• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Giant Huntsman spider found in Scottish shipping container

Status
Not open for further replies.
O

offshore

Member
Fucking hell... these things aren't supposed to be in the UK.

A giant spider common in Australia, Africa and Asia, has been found inside a shipping container in Scotland.

The Huntsman spider was spotted by staff at a manufacturing firm in Dumbarton on Friday. They called in the Scottish SPCA amid concerns that it could be poisonous.

The animal charity contacted an arachnid specialist who helped identify the spider, which can give a painful bite. The Huntsman is being cared for while a suitable home is sought.

Ch Insp Henderson said: "An arachnid expert identified it as a Huntsman spider. We believe that due to a yellow stripe on its abdomen that the spider is female.

"It would be hard to say where it is from exactly due to the fact it arrived here in a shipping container. It must be a tough little spider as it has done well to survive living in a cold container for so long before arriving in Scotland."

"The spider appears in good condition and is already an adult so we are going to try to find a specialist home for it."
Click to expand...

So, they don't even bleedin' know how it got here. I'm moving to another country...

_91164679_mediaitem9143r0w.jpg


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-37338882
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Where is its size subscribed because for all we know that thing could be big as a quarter. When I assume giant I'm thinking bird eating tarantula.
 
Z

ZOONAMI

Junior Member
It crawled into a shipping container and ended up in Scotland. Bugs probably get shipped everywhere in shipping containers.
 
B

Blue Submarine No. 6

Member
HStallion said:
Where is its size subscribed because for all we know that thing could be big as a quarter. When I assume giant I'm thinking bird eating tarantula.
Click to expand...

from Wikipedia:
The giant huntsman spider (Heteropoda maxima, "the largest") is a species of huntsman spider (Sparassidae), a family of large, fast spiders that actively hunt down prey.[2] It is considered the world's largest spider by leg span,[2] which can reach up to 1 foot (30 centimeters).[3]
 
kavanf1

kavanf1

Member
The Huntsman is being cared for while a suitable home is sought.
Click to expand...

I hope by this they mean "The Huntsman was quickly thrown into an incinerator". I don't want this thing breeding with the locals and making a race of gigantic indigenous bitey Scottish spiders.
 
U

UltraJay

Member
Most Huntsman from Australia at least are completely harmless. When I was in the USA I had to worry about Brown Recluses and Black Widows... Much more dangerous. I can at least see a huntsmen from a good distance away. They like to come in when it's raining and just chill on a wall for a bit. Total spiderbros.
 
B

bobnowhere

Member
They can easily get to the size of an outstretched adult hand. Usually come into the house after rain. Completely harmless.

My 5-6 y.o. niece had one living in her room for a month. She named him 'Lasange'.

To quote a famous Australian philosopher called Bruce from the University of Woolomoolloo, Harden the fuck up.
 
M

Mupod

Member
what I've heard from various australians is that huntsman spiders are harmless despite being huge.

I guess our equivalent here are dock spiders, I've never heard of them biting someone but jesus christ it's not nice seeing a spider that big in a situation where you're usually barefoot.
 
S

SealSqueal

Member
Haha, Huntsmans are big but pretty chill spiders actually, unlike some other fucker varieties. They keep to themselves and mostly hang out around the ceiling waiting to chase down insects. I believe they get the name from the fact they don't spin webs, but just roam for prey instead.

Edit: beaten like a mofo
 
P

PatjuhR

Member
F'king hell.

Hurry with building that wall around the Calais tunnel. Make it as high as the altitude where spiders die. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Europe.
 
S

Shadybiz

Member
Ban Puncher said:
Huntsman spiders are scary looking but pretty harmless.

The Sydney Funnel Web spider however is pure nightmare fuel
Click to expand...

There is not a whole lot of stuff that would make me shriek like a 5 yr old girl if I encountered it in real life...but this makes the list.
 
Sub_Level

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
It must be a tough little spider as it has done well to survive living in a cold container for so long before arriving in Scotland.
Click to expand...

It was born in the dark. Molted by it.
 
Ban Puncher

Ban Puncher

Member
The Huntsman is non-venomous and will always run away from a human.

The Funnel Web is one of the deadliest spiders in the world (it's venom only affects humans too) and it is highly aggressive so it will chase you down. It also bites repeatedly. Anti-venom is mandatory if bit and it is in short supply.
 
T

Toxi

Banned
Is this really news? Huntsman spiders are common in the tropics, of course they're often gonna hitch rides on boats to other parts of the world.
HStallion said:
Where is its size subscribed because for all we know that thing could be big as a quarter. When I assume giant I'm thinking bird eating tarantula.
Click to expand...
Heteropoda_venatoria03.jpg
 
The Giant

The Giant

Banned
It's spring now. Gonna be seeing them more now. Hate seeing Huntsmans, especially when you first wake up in the morning and there's one a few meters away from you.
 
S

SomTervo

Member
Why did I come in this thread

They won't survive our northern winters

The Giant said:
It's spring now. Gonna be seeing them more now. Hate seeing Huntsmans, especially when you first wake up in the morning and there's one a few meters away from you.
Click to expand...

I am never going to Australia.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Dozens of Spiders Found in Home in...
35
3K
LMJ replied
  • Locked
Hundreds of Scottish orphanage children allegedly buried in mass grave
21
6K
TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared replied
  • Locked
British tabloid: Spiders plotting to kill us all, become smarter, bigger than humans
2
79
10K
Not replied
  • Locked
Scottish team claims to have created first ever nutritionally-balanced pizzas
2
71
6K
Szu replied
  • Locked
Jurassic Park IV: Bombadil crushes the character limit II
2
54
6K
Neuromancer replied
Top Bottom