"It probably shows that there aren't enough entomologists and arachnologists looking for this stuff," Berrian mused.
Berrian, who has been working with spiders for over 20 years, admits that the cave spider is the first arachnid to ever bite him. He recovered quickly "It felt like getting poked by a cactus spine."
Baja California the half of California that Mexico kept after the war.So California is trying to take over Florida's title as the Australia of the USA?
The face looks like a classic spider bro but the legs say "come give me a death hug"
I always get confused when something like a spider has it's size compared to something perfectly spherical like a baseball or basketball. Is the spider's thorax and head the size of a baseball? Cuz that is HUGE. Or with legs? When the legs are stretched all the way out? Or folded a little? That's smaller, but how much smaller? Like, the shapes are too dissimilar it doesn't work.
For the two San Diego Natural History Museum researchers, it was an exciting windfall — an unknown arachnid as wide across as a softball.
”This is the type of spider that a lot of people would shriek and run from — it's big enough to fall in that category," said Wall, curator of entomology for the museum.
They located about two dozen of them, Berrian said, and brought back about eight specimens. Convinced that the spider was unlike others in the area, but unsure what it was, they consulted Mexican entomologist Maria Jimenez to nail down its taxonomy. She concluded that the new species belongs to the family of wandering spiders, which includes the Brazilian wandering spider, known for its potent and sometimes lethal venom. Cacachilensis looks like it could wield an impressive bite as well.
”They're pretty meaty," Wall said. ”They do have clearly visible fangs. You don't have to look very hard to find them."
Under rows of black eyes, the spider has thick, hairy pincers that can deliver a venomous sting. That's how the wandering spiders, named for their habit of roaming for prey, hunt for food and defend themselves against other animals.
”It's intimidating, and that can be enough for a lot of things to leave you alone, except loony-tune arachnologists," Berrian said, acknowledging that it wasn't enough to deter him from handling the spiders.
Unlike its Brazilian cousin, he discovered, cacachilensis doesn't seem to kill you.
”I was bitten by one of these spiders down in Baja," he said, describing it as milder than a bee or wasp sting. ”It was like being poked by a cactus spine and a little mild pain, but it went away in a few hours."
hm. neat.
You sound like that biologist from Prometheus.Yeah! It has a ":3" kind of face.
Baseball, thankfully.Why did it have to be a basketball size spider? WHY????
I was bitten by one of these spiders down in Baja, he said, describing it as milder than a bee or wasp sting. It was like being poked by a cactus spine and a little mild pain, but it went away in a few hours.
Lmao. So good.
Interesting that it's part of the wandering spider family yet has seemingly very mild venom, I guess whatever it preys on doesn't put up much of a fight.
And now it has a taste for human blood. Great.Berrian, who has been working with spiders for over 20 years, admits that the cave spider is the first arachnid to ever bite him. He recovered quickly "It felt like getting poked by a cactus spine."
As someone with no real fondness for spiders, but no dislike either, I find this one to be pretty cute.
West Coast chill.
Baja California the half of California that Mexico kept after the war.
But anyway it sometimes the fact that so many poisonous species live in my country scare me but living in the city you almost never come across them.
Somehow I read the title as "basketball" at first. Sounds like a mean little guy.
It's probably because its so big so it doesn't need strong venom to kill its prey. The deadliest spiders tend to be small like a black widow and the big ones like tarantulas tend to have weak venom.Interesting that it's part of the wandering spider family yet has seemingly very mild venom, I guess whatever it preys on doesn't put up much of a fight.
This is my opinion as well.Is it weird that I'm less afraid when they're this obnoxiously big? I can dodge that. I get freaked out when they're smaller and could be anywhere.
Because you don't like them?The 'burn it down'-esque posts should be a bannable offense.
I always get confused when something like a spider has it's size compared to something perfectly spherical like a baseball or basketball. Is the spider's thorax and head the size of a baseball? Cuz that is HUGE. Or with legs? When the legs are stretched all the way out? Or folded a little? That's smaller, but how much smaller? Like, the shapes are too dissimilar it doesn't work.
Because you don't like them?