What time is it when your tarantula matches your eyeglasses?
Time to get better locks on your spider cage? Definitely not time to 'kill it with fire' or 'nuke it from orbit' when it's right there.
Actually, no adrenaline was involved in the production of that photo: It's from National Review "Top Shots"
quote:
Optician and former science educator Ali Nelson, jobless after her Washington D.C.-based eyewear store closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, poses with her pet tarantula Polly at her home in Burke, Va., March 26, 2020.
April 04, 2020, 04:10 PM
RaiseHal
My turn to be the my story is better guy. About 20 years ago in Costa Rica I decided to do a Harley Davidson rental. Unknown to me I picked the absolutely best day possible as Costa Rica was playing in the World Cup and the WHOLE country was closed except for bars for the game. Me and my guide were the only vehicles on the roads, no traffic at all, best ride of my life. (I bought a Harley Sportster two weeks after I returned home.)
Anyway we stopped at this small country bar. I went around back and a local was playing with a dinner plate sized tarantula, biggest spider I have ever seen. About thirty minutes later the guy and spider appeared inside with the spider in a basket. He was showing it to a few tourist girls who were horrified. I mean like running away screaming knocking over chairs must get away at any cost horrified. It caused quite a scene. No one would get closer than about ten feet to the spider.
My biker guide said he’d bet anyone a hundred dollars if they would let the spider walk up their arm. He didn’t know I had watched the spider being caught and handled earlier so I took the bet. I walked up and put my hand out like I had watched the local do and sure enough he walked up my arm, over the top of my head and back down the other arm and walked down the bar.
The whole bar goes crazy and the biker was really impressed. He had been to the bar many times, knew the owner well, and had made the same bet many times but nobody would ever take the bet, that is till RaiseHal showed them how it’s done.
I was later told by the spider expert if the spider had bitten me it would have been like a bad bee sting, not pleasant but not real serious either. He was more afraid I would flinch or wig out and fling it off. Apparently their abdomen is easily ruptured if dropped. The spider and I both lived to see another day.
It's a shame that youth is wasted on the young --- Mark Twain
Anyone who is not a liberal by age 20 has no heart; anyone who is not a conservative by age 40 has no brain---Winston Churchill
April 04, 2020, 04:14 PM
Largefarva
No fucking way.
On either account.
April 04, 2020, 04:45 PM
flashguy
I don't think I'd be happy with the spider climbing over my face, but I think I could manage allowing it to sit in my hand.
flashguy
Texan by choice, not accident of birth
April 04, 2020, 05:06 PM
TXJIM
I fished a dead baby tarantula out of the pool this morning, it was about the size of a half dollar.
______________________________ “I'd like to know why well-educated idiots keep apologizing for lazy and complaining people who think the world owes them a living.” ― John Wayne
April 04, 2020, 06:50 PM
Loswsmith
I found what I could only assume was a baby tarantula today walking on my ceiling. After I knocked it down off the ceiling and smashed it flat 50 or 60 times with the nearest available shoe, the smear it made was about the size of a half dollar.
Sorry to one up you RaiseHal!
___________________________________________ Life Member NRA & Washington Arms Collectors
Mistake not my current state of joshing gentle peevishness for the awesome and terrible majesty of the towering seas of ire that are themselves the milquetoast shallows fringing my vast oceans of wrath.
Velocitas Incursio Vis - Gandhi
April 04, 2020, 08:21 PM
Sportshooter
While walking across a field at Fort Hood, a tarantula leaped onto my chest and landed with a thump. It’s legs were touching both of my shirt pockets. I flicked that thing off my chest with hand speed Chuck Norris can only dream of. Never cared much for Fort Hood after that.
April 04, 2020, 08:29 PM
Modern Day Savage
I wouldn't have a problem letting it walk on my hand or arm...but that's a negative on the face walking.
I'm guessing she is single and sleeps in a coffin.
quote:
Originally posted by RaiseHal: My turn to be the my story is better guy. About 20 years ago in Costa Rica I decided to do a Harley Davidson rental. Unknown to me I picked the absolutely best day possible as Costa Rica was playing in the World Cup and the WHOLE country was closed except for bars for the game. Me and my guide were the only vehicles on the roads, no traffic at all, best ride of my life. (I bought a Harley Sportster two weeks after I returned home.)
