Omfg

[corvus]

Funnel Webs are one of the few spiders I'm not afraid of. When I was going through uni there was a fellow doing his honours project on Funnel Webs, but an undescribed species that lives in rotting logs, not Sydney FWs. I volunteered to help him catch some, thinking it was good to face your fears. It did mostly cure my fear of Funnel Webs, but not any other spider!

They aren't very scary when it comes down to it. They are slow and they can't climb and they have primitive lungs so they have to stop to pump air into themselves all the time. They are pretty shy and their fangs are so long they have to be rearing to stick you with them. Once they are all reared up it's easy to catch them as they can't move much.

Mind you, those fangs are scary. I saw one strike a twig and the fang went right through it. My mother got bitten a couple of years ago by a Funnel Web that was hiding under the collar of a shirt she was putting in the wash. It bit her through the shirt. She did not go to the hospital and was fine. Only 13 people have died of bites and none since the anti-venom was introduced.

[all that glitters]

:rofl: :rofl: O M G ......

[felix]

I know I am in minority

but that boy is beautiful.

Edited March 19, 2010 by felix

[Tim'sMum]

When I was a kid living on the northern beaches, there was a plague of them and it was the early days of them developing the anti-venom. People were dying from the bites.

We would find them in our backyard on a daily basis. I can only imagine how worried my parents would have been.

Along with a plague of paralysis ticks I suspect we are 'Sydney FW Central' on the Norther Beaches.

They love damp sloping banks and you will often find an area that is totally riddled with their holes. A friend grew up on the shores of Pittwater at the back of Newport. There was a little grassed area on the shore and walking back up the slope to her house you could see literally hundreds of FW holes. As kids, they learnt not to play there.

Another lady I know lived on a sloping block at Narraweena. Her front yard wa a total no-go zone for her grandkids due to a major infestation of FWs. She weeded there in leather gauntlet gloves and gumboots.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I lived on the northern beaches for years, mainly in units. I've often thought I'd go back if I ever win lotto - but thanks TIm's Mum - I"M NEVER GOING BACK NOW!!

I recently had a huge hairy beast run across my windscreen as I was on my way home from Pymble, a very leafy suburb. Was a double demerit point weekend but I couldn't even tell you what speed I was doing, I was in a panicky sweat to get home and kill the hairy thing.

Got out the passenger side and went and got my spray, sprayed hairy beast and it dropped off the car. Looking under the car with my torch, I kept spraying him and then suddenly he disappeared. Looking everywhere and then suddenly I see he's on my knee - aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh.

Flailed at myself with the torch, he got up to waist height. The scary thing was, I was screaming but noone came to see why ... finally got him off and despatched him before I had a heart attack

[felix]

finally got him off and despatched him before I had a heart attack

How do you know it was a boy?

Maybe it was a very hairy girl.

[all that glitters]

finally got him off and despatched him before I had a heart attack

How do you know it was a boy?

Maybe it was a very hairy girl.

:laugh: