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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFace-Sized Spiders Discovered in Sri Lanka
By Matt Peckham
April 04, 2013
Some thing may forever haunt our dreams. Like the words spider and face-sized used in a sentence together.
And yet here those words are, straight from northern Sri Lanka, where scientists say theyve discovered a new type of giant tarantula with a leg span of up to eight inches. Grab your rulers and mirrors, because yep, thats about the average length of a human noggin.
As if that werent frightening enough (or cool enough you pick), this particular spider was found living in trees. Anyone whos ever walked beneath a tree and wound up brushing away a tiny spider knows that some arachnids enjoy an arboreal life, dangling from silken threads to surprise unsuspecting trail-walkers. Now imagine one the size of a volleyball landing on you like one of the facehuggers from Alien.
And in case you were thinking they probably look far worse than they are, this ones actually quite venomous. Oh, and fast because of course it is. So now imagine being chased by a poisonous, sprinting, face-sized spider.
Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/04/04/oh-good-face-sized-tarantulas-discovered-in-sri-lanka/
OldDem2012
(3,526 posts)winter is coming
(11,785 posts)nadine_mn
(3,702 posts)Lol - they are so bad...
MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)about watching tv.
They had some real stinkers.
But I couldn't turn away.
winter is coming
(11,785 posts)It was sooooooo bad.
MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)But it couldn't possibly be worse than A Mexican Werewolf in Texas.
winter is coming
(11,785 posts)that the Mexican border is a short distance southeast of San Antonio, and went downhill from there. And you wouldn't believe the shots of Erik Estrada riding a motorcycle against a patently fake backdrop. It was like a throwback to '50s special effects.
MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)I love movies like that!
BTW.
Your moniker is also the name of the DDO guild I'm in
winter is coming
(11,785 posts)MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)Dungeons and Dragons Online.
winter is coming
(11,785 posts)MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)you can lose your temper though. lol
winter is coming
(11,785 posts)MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)almost as much fun and table top D&D
Aerows
(39,961 posts)I play that occasionally too.
MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)what server?
Aerows
(39,961 posts)I have some other characters on Khyber.
MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)I have 10 toons on Orien.
3 on Argonessen.
I will be in game tonight. I would be more than happy to run with you.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)But sure, I'll look you up, if you shoot me a PM with one of your character names
MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)About what time do you think you may be on?
So I don't get into a long quest
Ganja Ninja
(15,953 posts)It's the next best thing to the land that time forgot. And they can always throw in a few gratuitous shots of south beach. That never hurts.
xchrom
(108,903 posts)Owl
(3,644 posts)LWolf
(46,179 posts)with this one, I think it's pretty cool.
Spiders don't bother me. Flies, cockroaches, gnats, mosquitoes? They bother me.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)than a cockroach. Animals seem to like me, and unfortunately, that includes cockroaches. If by chance one appears, I can guarantee it will run toward me instead of away from me, which naturally makes it 10x worse. I cannot be in the same room where I know there is a cockroach until it is gone.
Yes, I know, it's irrational, but stay up for an hour with a can of Bengal in your hand because you saw one, and it gets annoying. One crawled into my nightgown when I was a child - and it was a big, inch long one. :shudder:
So yes, I'd probably rather deal with this instead.
HarveyDarkey
(9,077 posts)kurtzapril4
(1,353 posts)Whenever someone says "Hey, let's go somewhere jungle-y!" the very first thought that pops into my head is....how big are the spiders?
byeya
(2,842 posts)That is one handsome spider! I love spiders but I do try to admire them from afar!
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)Ilsa
(61,698 posts)This one scares me more because it's real.
Well, at least you can see it when it attacks, unlike smaller spiders like brown recluse and black widow.
greytdemocrat
(3,299 posts)Ilsa
(61,698 posts)"Poecilotheria rajaei tarantula? I can't remember that name. I'll call it a pinche chingadera spider."
pinche araña!
Ligyron
(7,639 posts)The fact that they just now "discovered" them and the complete lack of highly publicized attacks on humans show just how dangerous they really are.
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)Solly Mack
(90,787 posts)Won't be walking under trees in Sri Lanka - but how pretty!
JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)dembotoz
(16,844 posts)science is good
4_TN_TITANS
(2,977 posts)beevul
(12,194 posts)They are most likey semi-docile, like most in the tarantula family are.
Not overly-aggressive, at least.
One of these on the other hand, would have me worried. Meet Atrax Robustus - more commonly known as the Sidney funnelweb spider:
Not semi-docile. Aggressive, nervous, grumpy, and very very dangerous.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)marmar
(77,091 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)I just have an insect phobia and because of this fear, they are all deserving of death
tabasco
(22,974 posts)They really don't want to be around people.
AsahinaKimi
(20,776 posts)Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)In a path I often walk.
Liberal_Dog
(11,075 posts)as a place not to visit.
Face-sized spiders?
Thanks but no thanks.