Cheers!!!!Whaaaaaa...

Hmmm, very nice!

Wow!

I get the tarantulas...but is that a black widow? Your pet, too?

T

Paul,
I just had to open this post. Not what I was expecting to see. You are right thro. I bet she helps rid your plants of any insect problems.
Stush

Paul,

My toque's off to you for subject title WIN.

And your girls sure are pretty - can you tell us of the one pictured in #3? She's got legs that don't stop.

I got the chills looking at your big butt girls,butt,if they were in my house ,they would be splattered on the wall.....sorry .....
Sharon

Paul, didn't know this was the other side of you....I guess we learn something new everyday!

Hehehe...nice, Paul! ;-)

Josh

Very nice although I don't really like them. Is #3 a Mexican Red Knee?

~Erin~

Well, Paul, as Freddie Mercury says, "Fat bottomed girls, you make the rockin' world go round....". Nice ladies!

Nancy

Paul, didn't know this was the other side of you....
-Howard

...can you tell us of the one pictured in #3? She's got legs that don't stop.
-Jeff
Is #3 a Mexican Red Knee?
~Erin~

I get the tarantulas...but is that a black widow? Your pet, too?
-Tom

I thought you knew I had exotics, Howard. Humph. I'm surprised that subject hadn't come up in our past conversations.

Ah yes, the girl in pic#3. That would be "Fluffy", my Brachypelma smithii (aka Mexican Red Knee). She's actually still a juvenile with a bit of growing to do but she is close to maturity.

Tom, the little lady in pic#2 is indeed a widow (Latrodectus variolus). Really not a big deal. The hype over widows is blown way out of proportion by the media idiots. You are actually FAR more likely to get killed by a dog and many many times more likely to get killed in an auto related accident. The spider in the last photo, crappy pic that it was, is a Steotoda grossa (aka false widow). A harmless spider that is often mistaken for a real widow.

Paul
I used to collect spiders when I was a kid. I had to stop because feeding them flies and ants started to brother me. Aren't all spiders widows. I mean, after mating, they turn and eat their mate. Most males don't get away.
Stush

Have to say, Stush, that it doesn't bother me a bit to feed bugs to my critters. 1) It is simply part of the life cycle. 2) I don't feel bad about dining on chickens, etc.

As far as devouring the male goes, that too is blown out of proportion. In the wild, it is very common for the male to live in the same web as the female whether one is talking about widows or web weaving spiders in general. That whole erroneous fallacy came about due to some very poor scientific methodology. The scientists first studying the mating habits of widows did so under very artificial conditions. The stress of artificial conditions can and does produce atypical behavior patterns. Something those scientists, in their ignorance, did not take into account. In addition to the stress factors, the scientists had the spiders in a small container to make observation easier. This was the final "nail in the coffin" for the males. In the wild, the stresses of an artificial environment are absent. Add to that that under normal conditions, the male is not confined to a small area. If the female comes after him, he can escape her web to a place of safety.

**As a side note as to the effects of artificial environments: A buddy's father used to raise a type of cichlid fish. His father related to me how difficult it was to have any babies make it past the "fry" stage. The fish would mate and lay eggs just fine. The problem lay in the fact that under the artificial conditions of being in a fish tank, if ANYTHING happened to 'freak out' the female -- even just having someone walk by the tank -- she would eat her eggs and young. Obviously in the wild, regularly over reacting to any small stress would likely result in extinction.**

But on to my original reason for popping back in so soon. I had forgotten to address questions that seem to invariably be asked whenever people find out about some of the critters I own. PLEASE DO NOTE: The following is NOT meant as a diatribe or a rant, merely as food for thought to challenge typical prejudices.

One of course was the "danger" aspect which I did discuss but wished to elaborate upon a bit more. For those who would question why take the chance on owning something that could harm you, I already mentioned that dogs are a far greater threat (as are horses, btw). However, I had thought of something that might strike closer to home for many on this particular forum. Consider how many of you own Euphorbias or other plants with poisonous sap. There is the danger for you, your family, and your pets to come to harm -- whether minor or severe -- as a result of coming in contact with such. Then too, let's consider how many of you have agaves or other visciously thorned plants. (And let's not forget the "fun" of glochids!)

