Australia continues to horrify the world

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**ZergSmasher**

I've never understood why so many people hate spiders. They really aren't that scary. In fact, they are fascinating creatures. Now, poisonous ones should be killed for safety's sake, but others are actually helpful to mankind in that they eat nuisance insects like flies and stuff.

On a side note, my mother is one woman who is totally unafraid of spiders. In fact, she used to go catch crickets and throw them in a spider's web just to watch the spider wrap the poor thing up and start eating it. I always liked watching it too!

**LordofHats**

ZergSmasher wrote:
I've never understood why so many people hate spiders. They really aren't that scary. In fact, they are fascinating creatures. Now, poisonous ones should be killed for safety's sake, but others are actually helpful to mankind in that they eat nuisance insects like flies and stuff.

Hey man. They know the rules. We laid it out in the Hats-Spider Treaty of 88. They stay where I can't see them, and they get to live

**NinthMusketeer**

ZergSmasher wrote:
I've never understood why so many people hate spiders. They really aren't that scary. In fact, they are fascinating creatures. Now, poisonous ones should be killed for safety's sake, but others are actually helpful to mankind in that they eat nuisance insects like flies and stuff.

Because it's socially acceptable to be afraid of spiders. Many people are afraid of many things, but as they grow up/mature/get on with life people get over those fears. With spiders this is much less likely to happen as there is no social stigma against it, and even a certain degree of subconscious peer pressure for those who have a desire to 'fit in' and be afraid of spiders like everyone else.

**jhe90**

NinthMusketeer wrote:
ZergSmasher wrote:
I've never understood why so many people hate spiders. They really aren't that scary. In fact, they are fascinating creatures. Now, poisonous ones should be killed for safety's sake, but others are actually helpful to mankind in that they eat nuisance insects like flies and stuff.
Because it's socially acceptable to be afraid of spiders. Many people are afraid of many things, but as they grow up/mature/get on with life people get over those fears. With spiders this is much less likely to happen as there is no social stigma against it, and even a certain degree of subconscious peer pressure for those who have a desire to 'fit in' and be afraid of spiders like everyone else.

The UK idea of spider is very different to Australia.

**angelofvengeance**

ZergSmasher wrote:
I've never understood why so many people hate spiders. They really aren't that scary. In fact, they are fascinating creatures. Now, poisonous ones should be killed for safety's sake, but others are actually helpful to mankind in that they eat nuisance insects like flies and stuff.

On a side note, my mother is one woman who is totally unafraid of spiders. In fact, she used to go catch crickets and throw them in a spider's web just to watch the spider wrap the poor thing up and start eating it. I always liked watching it too!

There are some spiders that you should rightfully be afraid of, and in Oz, that's most of them lol.

**Rootbeard**

The fear of spiders has been overblown to the point of absurdity. You shouldn't go sticking your hands into jars of angry arachnids, but there are faaaaar fewer recorded deaths from even the "deadliest" spiders, and even those are mostly because the victim was really young, really old, or had pre-existing conditions. You'd expect something like the the brown recluse spider to have killed dozens-- hundreds by now, but the number of fatalities is... zero.

And nobody in Australia has died from a spider in forty years. C'mon, people, if you're going to go around bragging about how you survive all these deadly animals on a daily basis, make sure they're actually within your lifetime...

**-Loki-**

Rootbeard wrote:
The fear of spiders has been overblown to the point of absurdity.

Well no, people just have phobias, and Arachnophobia is fairly common. I live in Australia, and regularly have to kill Red Backs which love to set up shop in the area we moved to. I'm also an Arachnophobic, so they illicit a fairly unreasonably bad reaction from me, even simple house spiders. A Huntsman, which is by rights harmless to humans (though it'll give a pretty painful bite if provoked) gives me the heebie jeebies.

**LordofHats**

Rootbeard wrote:
You'd expect something like the the brown recluse spider to have killed dozens-- hundreds by now, but the number of fatalities is... zero.

I think the Brown Recluse is more feared for its ability to induce rather severe necrosis (potentially life long damaging) in human flesh rather than kill.

**AllSeeingSkink**

Fear of spiders is overblown, but they do look fething creepy even if their danger is over exaggerated. I'd suggest most people are scared of any creepy crawly over a couple of centimetres large.

