old battler

[miriam_e]

Had a visit from an old spider who clearly has been in a few battles. He has lost most of his legs on one side. I wonder what had been after him. Undoubtedly many animals would consider him a juicy tidbit. Life would be difficult for such a large spider. I don't think life expectancy would be very long. Hmmm... I wonder how long Huntsman spiders live. I must ask my Mum.

The pictures were taken in my kitchen. I noticed him just as I was about to turn out my lights, so I got a few snapshots before switching the lights off and retiring for the night. I don't know why he is covered in cobweb detritus. Perhaps he's just blundered through a web to eat one of the spiders that spin webs. There are plenty of those here. It is one of the things I like about huntsman spiders: they don't mess up the place with web. I have to periodically clear away the webs of all the other spiders. I hate wrecking their homes, but it would be a mass of web here if I didn't.

Comments

[greylock.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... why do I get the feeling you're yanking my chain? :)
Absolutely not. I'm far more obvious.

Peruvian centipedes? Supposedly the world's largest.
These definately are not them. I'm sure I was told they were Peruvian... they are everywhere.

I have a soft spot for cockroaches. They are cute.

Hmmm... why do I get the feeling you're yanking my chain? :)

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

We seem to have a lot of centipedes in Australia. You're probably thinking of that pretty one with the light greenish, sometimes bluish body, and orange legs. I don't know what they're called. I should find out. That's something else for me to do next time I'm in at the museum.

No, I'm dead-set. Cockroaches are truly cute little critters. Though I must admit I draw the line at them being near my food... or my books (though silverfish are the worst for books). They don't get much chance in this house though -- too many predators.

Cockroaches have a truly phenomenal ability to repair genetic damage. They may help us live longer one day.