Throw a few pencils in and that could easily be an Escher.
stuffinsays
I met a L. Mactans this summer. I work at Home Deport as my part time retirement job. Work in Deliveries and Fulfillment so I’m all over the store. One day the lumber guy had to cut up an old bad pile of lumber out back to so it could be disposed. I was working nearby and heard him say “OH SHIT.” I ran over and asked what’s wrong, he point down between two pieces of lumber and there it was. It was gorgeous. I had never seen a black widow before. Wish I had taken a picture now that I look back. Anyway, we were able to catch it in a cup and transferred it over to the nearby woods. It was still there a week later.
stuffinsays
PS: even though the damn thing was magnificent, it caused terror molecules to invade my brain.
bravussays
{stereotypical Aussie} When we lived in Perth we had an above-ground pool and redback spiders (Australia’s lovely latrodecti) used to spin their webs and hide under the rim of the pool, and we didn’t even really bother to move them on before our young daughters swam in the pool {/stereotypical Aussie}
Paul Cowansays
I had no idea the Katipo was a widow. They’re super cool, the only venomous spider in New Zealand (as far as I know) but super shy. I used to see them on the beach as a kid but they’re pretty rare now.
StevoRsays
@ ^ Paul Cowan : From what I gather the Katipo are now an endangered species. From this good Australian Geographic article on them :
It’s thought that this unique and specialised habitat is the reason for the katipō’s catastrophic decline in recent decades.
Its sand dunes have been shaped and reshaped for decades by agriculture, forestry, and urban development, and invasive grasses and recreational horse-riding and biking haven’t helped either.
It’s a worry, because the katipō is a real force of nature, and to see it endangered is to see a real New Zealand icon under threat.
Bloody hell, I thought there was only one kind of black widow!
Splendid illo anyway, saved.
And I see the Tredecimguttatus is the one present in the Med area, but I never saw one yet…
Pretty pretty.
https://xkcd.com/3010
Throw a few pencils in and that could easily be an Escher.
I met a L. Mactans this summer. I work at Home Deport as my part time retirement job. Work in Deliveries and Fulfillment so I’m all over the store. One day the lumber guy had to cut up an old bad pile of lumber out back to so it could be disposed. I was working nearby and heard him say “OH SHIT.” I ran over and asked what’s wrong, he point down between two pieces of lumber and there it was. It was gorgeous. I had never seen a black widow before. Wish I had taken a picture now that I look back. Anyway, we were able to catch it in a cup and transferred it over to the nearby woods. It was still there a week later.
PS: even though the damn thing was magnificent, it caused terror molecules to invade my brain.
{stereotypical Aussie} When we lived in Perth we had an above-ground pool and redback spiders (Australia’s lovely latrodecti) used to spin their webs and hide under the rim of the pool, and we didn’t even really bother to move them on before our young daughters swam in the pool {/stereotypical Aussie}
I had no idea the Katipo was a widow. They’re super cool, the only venomous spider in New Zealand (as far as I know) but super shy. I used to see them on the beach as a kid but they’re pretty rare now.
@ ^ Paul Cowan : From what I gather the Katipo are now an endangered species. From this good Australian Geographic article on them :
Source : https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/creatura-blog/2018/04/new-zealands-sole-venomous-spider-is-the-stuff-of-legends/
Bloody hell, I thought there was only one kind of black widow!
Splendid illo anyway, saved.
And I see the Tredecimguttatus is the one present in the Med area, but I never saw one yet…