Friday, July 31, 2009

Visitor!

On Saturday afternoon when we got back from our walk we discovered that "someone" had popped if for a visit! The mountainous area in the Drakensberg is home to a number of animals, large and small. It is also home to a large number of insect, spider and scorpion species! One of the most common spiders that call this area home is the Rain Spider (Afrikaans: Jag Spinnekop). They are large and get their name because they are most often found inside before it starts to rain! Well we had no rain. Wonder why all "weather men" are so inaccurate? LOL!

These guys are BIG - this one was almost the size of my hand! They are perfectly harmless to humans, but are daunting because of their large size. They also put on quite a show when provoked. They raise their front legs and show their fangs! Unfortunately this results in them being killed, either by insecticide or SQUASH!

Needless to say we didn't wait for this guy to leave of his own accord! The Marie Claire magazine came in pretty handy!

10 comments:

aussiechic said...

In Aus we have a similar kind of guy called a Wolf spider - and they too are huge but harmless - they have fangs but are too soft to do any damage.....they just scare you because they are big.....I will never forget once my Dad was out mowing the paddocks and one must have been on the ride-on mower - and it crawled up his legs and onto his torso....never seen the man move so fast....jumped off the mower, trying to get this thing off - and it was running all over Dad...never laughed so much in my life....even to this moment I can seem him clearly in my head....I must have only been about 14??? HAHAHAHAAAA hysterical.....

Love Bears All Things said...

Oooh! I wondered if you relocated him or executed him. Now I know.
Mama Bear

Avril said...

I hate those!!! I don't try and preserve the species either - bug spray them until they are white!!! My hubby gets the kiddies fishing net (which is the parkie catcher) and chucks them into the garden!
The iron story - my domestic who I've had 'forever' leaves the iron on to collect more washing off the line. Twice just lately, I have come home and found the iron on and her nowhere in sight!!! She's in her room - no idea how long she's been there with the iron blazing hot! Imagine if it was knocked over by the dog!!!

Anonymous said...

my mother would freak out!!! hhhmmm we have the same problem with weathermen too must have gone to the same school as yours!!! lol

Firefly the Travel Guy said...

Oh the horror. A Marie Claire magazine? You were on a trip in the Drakensberg. I would have expected something like a Getaway magazine. LOL

Nicky Contival said...

Hells teeth woman I nearly had heart failure when I opened your blog to see this creature !!! Especially after my episode last week ... u read my facebook status?? Sherbet a rain spider on the outside of my front door ... I froze, heart pounded and then started to thing rationally. After about 10 minutes, now late for work I phone a friend, who walked in the pouring rain from the other side of the complex to aid me in my rescue mission ! My American friend sprayed it white. It was a half the size of yours but was enough to put this Arachnophobic in a flat spin.
Ok enough now ... cant think about it anymore

Corey~living and loving said...

eeekkkk.....that is a big one. glad to hear it isn't harmful to humans. :)

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