, she would eat him before he had a chance to mate.

But they found that once the female's courtship demands were met, other males could take advantage of the efforts of the first male. The scientists think their work may have clarified why clusters of males are seen around some females when other females remain uncontested.

Spiders...Silk + Venom = Extraordinary Evolutionary Success!

2009-06-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

Two attributes--silk and venom--have contributed to the spider’s key position in the food chain (not counting their prodigious appetites). Scientists are working to put all to use.
The ancient Greeks used spider silk very effectively to staunch bleeding wounds, as have soldiers in the Vietnam War and other modern conflicts. (The silk is so fine that it actually traps the blood platelets.)

Spider venom can be used to treat certain neurological and mental disorders. A research group in Utah has isolated components from the venom of many species of North American spiders, which may help reduce brain damage following strokes.

Research is also being done into putting spiders to work in on the farm, to control insect pests. One problem is that while agriculturists generally want a very specific pest eliminated, spiders will eat just about anything, including other spiders on the job.

Spider Jokes!

2009-06-21T23:21:00.000-07:00

Why did the spider buy a car?So he could take it out for a spin!

What does a spider do when he gets angry?

He goes up the wall!What would happen if tarantulas were as big as horses?

If one bit you, you could ride it to hospital!

Spider Expert gets Bitten!

2009-06-19T03:21:00.000-07:00

A holidaying entomologist yesterday joined his wife on the list of funnel-web spider bite victims when a critter nibbled on his thigh as he tried to put on a pair of pants. Mulbring insect expert Dr Ross Dixon spent four hours in Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital. He was allowed to leave when toxicologists were certain he was not showing any signs that venom had entered his blood.

It ended an eventful morning for the 58-year-old, who felt a sharp pain on his left thigh when he was trying to put on a pair of pants he had used to garden in the previous day at the family's Hawks Nest holiday home. "I realised it wasn't an ant biting me," Dr Dixon said. "I dropped my pants on the floor and there was a very, very large male funnel-web on the floor next to the pants." Dr Dixon stayed calm and caught the spider so it could be identified.

When the Hunter Westpac rescue helicopter arrived to take him for possible antivenom treatment, the spider hitched a ride. It is the third known funnel-web spider bite in NSW in a week, and the second in the Hunter in four days. A person needed antivenom at Wyong Hospital after they were bitten at Lake Macquarie on New Year's Eve. It also comes a couple of years after Dr Dixon's wife, Julia, was bitten by a funnel-web spider at Blackalls Park.

"We spend a lot of time outdoors so we have come across them from time to time," Dr Dixon said. Clinical toxicologist Dr Geoff Isbister said the Hunter and Central Coast were hot spots for funnel-web spiders, especially in summer. There were 40 species of funnel-webs, but it was difficult to tell which species yesterday's culprit belonged to. Dr Isbister said although there had not been a death attributed to funnel-web spiders since the introduction of antivenom in 1980, the side effects were dangerous and the chance of death was real. "The best advice is that they are big black spiders, so if you get bitten by a big, black spider then you should get immediate first aid treatment," he said. *SMH

2009-06-18T13:14:00.001-07:00

Spiders are a very valuable animal to have in the garden. They eat pest insects, and other insect eaters are attracted to the garden to feed on the spiders. Frogs and lizards consume large amounts of insects. Some gardeners say they have entered into "voluntary workplace agreements" with these animals. They don’t spray their gardens with poison, and provide a safe home for the spiders, lizards, frogs and birds. In return these animals keep their gardens free of plant eating pests.

But some insects also attack spiders. The female Hymenoepimecis wasp attacks the Plesiometa argyra spider at the hub of its orb, stings it into temporary paralysis and lays an egg on the spider's abdomen, which hatches into a larvae that grows by sucking the spider's fluids. On the night that it will kill its host, the larva induces the spider to build a cocoon web, moults, kills and consumes the spider, and then spins its pupal cocoon hanging by a line from the cocoon web!
As much as earthworms are evidence of fertile, well-aerated soil, spiders are a sign of ongoing pest control in the garden.

Spiders provide an around-the-clock garden security service that puts the clamps on leafhoppers, aphids, caterpillars, marchflies and ants. A spider eats twice its weight in insects every day. Of course, sensible gardeners wear gloves so they don't accidentally hurt a spider while they are gardening. *

Some Spiders can Bite!

2009-06-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

There are also spiders that give a nasty bite comparable to the stinging of a wasp. Most of the venom injected with these bites causes cell death and gives rise to a wound that does not heal properly and becomes easily infected. There is spider on Fraser Island in Queensland that is called by the locals the Fraser Island funnel web. I saw someone recently who had been bitten on the leg by one of these spiders, and it was a horrific wound. However, new research has suggested that some cancer, fungal and bacterial infections may have been misdiagnosed as whitetail spider bites.

While there is no doubt a few of our native spiders are very dangerous, the vast majority are not. Spiders feed mostly on insects, and are an essential part of our ecosystem. While they reduce insect numbers that may otherwise cause problems to humans, they also provide food for many other species. Unfortunately some pest control companies have demonised the spider, and created an unwarranted fear, or arachnephobia, in the community.

Trapping and Trading in Spiders for Pets Causes Alarm!

2009-06-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

In 2006 the Herald Sun reported that an exotic South African bird-eating tarantula spider was sent to Australia in a film canister by airmail from Denmark. The live baby spider was seized by Customs in Adelaide. The spider, commonly known as a Goliath bird-eating tarantula, can grow up to 25cm long when mature. The Goliath tarantula, with its 2cm-long fangs, can cause severe pain, nausea and profuse sweating.

The baby tarantula, about the size of a 20c piece, was found at the Adelaide mail centre inside a photo canister from Denmark on June 22, 2004. The tarantula was seized because the importation of live animals without a permit was prohibited. Customs were continuing investigations to find the people behind the spider's importation.

The collecting of bird eating spiders for pets in North Queensland has also raised concerns about their conservation status. The Queensland government changed Legislation allowing the spiders to be collected from the wild for pets in the early 1990’s. We argued they shouldn’t do this, but the Queensland government rarely listens to logical argument. In less than 15 years, some experts believe that Queensland bird eating spiders have been heavily reduced in numbers by collectors. *

Have you had an Unforgetable Experience with a Spider?

2009-06-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

Most of us have had an unforgettable experience with a huntsman. Huntsman can grow as large as a full hand span, but its bite is insignificant. Quite often the huntsman live in houses behind a picture frame or under the bed, and at night come out and eat insects such as cockroaches.

I read recently some statistics that said every human during their lifetime consumes an average of six spiders at night while they are asleep, but I’m sure they didn’t mean six large huntsmen.
Spiders are fascinating creatures, with fascinating names. There are the huntsman, wolf spiders, ogre-faced spiders, (could be renamed Shrek spiders) golden orb, daddy longlegs (or vibrating spiders, called so because they sit and vibrate) spitting spiders, crab spiders, jumping spiders, burrowing spiders, water spiders, and many others. Many are unique to Australia, although they have relatives in similar families overseas.

Spiders have eight legs, and insects only have six. Of course, a leg or two more or less doesn’t really make much of a difference if a large hairy animal is crawling up inside your trousers.
Spiders mostly prey on insects. The jaws of a modern spider are used to grab and crunch a prey. Most spiders use poison to kill their victims. At the end of the jaws are two syringe-like structures that are hollow and very sharp. These are used to puncture the body of a victim and to inject the poison.

Primitive spiders have forwardly pointing jaws that move forwards and backward in contrast to the modern spider. Therefore they cannot crunch a prey. They wait until the prey contents are dissolved before they can suck it empty.