Description of spider: As big as my hand, (that's all the hands present). Black, brown, hairy, fat,thin, red glowing eyes.
Fang marks: present, but at least an inch and a half apart. One big spider.
Who saw it: The victim, on close questioning no-one else had seen it.
Symptoms: None, other small children kept asking if he was going to die, he kept asking if he was going to die, but he wasn't going to die.
The ambulance was called, those fang marks were a long way apart, we were thinking but not saying snake. We gave an antihistamine and applied an ice pack. (Standard first aid for bites.) After a bit of discussion the ambulance driver said " Oh yes, next door to #4"...As I said to my neighbour at least they know the street. (Actually in defence of #4 the ambulance has spent quite a bit of time next door as well, just not as much as here.)
The ambulance pulled up on our drive-way, " Hi Eve, How you going, what's he done now?"
"No its SBND, "
"Oh," short silence as paramedic re-adjusts his view of reality, "Right then, where's he at?"
He was carried off to the hospital while the ambulance man tried to get a description of the biting thing, he agreed those fang marks were a long way apart. The thing was now at least three feet across, but wasn't getting snake like. Good news.
Long lectures were given on the wisdom of going bare foot in the bush.
It was probably a huntsman spider because the size of the bite. Luckily SBND was home again a few hours later. He'd stopped asking if he was going to die and started asking if they could go to McD's on the way home. Huntsman spiders are nasty, you think you're not keen on spiders and then you find one of them in your shower or car and realise that actually you're petrified of spiders. The biggest one I've seen was about six inches across, and that is way too big for a good nights sleep when you know it's in the house.
9 comments:
HOLEY MOLEY! That is so scary. We just have good ole snakes here in Indiana with a couple of black widow and brown reclust spiders thrown in the mix!
This picture has totally freaked me out. I am in a hotel room right now and find myself curling my feet up and looking around for anything creepy. This is going to make me have nightmares tonight! I have the chills just looking at it.
Sorry to freak you out, we get used to them, but my heart does beat a little faster when I come across one.
"If it can bite you and kill you it lives in North Queensland." (except for tigers and lions...and we have a game park now so its only a matter of time...)
Huntsmans are freaky enough but since we have Sydney Funnelwebs galore in the garden and I once caught a friggin' huge wasp in the act of dragging a still kicking huntsman in through the back door downstairs I've kinda come to the point where I'm relieved when the big hairy bug thing turns out to be just a huntsman.
I'm glad SBND was ok :)
We live in Texas, and I actually am not very freaked about spiders, having studied them when I was a teen to win a competition.
However, when a strange furry spider wanders out from under the sofa and hubby takes a swing at it with a shoe, and said spider appears to explode - THAT is freaky.
Mommy spider was carrying approximately 143 baby spiders on her back (there was screaming - mostly hubby - so I was slightly distracted and my count may not be perfectly acuurate).
Whew. Note to self, do NOT try to whack furry spider.
Grace
Ah yes, the "crunchy" spider moment. I think Wes Craven got a few ideas from that one.
Why do all your animals/insects have such poisonous bites? Surely it's just showing off?
It's either showing off or to protect them from all the other things that might bite them. A sort of mutually assured destruction deal, and we thought the cold war came first.
On a serious note in bush this desolate once you bite your lunch you want it to stop right away, not crawl off to die.
Ack!!
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