Spiders fascinate me and as we have a thread for snakes and reptiles, I though it would be very interesting to see everyone elses photos of spiders. So please share as many photos of spiders as you like!
Here's a lovely male Huntsman that came inside to escape the rain. In the last shot I used my hand as a size comparison, my hand is 18cm long so he was quite a nice size, maybe fourth or fifth moult?
Another great idea for a thread Elsie, your Huntsman has some serious size, nothing that big here in Tassie, that I am aware of.
here is a nice female Mouse Spider (I can be corrected if ID is off), taken at Woodbridge, Tasmania last summer. Sorry only a phone photo.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Hmmm... what is the difference between a mouse spider and a funnelweb?
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
Here is the underside of a hunstman, taken through the window...
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
Great idea for a thread Elsie! Jeez you are incredibly brave putting your hand near that Huntsman! How can you tell if it's a male? I have a contribution, I think it's a Garden Wolfspider? It was tiny (2-3cm?) but a very pretty spider
Tegan - Melbourne Vic.
Not sure what type of spider this is. Any suggestions are welcome. Sorry about the quality as this picture was taken over a year ago (and my photography skills have gotten a lot better since then).
By the way, all the photos so far are really cool and the underside of the huntsman in soakes photo looks almost like a face of a monkey.
M.M.
Hey! We have those spiders around our house on the front gates! I think they are Common Garden Spiders
Tegan - Melbourne Vic.
Hey Soakes, interesting question, I found this chart which migh help, shows photos of both species, male and female next to each other. To me it looks like the length of the spinnerets, (can't see the spinnerets in my pic) and the shape of where the body meets the head. We have funnel webs in Tassie, but not as dangerous as the Sydney variety. I am no expert, although not scared, I am more nervous around spiders than snakes!
http://www.anoble.com.au/Spiders/SpiderID
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
M.M.
Looks like a Black House Spider, TBL.
I just looked it up and the spider does look more like a B.H. Spider than a common garden one...thanks zostertops.
M.M.
I think that's a Garden Orb Weaver. I haven't seen any Golden Orb Weavers so far this season but I've seen two Garden Orb Weavers which I had identified from a photo by the SA Museum.
Beautiful spiders everyone! Tegan, I'm fairly sure that it's a male as it has a small abdomen and large pedipalps. A female will have a large abdomen and small pedipalps.
Thats a really good chart dwatsonbb, very useful!
Here are a few from my neck of the woods, including a Garden Orb Weaver.
Wow, good photos. That first one looks squashed!
Here is a spider I saw when I was in Spain earlier this year. Does anyone know what it is?
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
Took this shot a few years ago. To me it's abdomen looks like a persons head wearing a colourful beanie :)
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Yes, it does, Soakes. It's a Flat Bark Spider. Ms Woko & I have dry stone walls at our place & I sometimes see a Flat Bark Spider under the flat stones in the wall. Perhaps it thinks it's a Flat Stone Spider.
Great thread Elsie :-)
Redback from the shed.
How did you get such a white background for the red back Rick?
Tegan - Melbourne Vic.
Cheated a bit Teagan :-), spider in a white bowl.
Returned to the wild unharmed.
Such a simple trick, but it has such a lovely effect! I will have to try it some time
Tegan - Melbourne Vic.
First the Breakfast Bowl. Then the Super Bowl. And now the Spider Bowl. Very inventive, Rick.
an update guys, we just had a huge male Huntsman right above my head, my sister said I have a huge spider above my head, I didn't belive her, she is always doing that, she knows I'm scared of spiders, so I'm just like huh yeah right! Once I see one huntsman in the house I'm paranoid that they are all over the place!
Tegan - Melbourne Vic.
I agree great idea for a thread. I have jst bought a Macro lense so I am starting to take more photos of spiders than birds lately.
The first I think is a Wrap Around Spider. Either that or just a Garden Orb during the day.
The next is a Garden Orb at Night Eating. The last one is a Jumping Spider but not sure which one.
I have so many more spider photos to go through yet, I look forward to seeing more.
Those mouse spiders look like a force to be recond with.
Awesome shots Devster! I love the jumping spider.
Not many spiders around here at the moment. I suspect the intense dry spell has curtailed their activities as well as their populations.
It never ceases to amaze me how water is so critical to wildlife (as well as human) abundance. But what is also amazing, at least in Australia, is how, in spite of so much of our great nation being arid, there is so much wildlife which has adapted to that aridity.
Golden Orb Weaver in our gareden...note the male sneaking up...
That is an awesome shot SX2002, here is another weaver - WA Nephila edulis female (Edible golden silk spider) to be exact :)
Tegan - Melbourne Vic.
Thanks Tegan...she lived in our garden for a few months and one day I went put to check on her and she was gone, web and all...
She must of moved on, the male is so tiny, he had better watch out if does not want to get eaten, his abdomen looks like a mini red jelly bean!
Tegan - Melbourne Vic.
Nice work Devster, especially like the last. You do know you should be out birding though :-)
Thanks Tim & Rick
Lol Rick I agree, thats why I only do it when I am not birding not instead of birding.
Oh, I'm slowly convincing my wife I need to head down that way this year for some birds, whats the best time?
Some sort of jumping spider, although I am not sure which one.
M.M.
Bird Lover, what sort of size is that spider?
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
M.M.
Heard this on the radio today. Encouraging really, in 2016 new species are being discovered. Orange Peacock Spider
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-06/orange-gold-for-citizen-science-peacock-spider-buffs/7304180
Ipswich Shire Eastern flanks
Peacock Spiders featured on the ABC TV News a couple of nights ago. I'd never heard of or seen them but the presenter said they're quite small & common, especially in south east Australia. Evolution certainly produced a pile of stunners in this lot! And the humans in our household found the courtship antics of the males most entertaining!