[Closed] Out in the desert and just encountered my first...

You'll be there a while if you try to kill everything that's deadly 😕

Been here over a year and not seen much a few brown snakes and a couple of red backs, the odd evil centipede - but I looked down tonight and this was next to my foot. I don't usually kill stuff but this bugger had it coming.

His missus is gonna be proper pissed off.

Sleep well tonight!

How big is (was) it?

I'm not entirely sure I support killing things just because you went there. If you're in the desert, why not go to a bit of the desert where he wasn't instead of killing him?

I'm with the OP on this one. I'm not sure that spiders follow that 'live and let live' approach. Kill it, it serves as a warning to all the others.

Crikey + 1

Can you imagine the grief of Mrs Deadly Spider, and the little Deadly Spiderettes, sat at home reading the Gruanidad, waiting for Mr Deadly Spider to come home with the tofu and mung bean salad ?

How can you be such a heartless murderist of poor innocent, deadly ickle creatures?

First time you see something,
Then you kill it 😯

Hitting everything is not a particularly sustainable form of either travel or tourism, please give over.

So, about this "hippy" moniker...

No, but should you find yourself a shovel's length away from something that poses a real risk of serious illness or in extreme cases death 32 times faster than you could get to hospital, then batter it, and batter it good.

Bad Karma dude!

Right next to your foot you say? Was this natures way of just letting you know you should be careful and to be more aware? If it was then next time the "creature" WILL bite! 👿

Hitting everything is not a particularly sustainable form of either travel or tourism, please give over.

yes it is.. and what's more, it's flipping well natural..

he's been in the desert over a year and killed one spider.. where as you have lived in the Uk, travelling around by mototrised vehicle killing untold thousands of insects on the windshield..

utter utter bolsheviks being spouted here..

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My 7yo nephew was bitten by a blue ringed octopus on a Sydney beach yesterday. Sis didn't realise what it was at first, but luckily someone else on the beach did - cue paramedics arriving very quickly and a blue- light dash to the nearest hospital.
Thankfully he's OK but apparently these things kill more people than sharks!

Left me thinking - is the primary objective of all Australian wildlife simply to inflict painful death on passing humans??

I've lived out here in this camp for probably 11 out of the last 13 months, and its more than likely that spider has travelled in one of the vans as they are not usually many out this far in to the desert. There is a good chance its come in to my bit of desert rather than the other way around. Im not a tourist or a traveller I work here. This is pretty much my back yard now, even the Traditional Owners who came out said I'd probably spent more time out here than them!

I don't by nature wantonly go round killing stuff, in fact I have been known on several occasion to relocate ants rather than kill them. I do however draw the line when I'm sitting having dinner and I look down and see a large (2" body) funnel web striding purposefully towards my Jandal'd foot. Having had an allergic reaction to a wasp sting previously and it being 7.30pm and dark (I can only get helicopter evac for 8hrs a day during daylight hours) Im sorry to say I wasn't going to give the little bugger the benefit of the doubt.

Just to put it in perspective for me to evac someone from this camp after dark involves a minimum 5 - 6 hour off road drive to the tarmac, followed by another 2.5hrs to the nearest medical facilities. The risk involved in that to the casualty and the driver far out ways the life of a potential spider based hazard.

Im approximately [url= http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&q=-20.787566%2C122.186937+%28Magnum+camp%29 ]HERE[/url]

Just left of the middle of nowhere (this is via satellite link)

In recompense please accept this photo of the camp Goanna - he keeps the snakes away for us in a more natural manner:

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Even the grass (Spinifex) is pretty militant!

Nephew is lucky a blue ringed octopus sting is pretty bad. It basically paralyses the respiratory system - there is no anti toxin, you just have to give cpr / resuscitation until the toxin wears off.

That Goanna doesn't look very camp to me. Is his feather boa out of shot?

Kill it, and kill it good. Self defense, see? (did you consider the use of a shotgun?)

My brother in australia, talking to a native about spiders:
Bro: "Oh man, I don't like spiders"
Local: "Oh yeah? You get poisonous ones in Scotland too?"
Bro: "No but they... sort of scuttle around... and..."

Spit Roast guana. Yaow!

No way man we couldn't eat Gojira! He's practically an employee - he keeps the snakes away and the rodents down.

I'm not into killing things, especially spiders and bugs, but sometimes you have too.
The chances are, if it has travelled quite a way in a truck, from it's normal habitat, to get to your camp, it could have died anyway. From what I know about it's European and Asian cousins, funnel webs are quite susceptible to temperature or humidity changes. The Euro version digs quite a deep tunnel so it can control the temps it is hiding in by moving up or down depending on the outside temperatures. They are OK with the cold but die quite quickly when exposed to the summer sun.