Also it's probably a good idea to instil a bit of fear in to kids because we'd likely have more spider deaths if kids went and played in red back nests all the time.

Improving medicine has helped, these days if you get bitten and have a reaction you aren't just left to die, they pump you full of antihistamine and antivenom.

Someone did die from a redback bite a few months ago, but it's been nearly 40 years since the last one before that. It usually has to be some reaction that causes death or the bite being near something vital where the swelling can cause death. A lot of people get bitten and just have some pain and sweating for a while and then it goes away.

You're probably better off being afraid of snakes, sharks and jellyfish. But even then Australian animals aren't all that dangerous, probably just the proximity and frequency freaks people out.

**SagesStone**

It's the necrosis thing that some of the types of venom can do that scares me, I've punched spiders as they've dropped on me before as reflex lol.

**Spetulhu**

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Fear of spiders is overblown.

You're probably better off being afraid of snakes, sharks and jellyfish. But even then Australian animals aren't all that dangerous, probably just the proximity and frequency freaks people out.

Well, as far as I recall the deadliest Aussie spider isn't actually capable of killing humans with it's venom, it's just big and scary and likes to hang out in cars. Aye, that huntsman spider in the first post. It would ofc be hard to estimate how many people it has killed since it's not likely to hang around a traffic accident scene etc gloating.

**AllSeeingSkink**

Aren't the only necrotising spiders brown recluses? Which aren't native to Australia anyway (no idea how common they are over here).

**SagesStone**

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Aren't the only necrotising spiders brown recluses? Which aren't native to Australia anyway (no idea how common they are over here).

No idea, I just really don't like the look of that stuff but it'd the main reason I tend to be cautious of any spiders I know to be venomous so it can't be that bad to be. Just kind of treat them like snakes, I don't mess with them and leave them be while being a bit cautious and keeping my distance.

**djones520**

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Aren't the only necrotising spiders brown recluses? Which aren't native to Australia anyway (no idea how common they are over here).

No, there are numerous types. None in Australia though, after a cursory google search.

**Nostromodamus**

Pretty sure the cute things like Koalas and Kangaroos are just there to lure people into going there as food for the rest of the fauna.

**AllSeeingSkink**

n0t_u wrote:
AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Aren't the only necrotising spiders brown recluses? Which aren't native to Australia anyway (no idea how common they are over here).

No idea, I just really don't like the look of that stuff but it'd the main reason I tend to be cautious of any spiders I know to be venomous so it can't be that bad to be. Just kind of treat them like snakes, I don't mess with them and leave them be while being a bit cautious and keeping my distance.

Well snakes are legitimately a bit more dangerous. I think a couple of people die each year from snake bites in Australia. 4 of the top 10 most venomous snakes are Australian. Eastern Browns are particularly dangerous and if you piss one off they may very well chase you down to bite you.

People used to think the white tail had necrotising venom, but I don't believe it does.

**MarsNZ**

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

People used to think the white tail had necrotising venom, but I don't believe it does.

We have white-tails in NZ and there's people who say it does and people who say it doesn't cause necrosis. I've been bitten by one and it wasn't really a huge deal, but my dad got bitten on his foot and was down for over a week. I guess it could be an age thing, I maintain a genocidal policy towards any I happen to find.

**Farseer Anath'lan**

The one time I got bitten by a white tail it infected really quick and hard, with antibiotics+cream prescribed, but nothing serious. Provided you get it checked out you'll be fine-same goes for most spiders.

A couple of papers I found indicates no link between spp. Lampona and necrosis. Apparently most spiders we accuse of necrosis are innocent, and the ones that do cause necrosis 'only' cause dermonecrosis-not life threatening.

**LordofHats**

djones520 wrote:
AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Aren't the only necrotising spiders brown recluses? Which aren't native to Australia anyway (no idea how common they are over here).

No, there are numerous types. None in Australia though, after a cursory google search.

I think the "Recluse" family are the only ones proven to be able to do it, and they're mostly native to the Americas.

There's lots of other spiders thought to cause it but evidence is inconclusive. Some spiders have been historically blamed but are now known not to be capable of it (Wolf Spiders)

**Kilkrazy**

I like spiders.