"But the plants can't bite me!" No you just get impaled on the silly things when working on or about them. Or, for those of a more clumsy nature, knock one over/drop one and in a moment of forgetfullness or insanity try to catch it. LOL

Does this stop you from owning or enjoying them? In many cases, we all know the answer is "no".

Next commonly asked Q: "You don't handle the widows do you?"
Not generally, no. No more so than you go around fondling your cholla cactus. If I do have to handle one I can do so with far less chance of getting injured than trying to handle a cactus.

And of course the Q: "If you can't handle them, why even own one?"
Need I even make the corollary to plants here? I will toss out this however -- why own fish as many people do? You certainly aren't going to be taking one out the tank to pet. (Though I imagine Yoko would be quite happy for you to do so, Jeff ... and of course allow her to say 'hello'. heh) Many fish aren't even particularly attractive and there are fish than can do one harm.

Properly kept, even "dangerous" animals like widows can be kept safely -- more so in fact than many of the common animals the ownership of which we take for granted.

Paul:

I love your spiders. Especially Fluffy. We have a hamster named Fluffy... But she is actually Fluffy#2(don't tell my daughter). I kept a Black Widow for 2 years in an enclosure in my garage. Then she had an egg sack. I didn't think to remove the egg sack, since I wanted to witness the life cycle. Then one day tending to her I accidently burst the egg sack and had baby widows all over me. Needless to say, I did not keep her very much longer after that. I returned her to her hard knock life in the wilds of Virginia. I suspect you remove your widows egg sacks?

-David

Your photos brought back the memory of our old neighborhood which was on top of a solid granite hill. We'd see tarantulas walking down the sidewalk occasionally, and for whatever reason, they would stick to walking the sidewalk for long distances, rather than going off into people's shrubs. It was quite funny to watch. I learned not to be afraid of them and just to give them their space. In their own way, they are beautiful creatures, as your photos show.

Now speaking of petting fish, Koi can be petted, even lifted out of the water and bottle-fed for a brief period. They become ridiculously placid and tame given the right treatment.

Paul,
Thanks for the lesson. I have handled all my spiders when the chance came up. You have a better chance hurting them than they have you. There fangs can't get thru the thick skin of you hands. Other parts they can, just don't give them a chance. Now I'm talking about household types, not the big tropical ones. Please don't tell me chickens are a live animal?? I thought they grew on tress like where hamburgers come from. Next you'll tell me the Easter bunny doesn't exist.
Stush

My curiosity got the best of me and I opened this thread never imagining it would be loaded with spider photos. UGH. I am petrified of spiders. For some reason even though I know they are such wonderful bug eaters I can not get over my fear.

I raise praying mantis in my greenhouse. LOVE them. They move slow, eat TONS of bugs and are comical to watch. Not sure why I can tolerate them and not spiders.

Be careful with them.

Whoooo Baby's got Back. LOL

I have worker spiders. I have high cathedral windows where they hang out. It is the last windows with light for the day. Flies when entering my house tend to also like to go there. Win win situation. I vacuum the webs twice a year with extra extensions of vacuums past. Other than that they give me the willies. Paula

Spiders keep my greenhouse free of bugs, I have had some bad experiences with the
Black Widow I just respect their space and as long as they stay there I don't bother them just as long as they don't attack me. It is the same as I deal with people.

Your Mexican Red Knee is beautiful. One of the prettiest varieties I've ever seen is the Gooty tarantula.

Norma I agree. Spiders are welcome in my greenhouse. They don't bother me in the house either but my DH and kids don't care for them so they're relocated to the greenhouse or yard.

For the record, I've been bitten by a Praying Mantis twice...!
And they can move quickly - like flying straight at your face - when the want to ;-)

Josh

I've been pinched by a mantis but never bitten. Does it hurt?

Hello Paul,

I love this post!!! Thanks for all of the great information on your beauties, Paul!!! The colors are so unique and i especially love the "hairy gal with the orange spots" She sure is a beauty!!

Thanks for sharing this information and why some of the information that we hear is truly false....

Enjoy those gorgeous gals!!!

"I like big butts and i can not lie..." : )

Take care,

Laura in VB

Mantis can draw blood....
as with most insect bites, though, more startling than truly painful.

Josh