Anyway we stopped at this small country bar. I went around back and a local was playing with a dinner plate sized tarantula, biggest spider I have ever seen. About thirty minutes later the guy and spider appeared inside with the spider in a basket. He was showing it to a few tourist girls who were horrified. I mean like running away screaming knocking over chairs must get away at any cost horrified. It caused quite a scene. No one would get closer than about ten feet to the spider.
My biker guide said he’d bet anyone a hundred dollars if they would let the spider walk up their arm. He didn’t know I had watched the spider being caught and handled earlier so I took the bet. I walked up and put my hand out like I had watched the local do and sure enough he walked up my arm, over the top of my head and back down the other arm and walked down the bar.
The whole bar goes crazy and the biker was really impressed. He had been to the bar many times, knew the owner well, and had made the same bet many times but nobody would ever take the bet, that is till RaiseHal showed them how it’s done.
I was later told by the spider expert if the spider had bitten me it would have been like a bad bee sting, not pleasant but not real serious either. He was more afraid I would flinch or wig out and fling it off. Apparently their abdomen is easily ruptured if dropped. The spider and I both lived to see another day.
Great story!
April 04, 2020, 09:06 PM
nhtagmember
I get them in my yard several times during the year. Most of them are about the size of my hand. Harmless to people but deadly on scorpions and other pests.
April 04, 2020, 10:15 PM
Beancooker
Keep it in a terrarium. Otherwise it’s floor slime.
quote:
Originally posted by sigmonkey: I'd fly to Turks and Caicos with live ammo falling out of my pockets before getting within spitting distance of NJ with a firearm.
April 04, 2020, 10:22 PM
Modern Day Savage
quote:
Originally posted by nhtagmember: I get them in my yard several times during the year. Most of them are about the size of my hand. Harmless to people but deadly on scorpions and other pests.
There is an annual mass migration of tarantulas here, think during their mating season...but I had no idea that they attacked scorpions...good to know!
April 04, 2020, 10:39 PM
Ripley
Awwwww
Set the controls for the heart of the Sun.
April 04, 2020, 10:48 PM
sigmonkey
"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" ✡ Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב!
April 04, 2020, 10:51 PM
BlackTalonJHP
quote:
What time is it when your tarantula matches your eyeglasses?
Apparently time to order a new monitor. Mine seems to have uhh, developed, two .355" holes right where that there spider was before it, umm turned itself off.
April 04, 2020, 10:53 PM
Bisleyblackhawk
And I felt good about helping a wolf spider out of a plastic dog bowl in my garage...I’ll draw the line about one crawling on my face though
"we've gotta roll with the punches, learn to play all of our hunches Making the best of what ever comes our way Forget that blind ambition and learn to trust your intuition Plowing straight ahead come what may And theres a cowboy in the jungle" Jimmy Buffet
April 05, 2020, 05:57 AM
gearhounds
There is a huge difference between letting a wild tarantula walk on your face and a pet which has been likely handled from the time it was as small as a quarter. It all boils down to comfort level with a phobia.
My kids and I handle jumping spiders all the time. They have a history of not biting, but someone with a phobia would likely faint at the prospect. It’s all about perspective and this lady and her spider probably interact on a daily basis.
“Remember to get vaccinated or a vaccinated person might get sick from a virus they got vaccinated against because you’re not vaccinated.” - author unknown
April 05, 2020, 06:33 AM
Beancooker
Nhtagmember, are you in the Verde Valley?
Modern Day Savage, sounds like you’re in the area also?
We get a pretty good bunch of them when it’s their season. I know that Jerome has an abundance of them when they come out.
quote:
Originally posted by sigmonkey: I'd fly to Turks and Caicos with live ammo falling out of my pockets before getting within spitting distance of NJ with a firearm.
April 05, 2020, 06:35 AM
egregore
I might let a big hairy spider walk on me, under controlled conditions. If it jumps or is thrown on me or whatever without warning, I'd probably freak out.
April 05, 2020, 07:07 AM
BigSwede
I used to watch these guys in Ft. Hunter Ligget, CA fly down Tarantula holes and drag up paralyzed tarantulas three time their size.
Action starts at 10:30 mark
April 05, 2020, 07:22 AM
Sig2340
quote:
Originally posted by sigmonkey:
Treebranchhopper, is that digital image a visual representation of the sound of one hand clapping?
Nice is overrated
"It's every freedom-loving individual's duty to lie to the government." Airsoftguy, June 29, 2018
