Warning: Arachnophobes Look Away!

[Dxenion]

When we wanted a critter identified we got onto the WA museum so I would recommend you get onto the Vic one, they will get back to you quickly.

Oh and they are great photos by the way - well done :D

Thanks. It's times like these I wish I had a real camera.........with a really good zoom lens!

I have sent off photos to the Australian Museum. I'll find the Victorian Museum website and send them the photos too. I'm not so worried about me, I just want to know if the dogs are in danger and I can't find out that until I know what I'm dealing with.

[Simply Grand]

Oh lord! I'm no arachnophobe but I still don't look at them that closely, you're brave Dx!

I thought funnel webs were poisonous to hoomans? Tho I may have been told that in primary school.

[Weasels]

I am learning so much about spiders that I wish I never knew. You've no idea how much 'fun' I had trying to capture this on my phone but hopefully this is the chelicerae:

you got 'em, that's definitely a mygal, so that rules out any of the wolf spiders :)

Perhaps Hadronyche alpina? scratch that, the distribution is all wrong, but a closely related critter i'd wager :)

Edited September 18, 2012 by Weasels

[sandgrubber]

I'd worry more about smaller spiders that get into your house and are likely to bite in daily encounters, like sleeping dog putting head down in the wrong place.

Size doesn't correlate with danger in spiders. We have tarantulas here. They can get to be 100+ mm. People are terrified of them, but you'll have a hard time finding any documented evidence of dogs harmed by a tarantula bite. See:

http://atshq.org/articles/found.html

[cavNrott]

There is no way I could get close enough to a spider to take such intricate photos of one. Daddy Longlegs don't scare me but any other spiders Especially chunky ones like those pics.

Huntsmen are fugly too, I can't stay in my house if a Huntsman is in residence, someone has to displace it.

[Weasels]

I thought funnel webs were poisonous to hoomans? Tho I may have been told that in primary school.

'Funnel-webs' are a whole sub-family of spiders so actually covers quite a few species. Sydney funnel webs = bad, Vic funnel webs = much less bad :)

[Ruffles]

I have Vic funnel webs living in my window sills (catching huntsmans) in the dog/ cats room and they never ever bother them. They just stay in their little spots catching bugs and spiders. They creep me out but I leave them be.

[Simply Grand]

Ahh, there you go, thanks Weas.

I tend to ignore Daddy long legs, rescue anything huntsman looking (ie big) and relocate them to out the front somewhere, and kill Red Backs or White Tails (kind of regretfully, I don't like to kill things).

those are the only names I'm familiar with though so what I'm actually ignoring/saving/killing could be totally wrong - Sydney funnel web anyone??

[Guest donatella]

I would have called the Police in by now and then burnt the house down

[Tibbie_tabbie]

I would have called the Police in by now and then burnt the house down

Bhahahahahaha!

[Rozzie]

Oh he (?) is glorious.

[rubiton]

I would have called the Police in by now and then burnt the house down

And thats why they invented Mortein surface spray and dont worry about restricting the number of cans you can buy - so you can fix the prblem before you need to burn down the house Arachnaphobia style

[Dxenion]

And the winners of the 'What spider is that?' competition are LappieHappy, Kayla1 and Weasels.

The Australian Museum and the Victorian Museum have confirmed the mystery spider as a Stanwellia grisea - Melbourne Trapdoor Spider

Thank you to everyone who participated in this thread. It was an educational and hair raising experience!

Edited September 23, 2012 by Dxenion

[Tassie]

Thanks for the update ... and the educational experience lol. Did they say if they were likely to be a problem for dogs? Thought of your thread today when a spider scurried out of the way of my digging :-)

[Dxenion]

Thanks for the update ... and the educational experience lol. Did they say if they were likely to be a problem for dogs? Thought of your thread today when a spider scurried out of the way of my digging :-)

From the website:

"While the fangs could inflict a deep and painful bite, the venom is not known to cause serious medical problems."

Not sure if that relates to humans or dogs.

Haven't been able to find any other information on the effects of the venom on dogs though.

[noisymina]

:)

[sandgrubber]

Can someone explain to me what is so awful about spiders. OK. Some of them bite and are poisonous, but most are harmless and prey on obnoxious insects. It's pretty easy to learn which are dangerous in your area. (I am female, but don't get it. Why are girls so upset by creepy-crawlies . . . and mice?).

[OSoSwift]

I am upset by neither - unless I find a White tail or red back where it shouldn't be but then I squash it.

Snakes annoy/upset me more but that is because of the possibility of death to my pets and kids.

[Horsegal98]

Spiders don't freak me out, unless I find them in my kids bedrooms and then I get a bit crazy, venom that wouldn't have much impact on an adult can be life threatening for a child (or dog). On the whole I quite like them, especially the hairy ones.

I hate hate hate cockroaches though!

[WoofnHoof]

Can someone explain to me what is so awful about spiders. OK. Some of them bite and are poisonous, but most are harmless and prey on obnoxious insects. It's pretty easy to learn which are dangerous in your area. (I am female, but don't get it. Why are girls so upset by creepy-crawlies . . . and mice?).

I hate spiders, they creep me out for reasons unknown, even the harmless ones. Possibly because of their tendency to suddenly appear right next to you without warning, I was on the phone once and a huntsman jumped on my head, poor person on the other end probably got hearing damage from my yelling and swearing