Personally I would have kept it. They are fascinating little things and quite interesting. Though unless you are confident with arachnids, it's probably best to keep away.

For future reference, they breathe with book lungs. This type of lung is very limiting, i.e. they can only move for short distances before they need to stop and take another breath. A full out charge would be quite short and staggered. Also they should not be able to climb smooth surfaces, so you should be ok with glass boots 🙂

Funnels webs are quite moody though and sometimes stridulate as a warning they are not happy or just don't like your face.

I'm actually more gobsmacked that someone can be sitting in a very remote wilderness like that and posting on a web forum. Technology really is awesome sometimes. Oh and I'd have smacked the wee beastie too 🙂

this photo of the camp Goanna

Must be Joanna then...

Trying to see where you are on that map and for some reason streetview doesnt seem to work?

It's had the last laugh.... it was walking away from you... after laying its eggs in your ear...

So why exactly did you kill it?

🙄

if a big rabid snarling dog was hanging around inside your house and you had a shotgun would you 1) kill it 2) shoo it away 3) catch it and relocate it 4) let it hang around?

Man this thread is awesome!

Please please please can we either have a full low down of the what the hell you're going out there or the link to the STW thread or blog that must exist somewhere.

The mind boggles on so many different levels with the unsaid things in this post!

brakes - Member

if a big rabid snarling dog was hanging around inside your house and you had a shotgun would you 1) kill it 2) shoo it away 3) catch it and relocate it 4) let it hang around?

5. Lock myself in the room and call the dog catcher ... let them have the rabid instead. 😆 😈

Hmmm, but would we all be so happy if he'd gone to Tiger land and battered the first tiger he saw to death? Or maybe gone to that Artic and shot every polar bear just in case?

...and wearing sandals in scary spider country, then getting upset because a spider came near....

Give over.

When i was working in Oz with a tree surgeon i was moving some branches and felt a twig get stuck in my hair (it was very long and tied back).. pull the twig out and looked at it 😯 It was a hairy and twitching spiders leg. I then grabbed the massive Huntsman from my neck and threw it.. then proceeded to run around screaming like a girl.

Ive also had a very close encounter with a Wolf spider which dropped down on its web line and nearly landed on my shoulder.. it then dropped to the floor and reared up and started charging at me.. 😯

Also.. was smashing up an aluminium window frame id placed in a skip.. frame was hollow and had about 20 sleeping redbacks in it. From a standing jump i clean jumped out of the skip and ran around screaming like a girl.

Useful chart so you know which ones to run screaming away from...
http://www.termite.com.au/spider-identification-chart.html

Shood've bummed it.. 🙄

A full out charge would...

That's enough for me *runs away like a girl*

No, but should you find yourself a shovel's length away from something that poses a real risk of serious illness or in extreme cases death 32 times faster than you could get to hospital, then batter it, and batter it good.

+1

Too many hippys on this site.

Gotta love STW - to all the do gooders, I'd love to see one crawl past your feet and observe you causally leave it alone and then happily snuggle down in your beds and drift peacefully off to sleep.

...and wearing sandals in scary spider country, then getting upset because a spider came near....

Give over.

Get out of it, it's the bush. Its not as if I went to the spider breeding centre and smeared fly jam over my toes and shouted "come and have a go if you think you're venomous enough!'

Its between 42 and 48C in the shade during the day and if your lucky gets down to 25C at night. After a day in steel toe cap boots you need to get them off. I'm not some scared Pom I know what's out here (Brown snakes, Western Taipans etc) doesnt really worry me anymore. You take the appropriate precautions, in this case a poor lowely spider got flattened with a shovel. Would you rather I moved my foot let it run off and bite the next foot it came across. Its a matter of risk management. You don't see the ozzies not wearing Jandals just because they are in spider country and I can assure you that they are probably quicker to kill anything they don't like the look of.

And if you have ever been to the Arctic you will know that you or a member of your party carry a rifle at all times in case of polar bears.

Most of the stuff out here is pretty harmless, Huntsman, some Wolf spiders. There at least half a dozen Huntsman that live in the office van - keep the insects down. Also I got to witness an epic battle between a 4 or 5" across huntsman and one of the massive moths we get out here. The Huntman bite off a bit more than it could chew and ended up with its legs wrapped around the still flying moth, which although it couldn't again any altitude was still flying and made it out of the van, huntsman still hanging on. The spider did win in the end, Saw it dragging the moth back in a bit later.

