The other day, I was bent over cleaning the bathroom floor around the basin. I looked up and got a surprise when I saw this hanging under the sink right next to my nose. It's not dead, it's the shed skin of a very common large Huntsman spider, Palystes superciliosus. We call them Rain Spiders because they normally live outside but due to the fact that they don't make webs, they always know when it is going to rain and then they come inside the house to stay dry and give you quite a surprise because they are so big. They can comfortably fit on your hand and the poor things often get killed by people because of their size. They are in fact harmless and non-venomous and are victims of most people's inherent arachnaphobia.
Sure, those jaws could give a nasty bite but they don't go out of their way to bite. I have handled them many times when taking them outside and I have never been bitten.
Here's a side view: I find the soft hairiness very appealing, as well as the stripey undersides of the legs. Check out the structure of the leg-joints, seen from the inside
the perfect costume for halloween! ;) have a great weekend catlady!
Ahahaha, you too mr Bigote
Amazing how they can shed their skin in one piece. :-)
Yes, that's something that I would still like to see although I suspect it takes place at night
wow this is really cute
I think so
It is true that his jaws are impressing!
Before the spiders scared me,
but now that I live in the countryside,
I got used to them.
They are so useful to nature!
They are indeed
Nice photos!
They do not bite you because they feel that you love them :-)))
No, I just handle them carefully and try not to scare them
:-))
Congratulations @nikv!
You raised your level and are now a Dolphin!
Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard:
Yes, it would certainly be surprising if you suddenly come face to face with one... but yes, most people are just reacting to their fear of spiders, often totally irrational. I remember walking into the kitchen one morning, making coffee and then noticing that there was a very large tarantula sitting in the middle of the fruit basket. A little surprising... but she was escorted back outside.
=^..^=
That would have been down Texas way, not where you live now?
We get a lot huntsman spiders where we live. They are harmless but can give you a fright. I like them in the house because they eat the unwanted insects like mosquitoes. If that ones shed its skin it can only mean that its gotten bigger.😨
Oh yes it is! These suckers eat geckos and large insects though, not mosquitoes. I've seen the youtube video of the Aussie huntsman dragging a dead mouse up the side of the fridge, lol
Great photography and macro work. Great pet spiders they make living in the house
Thank you. I really like them
Such a terrible-looking spider, but in fact almost harmless. But I still fear spiders, especially those who make a web. It is unpleasant to watch when small insects get into the web and the spider gets close to them and bites them.
That is all part of the web of life
I'm a true animal lover. The only creatures I won't tolerate are Roaches and mosquitoes, ticks, & fleas. Other than that, I have been know to go out of my way to save scorpians, spiders, and any other critter that find itself unfortunate to be in our house. Andrea thinks I'm nuts.
You aren't nuts, that's a humane response