There's two things I love about this spider I found out in the potato field - the first is the really neat coloration of it's head in contrast to it's very round & muted body... and of course the second is the scorpian like stinging thing jutting out that smooth abdomen. Looks like a serger needle for sewing clothes. Is it just me or does it have hairy eyeballs too?
XoXo
You're not far off the mark. The grass/funnel web spider uses those spinnerets for sewing its sheet web, with a funnel for escape. Not as toxic a bite as some other spiders, but antivenin should still be applied. Most hospitals stock it. Makes me wonder though: If, due to your condition, you can't even get into a car, would a hospital visit be an unwise toxic experience for you?
ReplyDeleteGratuitous- Wowsas, I can't believe you got this one, I didn't even ask for peeps to help figure it out since I thought it would be a toughy. I always wondered about those spider webs that are not traditional webs, but rather blankets of web. I have seen alot of those little spider escape holes lately too- now I know who makes them and why. :)
ReplyDeleteAs for driving to a hospital, it would be a rough experience on many levels but if there is a true emergency I know when to bite the bullet and take the risk. Like if I was to be bitten by a pit viper snake, I would certainly catch a ride to the hospital - it's all about weighing consequences and logic.
Example- losing a limb for life would be worse then a day of seizures.
I just trapped and let outside a spider that looked like it had a butt stinger. I tried to find out about it and didn't see any kind of protruding spinnerets described anywhere under "spiders" in text or images. It sure does look like a stinger, though. Now, at least, I can advance search on "grass/funnel web spider". Interesting.
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