Aussie spider snags a snack

[DEN MONKEY]

Photos of a mammoth spider devouring a bird in a Queensland backyard are sweeping email inboxes — and according to experts, it's all real.

The photos — which are reported to have been taken this week in Atherton, west of Cairns — show the spider clenching its legs around a lifeless bird trapped in a web.

Head spider keeper at the Australian Reptile Park at Gosford on NSW central coast, Joel Shakespeare, said the spider was a Golden Orb Weaver.

"Normally they prey on large insects… it's unusual to see one eating a bird," he told ninemsn.

Mr Shakepeare said he had seen Golden Orb Weaver spiders as big as a human hand but the northern species in tropical areas were known to grow larger.

Queensland Museum identified the bird as a native finch called the Chestnut–breasted Mannikin.

The bird, which appears frozen in an angel-like pose, most likely flew into the web and got caught, according to Mr Shakepeare.

"It wouldn't eat the whole bird," he said.

But the spider would probably prepare a liquid soup with the finch — as it does with insects — and discard of what it doesn't need.

"It uses its venom to break down the bird for eating and what it leaves is a food parcel," he said.

Greg Czechura from Queensland Museum said cases of the Golden Orb Weaver eating small birds were "well known but rare".

"It builds a very strong web," he said.

But he said the spider would not have attacked until the bird weakened.

"They blunder into [the webs] and their feathers get entangled," he said.

"The more they struggle, the more tangled up and exhausted they get and they go into stress."

The Golden Orb Weaver spins a strong web high in protein because it depends on it to capture large insects for food, unlike funnel web and wolf spiders that actively hunt their prey.

Another species called the bird-eating spider does not actually eat birds.
"If a spider gets a bird, it's a very lucky spider," Mr Czechura said.







https://www.ccsbr.net/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=554&t=1

https://www.ccsbr.net/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=555&mode=view
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meh

[Icey]

Bird looks SO fake in the second picture - Paper Mache anyone?
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Mutley - 1988 Austin Mini City - Blog
Suetonius - 1966 Series Land Rover - Blog
Uma J - 1981 Honda 'Naked' Goldwing GL1100 - Blog

[SoND]

Where's the web?

[DEN MONKEY]

[Misc]

Seriously, what the hell would you do with that on your bedroom wall? You can't put a cup over it.

Looks bigger then the Goliath bird eating spider found in jungles. Never seen/heard anything about this spider tho..

[nick606]

fuck that shit i don't know how anyone could live over there. I would be afraid of leaving the house.

[MattHirst]

[Alex-RS]

If i saw that spider in my house i'd die.


I'm not joking, I would actually die from fear.

[Feasty]

Nah, my cat would have it!

That pic is very small, any way to give us a link to a story or anything?
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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[SoND]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/Spider_female_and_male.jpg


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Nephila_maculata_Lamma_Island.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/N%C3%A9phila_inaurata_Madagascar_01.jpg
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Go back to bed - You have no rights - "Streetfighters ~ Mainstream motorcycling's crackwhore sister."

[N.C]

i think id get my bat and knock that fucker for six!

[K0rnIsAFAGGOT]

[Icey]

Don't worry, my cat has just managed to eat it.....

https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=UpjhBOKPm5A
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Mutley - 1988 Austin Mini City - Blog
Suetonius - 1966 Series Land Rover - Blog
Uma J - 1981 Honda 'Naked' Goldwing GL1100 - Blog

[K0rnIsAFAGGOT]

[Stelmer]

Imagine finding this in your house:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxHhddwxADs


I'd get the RPG out


Or there's the vid of a spider catching a bird:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMFKTIK3S-M

[D O G]

[pa_broon74]

What would be a worse reaction than dying... Say, if I came within ten feet of a spider like that I'd tear a hole with my bare hands in the space time continuum and fly to a different time and dimension such would be my fear andloathing.

Or I might just explode and die that way... I don't know and I don't want to find out...



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Didn't catch anything.

[trevoriv]

Nah Goliath is still bigger than the Golden Orb, the Golden Orb is all spindly with a small body whereas the Goliath is a lot chunkier althought their legspan is probably quite similar.

Got to say though that Golden Orb looks unusually big!
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Past: '96 Thundercat, '02 ZX636R (A1P), '58 KTM 690 SM LC4 Current: '06 ZX636R (C6F)
Mudskipper wrote: Someone just has to sig that...

[Moonie]

Are these the ones where the male eats the female after sex?

https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=i4yRge0K2Oc&NR=1
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Don't practice it until you get it right, practice it until you don't get it wrong.
Presenting the one and only Chinkmobile

[ZRX61]

[DEN MONKEY]

Tell ya what there would be good eatin in that one.
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meh

[SoND]

Don't look now but there's a man on your spider!
____________________
Go back to bed - You have no rights - "Streetfighters ~ Mainstream motorcycling's crackwhore sister."

[ms51ves3]

When I went to Australia there was one of these...

https://members.iinet.net.au/~pterren/Spider_Dads_hand.JPG

...On the back of the curtain. We just left it there.

[Finglonga]

Lightweight, now this is a kickass spider . . . .

https://www.bloggingwv.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/snakevsspider.jpg
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Andy Sez....
F.Y.Y.F.F.

[Alex-RS]

Kill them, kill all of them!