Is this a tarantula?

[lvpets2002]

Hey we could always try to put them on a Steek..

I'm not "afraid" of them - they just give me the creeps.

We get sprickets here a lot - now those things are super weird and creepy. If I find one in the house, I have to get my son to kill it, since I had a huge one jump at me once and scared the daylights out of me.

[Taz_Zoee]

Ok, I had to look up what a spricket was and NO THANKS!!!
I hate crickets and grasshoppers. I'm not afraid of them because I know they can't hurt me, I just don't like the fact that they jump and have icky sticky feet. UGH!!!!

And I looked up the question can tarantula's bite. Here is a piece of info on that:

They do bite, and their bites are venomous. However, for most species, the toxicity of their venom is much like that of a bee or wasp. It is most likely to cause a nasty local reaction incluidng pain, redness, swelling. However, people can have a an allergic or anaphylactic reaction to spider bites in the same way that some people react to bee stings, and this reaction can be fatal. Also, there are few species which have a stronger venom that could potentially be fatal, or at least make the bite victim quite ill. So while tarantula bits are unlikely to be fatal, you still want to avoid being bitten, and the best way to do this is to learn about spider behavior and treat the spider accordingly. Tarantulas are wild animals, and need to be treated with respect. As a rule, however, most spiders would rather retreat than bite.

[Medusa]

Good god in heaven! I would've been out that door so fast you would've seen my smoke! That's the one thing that concerned me when I lived in AZ; I was scared to death that I'd come face to fang w/a tarantula but I never saw one, thank goodness. And for the record, yes, they do bite but their bite is similar to a bee sting so it will hurt you only if you're allergic to the venom. Wouldn't matter. If a tarantula bit me, I'd die of a heart attack or stroke anyhow. I've also heard that they're jumpers but I don't know if that's an urban legend or not. No one in AZ that I talked to seemed to know. All they told me was that when the monsoons came, tarantulas walked in hordes down the main street in Sedona. Tarantulas and hordes. Two words I really don't like to hear together in a sentence. Ever. Ever. Ever. (Did I say ever?) I stayed indoors during the monsoons and nervously peered out my window til they passed.

The person who put that thing in a manila envelope is beyond brave. I'd have to quit my job just in fear of another tarantula appearing. Just the word is scary; it looks like it has legs w/out even knowing what it is. Good grief, why did I read this thread??? I'll be up all night now.

[Karen]

I've also heard that they're jumpers but I don't know if that's an urban legend or not.

It is an urban legend. From

http://www.amazingtarantulas.com/tarantulafacts.htm

"Can tarantulas jump?" - Ahhh, you've been watching "Arachnophobia," haven't you? Granted, I've heard the rumors that tarantulas can jump a few feet in the air long before that movie came out. The biggest problem is that tarantulas are very fragile, and a fall from even a few inches could injure or kill the spider. So why would a tarantula take such a dangerous leap? That is assuming that they physically CAN leap that far. Most tarantulas will "pounce" on their prey, moving a half-inch to a couple of inches forward.

With that said, there are arboreal species (tree dwellers) that can and will jump from branch to branch if necessary. If they live in trees over water, such as a brook or stream, they have been known to jump out of the tree and into the water to avoid an approaching predator. People that keep some of these arboreal species, such as the common pink toe tarantula (Avicularia avicularia), report that they will take a leap from your hand onto your chest or face - or unfortunately, the floor. (That is why you need to be careful when handling these guys!)

[molucass]

Hey we could always try to put them on a Steek..

I would much rather say "I keel you!"


Oh my.. If I had seen that any where near me, I would've made a new exit! I am soo scared of spiders!

[caseysmom]

Thats pretty cool! I didn't know we had them around here although I remember camping at ice house as a kid and my dad had one crawl up his leg.

[Catherinedana]

I think spiders are FABULOUS! They are also extremely cooperative if you don't panic around them. Case and point the fact that this beauty clip clopped her happy little legs into an envelope to be deposited outside. I have been bitten by the rather large (but not THAT large!) spiders that we have here in FL (called wolf spiders) and got rather sick (fever, a bit of delirium [which is not that different from my usual state] and nausea). I would have the deepest and most profound respect for a furry lady like that! Where are you from that you see ginormous spiders in your office?

Occasionally a little nipper will rappell (?) from the ceiling here, but nothing like that!

Cheers! Cathy

[Twisterdog]

Cool! I think I would have been tempted to bring her home and see if she would eat in captivity. I used to have a rosy hair tarantula. She was actually very sweet.

I have never heard them called "sprickets" and had to look it up. Seeing the picture, I know what they are, though. Indeed, nasty. I do NOT like crickets or grasshoppers, not AT ALL. Give a me a tarantula any old day!

However this is the most horrifying insect ever, IMO, at least in my part of the country. We call them "sand puppies" here, and I have a positive phobia of them.

[Taz_Zoee]

I actually thought about keeping it, but I didn't know how to care for it and didn't think it was fair to the poor thing.

Oh potato bugs!!! We have those out at my parents house. I HATE those things. They are just so darn UGLY!!!!

[Twisterdog]

IOh potato bugs!!! We have those out at my parents house. I HATE those things. They are just so darn UGLY!!!!

Ugly does not begin to scratch the surface. I think they are actually alien probes, sent here from another planet to scope out the best way to take our the world.

They are beyond creepy. Ewwww, ewwwww, ewwwww!

[allmycats]

that's what I was ging to say, it looks like a baby one. I have seen one and it is bigger than that and black, just the body alone is the size of your fist, at least, not counting the legs.

[Taz_Zoee]

Years ago I had a glass (dark glass) of soda sitting on the floor next to my chair and when I went to take a sip I noticed something mixed in with the ice. It was an earwig (pincher bug is what we call them). So I almost drank it
!!!

[Catlady711]

Best picture of a Fishing Spider I could find that is close to the view of the one you posted.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/susanqjennings/2896215416/

[pomtzu]

I would much rather say "I keel you!"

Me too. Jeff hasn't had any new characters in a while. Maybe someone could put a bug in his ear??? Tommy Tarantula??? Poor Achmed would be clattering his bones in fright!

[Kfamr]

Neat!