Ah Australia, the country where you might as well wish you were dead even if it isn’t actively trying to murder you.
An Australian guy has revealed his home visitor who has been residing with him for a full year in the latest “let’s just admit it’s uninhabitable” news. Jake Gray wrote about the enormous huntsman spider he had been “watching develop” for the past year on the Australian spider identification page on Facebook.
If you saw this, the majority of you who aren’t Australians would probably decide it was time to relocate and (correctly) believe that the house is now theirs. Jake, though, definitely considered himself “housemate material” when he glanced up. Jake expressed on Facebook his desire that “she will grow some more” development over time.
Due to the huntsman spiders’ fondness for cockroaches and the fact that we don’t employ hazardous chemicals to eradicate all bugs, Jake told IFLScience that they have always been accepted in their home. Simply point and push the flysprays.
To allay the fears of their children Bella and Jack about having the spider live with them all, he and his family dubbed the spider Charlotte.
Watching Charlotte consume an Asian house gecko was a highlight, according to the person who first noticed Charlotte 12 months ago. At the time, she was larger than usual. Over the course of the year, she would pop up.
This specific species isn’t as dangerous as it seems, despite the comments section being filled with people saying things like “bruh, that’s the spider’s house now” and sharing gifs of Michael Scott shrieking “NO” in terror.
The Sydney huntsman or Banded huntsman, Holconia immanis, does produce venom but is unlikely to utilize it on any people. The repercussions of a bite from one of these cowards would be minimal and they would choose to flee rather than bite.
The main way they can hurt you is by frightening you into acting carelessly, like freaking out and ramming your car into a lake, as one man did in 2016 after one touched him on the arm.
The spiders are often perfectly safe and even serve as pest controllers by removing other unwelcome visitors, most of which are smaller than this unlucky possum.
The spiders can reach lengths of up to 15 cm (six inches), and they move quickly, so the best course of action is to remain calm—even though this is easier said than done.
What should you do if a large spider is discovered in your living room or car? First, gather yourself! In a post about spiders, behavioral ecologist Linda S. Rayor wrote, “She isn’t going to hurt you.
“Next, get a take-out container, scoop the spider inside, and then let it go outdoors. Huntsman spiders rarely bite people because they need to move quickly to avoid most predators. When they do bite, it usually only involves a short protective nip without any venom.
I’ve handled thousands of Australian huntsman spiders over the course of my 14-year research, yet only 11 times have I been bitten when I (largely) deserved it.
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