They’ve got the best spiders. Here’s an Australian broadcast about spider murder methods, full of stories about gymnastic assassins and netcasting ogres. It was making me jealous, especially given that the spiders here are all huddled under a thick blanket of snow and aren’t coming out for another four or five months.
As if that wasn’t enough, they’ve also got Christmas spiders! There are colorful spiders that are scurrying around right now called Christmas spiders or jewel spiders, and they are gorgeous. Now I want some Christmas ornaments based on these spiders for my tree. Unfortunately, if you search for “Christmas spider ornaments”, you get ornaments that look nothing like Christmas spiders. What do those look like? I’ve hidden one picture below the fold.
Gorgeous. Highly decorative.
Species name = ???
Beautiful little arachnid.
Natural mortein.
google image search sez:
Jewel Spider – Austracantha minax
FAMILY ARANEIDAE
Body length 12mm
Jewel Spiders are also known as Six Spined Spider, Christmas spiders and Spiny Spiders. They can be found in summer, around Christmas time in Brisbane. Their abdomen has bright yellow and white patterns on black back ground. There are six spines on their back.
Oh yeah, I shoulda clikced the link.
Austracantha minax
Etsy has some pretty cool spider tree ornaments, PZ. Nothing like that amazing specimen in the photo, though. What’s it standing on, an orchid?
“Australians have all the luck”? Well yes, except for fire, flood, drought, feral animals, weeds, some appallingly bad politicians, melanoma, privatised public services, a determination to acquire all of America’s worst features, Rupert Murdoch, and a couple of rather dangerous snake species…
When I used to live at Springton (South Australia), sometimes I’d have thousands upon thousands of them in one part of the yard (I had an acre block). Strangely, I independently called them ‘jewel spiders’ based purely on their looks.
They really are beautiful.
Sadly they will have to substitute for Christmas Beetles which used to appear in their millions around Christmas time. Now they are in decline and its largely attributable to us expanding our cities by building McMansions all over their prime habitat. https://australian.museum/learn/animals/insects/christmas-beetles/
You might like a different video, mostly on spiders. One bit I liked was where he lost one up his shirt.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-19/bug-wrangler-explains-how-to-make-nature-documentaries/101718322
@ 5 nomdeplume
But apart from the floods, fires, droughts, weeds, politicians, and feral animals what have the Romans ever done for us?
Murdoch is waaaaay more dangerous than our deadliest snakes though. I would much rather the snakes.
@garydargen
I’m in a gardening group on Facebook and it’s ridiculous and depressing how often people ask “what are these curl grub things?” and are advised to kill them. As if loss if habitat wasn’t bad enough.
It was called “The Lucky Country” for a reason.
Aww, i’m on the wrong side of the country from them. I’ll just have to go see if there are any jumping spiders out in the yard