Spiders.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Hey SMS!!!

The one I saw,the more menacing looking one looked like the one in the pic on the left mate!

..you bring back memories for me

Both are quite common if you live in the rural areas of Singapore. I ran into them more often that I liked while mowing my lawn in Seletar Airbase over a 15 year period.

[banana]

ummm...why does the yellowish one on the right have 7 legs?

[Baron Greenback]

cos it was down boat quay & got legless!! boom boom!

[banana]

funny, it's the same punchline as "A baby harp seal walks into a club"

[Bubbles]

Thankyou guys for all the info, very useful, now I know where to start looking for more info. The dark coloured spider was the one, I think.

I knew I wasn't imagining the size of the beast I saw. We get pretty chunky house spiders back here in the UK, but NOTHING like the size of the ones we had in Singapore.

Another time we got a large one was when my brother in law and mum in law came over for hols and we were all going to the Saint David's Day Ball, and he'd brought his dinner jacket suit.

When it was evening and time to put it on he shouted from his room, 'Come on kids, who's put this plastic spider on my suit?'

Of course, it wasn't a joke one, but a real one, and a biggie. Stuck right on the front of his jacket. Again the maid came to our rescue, but we needed stiff brandies before going out after that. Kept thinking, 'Where are it's brothers and sisters?'

Yuk, yuk, yuk. Even our cat wouldn't go near them.

That was when we lived in Carlton Terrace, on Holland Road near juction where there used to be two petrol stations....before the flyover came. It was very jungly out the back, not enough for monkeys, but snakes, spiders and monitor lizards all used to trot in.

In fact, a big monitor lizard got into someones house, police called, caught it and took it to the zoo, I think. Great memories.

[EADG]

check this out: http://www.snopes.com/photos/bugs/camelspider.asp

see links at the bottom for more

[Bubbles]

OK, I rarely swear, so turn away now if you don't like bad words.....


EADG............that pic of the soldiers with the two camel spiders......


Shit, shit, bloody hell.

F.....ing hell actually.

Please God I never ever see one in real life, camel spider that is.

URRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH.

[sundaymorningstaple]

OK, I rarely swear, so turn away now if you don't like bad words.....


EADG............that pic of the soldiers with the two camel spiders......


Shit, shit, bloody hell.

F.....ing hell actually.

Please God I never ever see one in real life, camel spider that is.

URRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Be thankful it's not one of these:

Robber Crab
And this is not trick photography. They are good to eat as well. I have eaten them in while in Ternate in the Molucca Islands of Indonesia

[Bubbles]

Now, you see, that pic doesn't scare me, so what is it about spiders that make them so loathsome? I know, I know, they're one of God's creatures, but urrgh....

I think it's their unpredicability and their speed.....


And their hairiness and their total difference from us as a species....


uuuurrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

[dot dot dot]

this one I ate. When on travel through the Amazon, we had a native / Indigenous guide, who took a small stick, looked for the holes in the ground, kneel down, put the little stick inside the hole and move it around. In 8 out of 10 cases, the spider would come out, angry and all. The guide would then put another slightly bigger stick right on the back of the spider, take one leg after the other, fold it and put it carefully (alive) in a big banana leave, tighten and close it with rope and then the whole thing would be bbq-ed. The meat is like chicken, white and tasty, not bad at all. The guide used the two giant teeth of the spider later as toothpicks.

Seriously, I only overcame my fear for these giants after this experience.

Eric

[Baron Greenback]

Seriously, I only overcame my fear for these giants after this experience.

Eric, - that is one way I suppose, I am not too bothered by spiders, although my girlfriend has me on constant spider watch. I have to deal with all the 8 legged guys that wonder in.

We were once eating at a hawker place in Siglap, I looked up & there was one in her hair, not massive. I just smiled at her & reached for her face as a gentle caress & then plucked the little guy & threw him away. Any other reaction like "Oh my god ! there is a spider in your hair!" would have resulted in screaming & jumping & food going everywhere - I felt quite the hero

[dot dot dot]

exactly the reason why we moved out of Siglap 4 months ago...

You go Siglap often? Love the area, despite the spiders!

Eric

[samantha]

I love spiders.. Legs, Hair, eyes and all... Haha.. And Geckos are my SPECIAL favourites... I go mad at the sight of them.. I'll just tear after them like a mad woman... Catch them and toss them out the window...

Mission accomplished.. and I'll collect my 50c reward from my mum later.. My home has no insects around at all...

[Bubbles]

Samantha, you have now been lifted into the 'she's a wonderful woman' category. All us peeps who hate spiders love you. Do you know, you could start a business out of those skills? Advertise in the Straits Times as 'Spiderwoman, I love 'em, you hate 'em, I catch 'em for you.'

And 50c, no chance ...... got to be at least a buck each.

I'd pay you ten dollars if a big one was in my house, maybe 50 if I had it cos they make me feel sick, I have to admit. That's why this kiddies story I'm doing has them in, to try to get even one child to think of them as fun.......

Urrghh.

[samantha]

well spiders are fun.. but i still prefer gekos.. pity i can't find snakes easily... Haha

if i'm in such a high demand and there is a short supply of people like me, i should apply the rule of economics and charge $2 for each miserable creepy crawlie i catch... Haha

who wants to hire me?!