What the **** is it??

Aeson · September 5, 2002, 04:37

A few minutes ago this creature crawled up the wall behind my desk. It moves VERY fast, but I caught it just barely.

I know the photos are blurry, so I'll describe it as best I can. It's about 3cm in length (body is 2cm). The color ranges from a burnt orange near the beak (yes, it has a beak!), to an opaque tan midsection, and a brown and black stripped back end.

There are 6 (from the smaller midsection) regular looking spider legs. The 2 hind legs look almost like a cricket's, with barbs and all, but seem to function like a spiders. The front two appendages are connected in the same manner as the rest to the abdomen, but look more like antennae. The weird thing is these appendages are used somewhat like arms, and seem to have a lot better grip on glass than the others. It keeps trying to pull it's way up the sides of the glass jar with them, but doesn't use them when it runs along the bottom.

The body is in two main sections, and the head doesn't seem to be seperate at all. The hind section is shaped a lot like a wasp's, but with no stinger as far as I can tell. The sections aren't really seperated like a spider or ant's, they sort of run into each other. All the appendages are connected to the front section.

The head is even less seperate. It's mostly fuzzy and burnt orange. It seems to set upon the front section. On top of the head are two tiny black balls which look like eyes, but are completely outside the head, on very short (1/10th mm) black appendages.

This thing is very quick. I'm 2/3 on catching them so far, but it's mostly luck. They hop back when startled a few inches, almost instantly, and can cover a meter a second easily.

So... what is it?! And should I be afraid that they (seen 3 in 4 years, maybe the same one) occupy my living space?

Lemmy · September 5, 2002, 04:59

looks like a spider to me, now squash it

Kropotkin · September 5, 2002, 05:42

Considering it has 8 legs I'd put my money on that it's a spider but if it's dangerous or not I don't know. I do think that there's a Dr. Who episode about that for reference about the future dangers of spiders. Otherwise you could call Mr. Bowie if the spider in question is from Mars...

Kepler · September 5, 2002, 05:59

I see 10 legs.

Not to freak you out or anything.

Paul Hanson · September 5, 2002, 06:03

I'd say it was a daddy-long-legs (don't know the proper name), but I can't be 100% sure.

Kropotkin · September 5, 2002, 06:17

If a daddy-long-legs is the same in england as in sweden I have to disagree, they don't have a body like that. As for the other legs that kepler sees I would think that's shadows.

Kassiopeia · September 5, 2002, 06:24

Quote:

I see 10 legs.

I see eight legs and a bunch of shadows. It's probably a venomous Razorclaw Spider from the Amazon.

Kepler · September 5, 2002, 06:25

We had daddy long legs in our L.I. basement when I grew up ("good" bugs that we suffered gladly, because they will take on anything that comes along -- I swear they used to menace the cat). That aint a DLL.

Flandrien · September 5, 2002, 07:19

Could it be this ?

Sun spider

Mr. President · September 5, 2002, 07:21

It's a spider, and surprisingly not the scariest one I've seen recently - in winter down here we get large hairy vaguely tarantula-like ones gravitating towards the house because of the heat. (The downside to the famous ducted heating system.) Usually they hang out on the outside of my window and menace me when I go to close the curtains, but once in a while they get in the house.

Richelieu · September 5, 2002, 07:21

Kill it.

Kassiopeia · September 5, 2002, 07:28

Quote:

Kill it.

Before it can multiply cellularly and it's able to modulate it's sound waves to the subatomic pattern of it's hold, allowing it to escape in one shriek and then integrate to the ecosystem.

Mr. President · September 5, 2002, 07:32

Er . . . yes?

DrSpike · September 5, 2002, 07:57

Remember it's more afraid of you than you are of it...............yeah bollocks, it looks mean, crush it on behalf of the human race before it's too late.

Pekka · September 5, 2002, 08:00

oh that's huge! I'm afraid of spiders

.. Everything goes, hell's angels, serial killers, raving dogs, sharks..but those spiders moving fast.. uh oh I just can't take it. I'd run as fast as I could and call someone up who's not afraid of them and let him kill it for me.
I can't even sleep if I have a small tiny one in my house. I have to kill it first. I can't even capture one and let go, because I'm afraid capturing, I have to kill it with a shoe on, or something else that I won't have to touch it.

Kassiopeia · September 5, 2002, 08:09

Quote:

Originally posted by Mr. President
Er . . . yes?

Yes. Haven't you seen them before? I witnessed an assault of a colony of these things in my backyard. They were trying to construct a beacon of sorts from a microwave oven and a remote control they had pilfered from our carage. Probably trying to call their mates for an invasion, I guess. I torched their nest with gasoline and used the good old shovel and/or shotgun method with the rest. I managed to rid them all, since these things, if left untouched, can reproduce on their own. And the sounds, the sounds they can make! Nothing stands in their way if let loose or to multiply.

Ishtar · September 5, 2002, 08:18

It's a spider alright......

But, I agree that it doesn't remotely resemble the "daddy long legs" or "granddaddy long legs" that I know from growing up in SC....

I say kill it, too!!! Doesn't look much like a friendly kinna guy.

Hurricane · September 5, 2002, 08:21

NO! Let it bite you and soon enough you will transform into Spider-Man.

rah · September 5, 2002, 08:23

It's definately not a "daddy long legs".

It looks kinda small. Most common spiders in the US are not poisonous. I would say don't kill it. It will probably kill more anoying insects. Who knows, it might trap and kill a mosquito that has West Niles and save your life. Spiders can be our friends.

RAH

Pekka · September 5, 2002, 08:28

... or it can crawl on you when you sleep .. with your mouth open! It likes the holes on your body and will try to get inside you. And success.. and you won't even know about it until it's too late.

Skanky Burns · September 5, 2002, 08:45

Not a daddy long legs, but doesn't look that evil either. That wouldn't stop me from squishing it if I got the chance.

Skanky Burns · September 5, 2002, 09:00

Oh yeah, I read somewhere that the average person swallows 8 spiders while asleep during their lifetime. Something to think about when you go to bed tonight.

Q Classic · September 5, 2002, 09:02

eh. kill it. it's some sort of brain-sucking parasite, so you might as well.

oedo · September 5, 2002, 09:06

it looks pretty harmless, no need to shoot it down.

Kassiopeia · September 5, 2002, 09:10

Quote:

Originally posted by Skanky Burns
Oh yeah, I read somewhere that the average person swallows 8 spiders while asleep during their lifetime. Something to think about when you go to bed tonight.

Probably here.

dunk · September 5, 2002, 09:17

Do a search. Spiders [wherever you live]. I found all kinds of neat information about all the spiders in my state. I'm sure you'll find stuff from the nearest university's entomology department.

It's definately a spider. 8 legs. 2 body sections. A beak? Are you sure it wasn't just carrying something?

It does look like that sun spider Maestro posted the picture of.

TheStinger · September 5, 2002, 09:52

I'm scared stiff of the little (or not so little) bastards and I know one when i see one. That is a spider

Heresson · September 5, 2002, 12:33

At last some interesting thread!
My advice; find it a pair, make it reproduce and found
an exotic restaurant!

Richelieu · September 5, 2002, 12:36

Is it dead yet ?

Thrawn05 · September 5, 2002, 12:52

Every computer desk has one. These things are nasty and annoying because these guys tried crawlling into my computer.

You need to kick stuff around the computer desk and boxes because any movement will scare them away.