Sunday 2 September 2007

Harry (or Harriet) the Huntsman

I'm busy this afternoon with my renovations..
and my friend Shayne who only popped down from Myola, near Kuranda, for a cuppa, came across this fella (or fellaess, it's hard to tell) in the downstairs loo.

"F**k, there's a bloody spider in the toilet" he belted out.
I don't think he was actually sitting on the loo in a compromising position at the time, but the kerfuffle didn't seem to bother Harry (I've decided to name him at this point in the story).

I quickly snapped this pic for your entertainment.

Such visitors like this are normal and this one is (unfortunately) a common Huntsman spider in northern Queensland. It likes living in houses and other warmer spots and catches a myriad of bugs, so is actually a good addition to the wallpaper.

I'm no fan of creepy crawlies, but do have a morbid fascination with all things wriggly. When you decide to live in the tropics, or sub-tropics as we are, then these are part of the landscape.

The Huntsman, when spread with it's enormous legs, can span the size of an outstretched adult hand, which makes them fast movers and good hunters, hence their name.

Tonight I don't intend to sleep in the downstairs loo.

Close up:

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