Has anyone ever seen this spider?

TanithT · 10-02-2009, 12:16 PM

Yes. They're harmless. A buddy of mine once put one down my shirt when we were snake hunting in Florida. It tickled. I gave him holy whatfor because he could have hurt the spider that way; they're fragile creatures. Fun to play with though, and really nifty to watch.

Unlike the vast majority of spiders in North America, the remarkably heavy-bodied Heteropoda probably can deliver a decent bite through human epidermis. Nice sized fangs on these big boys. But they have no venom worth writing home about, so we always just freehandled them. They never even tried to bite, and of all the Florida herpers I know who have handled them, I've never heard of anybody being bitten. If feeder crickets weren't such a pain in the butt to have in the house, I'd probably still be keeping them. They scurry very fast and can be a challenge to handle in that sense, but are really not the least bit aggressive.

Argiope are also worth a look if you're in Florida. Those are some very pretty giant fuzzy spiders, but a lot more problematic in captivity as their orb webs can span more than 10 feet and have been measured at over 30'. It was great fun visiting them in the wild though.

There are things about living in Florida I definitely miss.

10-02-2009, 12:16 PM	#16
TanithT Herfer Grrrrl Join Date: May 2009 First Name: Tanith Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 692 Trading: (26)	Re: Has anyone ever seen this spider? Yes. They're harmless. A buddy of mine once put one down my shirt when we were snake hunting in Florida. It tickled. I gave him holy whatfor because he could have hurt the spider that way; they're fragile creatures. Fun to play with though, and really nifty to watch. Unlike the vast majority of spiders in North America, the remarkably heavy-bodied Heteropoda probably can deliver a decent bite through human epidermis. Nice sized fangs on these big boys. But they have no venom worth writing home about, so we always just freehandled them. They never even tried to bite, and of all the Florida herpers I know who have handled them, I've never heard of anybody being bitten. If feeder crickets weren't such a pain in the butt to have in the house, I'd probably still be keeping them. They scurry very fast and can be a challenge to handle in that sense, but are really not the least bit aggressive. Argiope are also worth a look if you're in Florida. Those are some very pretty giant fuzzy spiders, but a lot more problematic in captivity as their orb webs can span more than 10 feet and have been measured at over 30'. It was great fun visiting them in the wild though. There are things about living in Florida I definitely miss. __________________ Herfergrrl's blog - The Art of the Good Cigar: A Matter of Taste. Herfing is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.