It was like Godzilla vs Mothra only smaller.

iainc - Member
I'm actually more gobsmacked that someone can be sitting in a very remote wilderness like that and posting on a web forum. Technology really is awesome sometimes. Oh and I'd have smacked the wee beastie too

Yeah the sat system is pretty good, get phones and reasonable internet access. Via this:

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geetee1972 - Member
Man this thread is awesome!

Please please please can we either have a full low down of the what the hell you're going out there or the link to the STW thread or blog that must exist somewhere.

The mind boggles on so many different levels with the unsaid things in this post!

I'm running a remote gold exploration project in the Pilbara region. Just doing some set up and so forth before drilling starts.

My camp site is pretty basic - just a couple of caravans running off of a small generator. Only usually 2 or 3 of us out here until the program starts however I have been here on my own before. Pretty cool knowing the next nearest human is 200 odd km away.

Stoner - Member
Trying to see where you are on that map and for some reason streetview doesnt seem to work?

Yeah Im afraid Google haven't got round to bolting the camera to the top of a Landcruiser with 16ply tyres on yet. But I'm next to the gum tree, in that openinsh area between those sand dunes...

It looks a little bit like this however:

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This is the core processing area:
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And a few more of the locals:

Gojira (or possibly Rambo - its hard to tell them apart - but Gojira is bigger)

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Gecko that lives in the office caravan:

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Me sat on a bit of Ironstone Laterite trying to look like a Geologist:

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The Yak is seriously disappointed in you. The Yak suggest's becoming a zen god like person like The Yak is, no spider will attack you then.

but would we all be so happy if he'd gone to Tiger land and battered the first tiger he saw to death? Or maybe gone to that Artic and shot every polar bear just in case?

Awsome pics OHH

Also if a Tiger was running around your camp, yes the Tiger probably would be shot to death. Like a Polar bear would be on an arctic expedition.

Generally though, Tigers don't go chomping on humans so you would really have to go out of your way to coax/piss off a tiger enough to come and eat you. Expeditions try to minimize the chances of this happening.... to satisfy risk assessments, to cut down on the waste of perfectly good ammunition, to save on coffins, to reduce the chances of your company being splashed all over the media for all the wrong reasons...oh and to protect the environment. Spiders on the other hand are a different matter - they get everywhere and you can't make reasonable adjustments to avoid them.

The Yak asks "Whats the difference between Prince William and a Polar Bear?"

Spiders on the other hand are a different matter - they get everywhere and you can't make reasonable adjustments to avoid them.

I'd disagree. As I'm sat writing this in a room with about 220ish spiders, scorpions and a centipede. I have also rescued some funnel webs and Scorps from the Buthus family, from homes or gardens and advised how to prevent them coming back or what to do if they do.I say you can make a reasonable risk assessment for arachnids. It's just that most people don't.

Saying that I have some scorpions from the Androctonus family. If anything should happen to me, my wife has been advised how to safely kill them, rather than try to rehome them.

Oooh, you want to get a longer bolt on that shackle, so you can use a nut and split pin to reduce the chance of dropped objects...........

Saying that I have some scorpions from the Androctonus family. If anything should happen to me, my wife has been advised how to safely kill them, rather than try to rehome them.

[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fattail_scorpion ]Flippin eck[/url] 😯 Sat on the loo and I've just had to check behind the pan, just in case!

In the last pic looks like you've had a massive dump 😀

I'm just impressed that someone has actually said Jandals, haven't heard that word since I was in NZ in the 70s! 8)

Sounds like a brilliant job but I bet in reality the days and nights can be reeeaal loooong...

Saying that I have some scorpions from the Androctonus family. If anything should happen to me, my wife has been advised how to safely kill them, rather than try to rehome them.

Where are you? It seems irresponsible to keep such a ridiculous "pet".

I refuse to call them 'Thongs' and flip flops is way too pom.

Yeah can be pretty gruelling but I love living out here, I'm meant to be on a 3 weeks on 1 week off roster, but I'm currently on day 21 of a 59 day straight so I can have most of dec and jan off to come back see folks and ride.

Where are you? It seems irresponsible to keep such a ridiculous "pet".

Good bit of overreacting based on your own limiting understanding there. Have a sweetie. 🙂

one_happy_hippy - Member
I refuse to call them 'Thongs' and flip flops is way too pom.

Keep the updates/photos coming. Quality thread.

The desert sky looked like this 10 mins ago, Now its raining. When it rains in the desert it REALLY rains.

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can you eat funnelweb spiders?
if you'd have eaten it the handwringers might not have frothed at the mouth so much.

Those scorpions...they're the ones that live in a case in a case in a case, yes roper?

Saying that I have some scorpions from the Androctonus family. If anything should happen to me, my wife has been advised how to safely kill them, rather than try to rehome them.

Would that, by any chance, involve nuking them from orbit, you know, just to be sure?

I wouldn't want to be taking on one of those things even with the business end of a long handled shovel...

Some nice photos.

Someone I work with is over in the Pilbara at the minute. Very good money for the work, but not much cop if you have a family/partner.

I still check round the crapper when out in the wild. Dont want to get bit on the arse.

Spiders I'm just about ok with the snakes still terrify me. Mostly as bike trail makes good basking spots

My Androctonus are A.bicolor. They do not have the worse venom compared to some other Androctonus scorpions. One can flick venom so you would need to protect your eyes too.

As long as you understand them, what they do and why, have a safe and secure place for them and NEVER handle them you will be fine.

To kill my dangerous scorps my wife will empty out the freezer and put the containers in there. The cold will kill them without putting her at risk.

Going back to the OP though. A healthy fear is good but it is also good to watch and learn. The more you understand a bug the better you can be in preventing it biting you, which can take away the need to kill it. OZ must be an amazing place for a bug safari. Saying that most places are 😀

This is my A.bicolor. You can see why they are called fat tails.
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OHH. More desert photos please, any more bugs?

That is one mean looking scorpion 😯

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Beasties!

mikewsmith - that spider is the inventor of the smiley 🙂

Love how the try hards got trodden all over on this thread. Nice one OHH. Squidged em like the do-gooder bugs they are.

Going out to Oz in a few weeks - bit more urban than there tho (Gladstone)

So far, im glad i cant see any of the pics - i aint even good with UK house spiders.

(will check back from home)

Cheers for the links/info roper, will review as soon as ive checked that my desk is not hiding anything.....

oh and from the spider id chart...

red-blacks - 13 confirmed kills (ever)
uk motorists - 13 confirmed kills (sept 2012)

Going out to Oz in a few weeks - bit more urban than there tho (Gladstone)

So far, im glad i cant see any of the pics - i aint even good with UK house spiders.

Just to put this thread in perspective, I live in suburban Perth, and the most frightening animal I've seen in the last year is a slightly annoyed guinea pig. The people round here however, some of them are real scary...

Never saw any interesting beasties in Australia.

I've got a friend who says she'd never visit Oz because of the wildlife. She quite happily travels to the US though yet when I lived there we had a black widow that lived in the bathroom 🙂

oh and from the spider id chart...

red-blacks - 13 confirmed kills (ever)
uk motorists - 13 confirmed kills (sept 2012)

Yeah I know its low, but then I still take precautions to drive safely. Even if a bite doesn't kill you it'll make you hell sick and in some cases give you very bad necrosis. Like I said I'm a long drive from a hospital.

I said I'd never go to oz because everything is deadly. To be honest when you live out in the bush for a while and for the first couple of weeks the toilet is a shovel and some distance from camp you kind stop worrying about the critter.

Always have to stay vigilant (hence flat funnel web) and remember the simple rule I use:

'[b]Always be wary of anything with more or less legs than you'[/b][i][u]

No more pics of bugs I'm afraid - they tend to hide when it rains. When they come out i'll get some more. But here's one of the from this evening of the approaching storm.

Storm's Coming 01/10/2012 Great Sandy Desert.

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oh and from the spider id chart...

red-blacks - 13 confirmed kills (ever)
uk motorists - 13 confirmed kills (sept 2012)

Maybe we should beat every 4x4 driver to death with a shovel, might reduce those road deaths....

Pointless statistic for comparison imo. Going off the number of people on the road and the distance travelled every day giving the mega low risk of having an accident, you still wear your seatbelt don't you?

Love that last photo one_happy_hippy 🙂

Just to put this thread in perspective, I live in suburban Perth, and the most frightening animal I've seen in the last year is a slightly annoyed guinea pig. The people round here however, some of them are real scary...

A couple of months ago I put my hand into my mail box and found a baby Huntsman spider. I know it was a baby because it was only 3 inches across. I'm in Melbourne so the people round here tend to be hipsters....

oh bloody hell, i forget you lot cant function with out the correct smiley.

:rollseyesinbackofhead:

just a coincidence, the number 13, for all time deaths from one spider (relevant to the thread) compared to the number of dead cyclists on UK roads last month (relevant to the forum)

Morning after the storm 02/10/2012

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As long as you understand them, what they do and why

That's what Timothy Treadwell said about bears and what that fat Aussie Steve Erwin said about stingrays and every other animal he irritated.

That's what Timothy Treadwell said about bears and what that fat Aussie Steve Erwin said about stingrays and every other animal he irritated.