I won't go so far as to chucking other creatures into their web but basically I don't like to kill living creatures willy-nilly (for obvious reasons this does not extend to viruses and bacteria when washing hands and so on.)

Britain, of course, is almost the safest country in the world. No earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, no major wildlife and no poisonous creatures except for the adder (non-lethal), and weaverfish.

That said, I almost ran over a deer or wild pig yesterday morning, so it isn't all hunky-dory. (Feral escaped domesticated wild boars are probably the most dangerous creature running wild in the UK today.)

**Cat_astrophe**

whembly wrote:
Frazzled wrote:
They are tricksy. They're just waiting for you to get close then WHAM not only do they bite your head off but they give your corpse a VD as a final insult.

Australia, where the Flora says feth YOU with a beer in each hand.

Drop Bears man... they're the worst:

There goes my joke! I'm always so late about these things.

**Frazzled**

jhe90 wrote:
NinthMusketeer wrote:
ZergSmasher wrote:
I've never understood why so many people hate spiders. They really aren't that scary. In fact, they are fascinating creatures. Now, poisonous ones should be killed for safety's sake, but others are actually helpful to mankind in that they eat nuisance insects like flies and stuff.
Because it's socially acceptable to be afraid of spiders. Many people are afraid of many things, but as they grow up/mature/get on with life people get over those fears. With spiders this is much less likely to happen as there is no social stigma against it, and even a certain degree of subconscious peer pressure for those who have a desire to 'fit in' and be afraid of spiders like everyone else.

The UK idea of spider is very different to Australia.

I will admit, spiders aint got nothing on scorpions on the Frazzled NightmareRUNSCREAMINGLIKEALITTLEGIRL O Meter.

**chromedog**

Farseer Anath'lan wrote:
The one time I got bitten by a white tail it infected really quick and hard, with antibiotics+cream prescribed, but nothing serious. Provided you get it checked out you'll be fine-same goes for most spiders.

A couple of papers I found indicates no link between spp. Lampona and necrosis. Apparently most spiders we accuse of necrosis are innocent, and the ones that do cause necrosis 'only' cause dermonecrosis-not life threatening.

Yup, no DOCUMENTED and accredited reports of white-tail bites becoming necrotic.
They had an actual spider expert on a science show I listened to recently, and she also covered it.
We've had the usual yearly panic-viral facebook posts about the recluse spider and bites here, but we don't actually have them here, as they are native to SW USA.

There ARE reports of the white-tail bites going untreated, and becoming infected with staph. aureus, though (which lives on your skin, normally, and doesn't do much. When it gets into your bloodstream, then **** gets real, though).

**reds8n**

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-37819712

Australians mourn tree that 'failed' university students

TBF -- the tree if not magical is at least faraway so half way there !

Is it the end of an era, or a new chapter in a beloved mythology?
The sudden collapse of the University of Sydney's famed jacaranda tree has triggered a wave of grief in Australia, with staff and alumni mourning a key piece of campus folklore.
The 18m-wide tree had been at the centre of university life and graduation photos since arriving in the main quadrangle 88 years ago.
It was also steeped in superstition. A popular myth asserted that undergraduates would fail their exams if they neglected to study before the tree's first bloom, typically in October or November.
Lots of emotion for one tree
The university deemed the collapse seismic enough to send out a press release on Saturday, declaring it was "saddened to advise" the tree had toppled over during the night.
The news quickly trended on social media, with tributes saluting the "most famous tree in Australian education" as "majestic" and the university's "only redeeming feature". Its death was a "tragedy".
"I have walked past it and appreciated its branches hundreds, if not thousands, of times during my life," medical student Sarah Brennan wrote, sharing this photo she had taken the day before:

Journalist Annabel Crabb said: "This is very sad news from overnight. But Lordy, I hope when I keel over I look this beautiful."
Lecturer David Smith wrote: "RIP jacaranda, which had a truly great life."
The exam myth
The jacaranda was planted in 1928 by Professor Gowie (EG) Waterhouse after a series of mischievous false starts, according Dr Craig Barker, who manages heritage tours of the university.
Prof Wodehouse envisaged a campus covered in jacarandas, but each time one was planted it would be mysteriously uprooted.
"Often it was students who were accused of pranks but many years later a number of university staff admitted on their retirement dinner that they had taken saplings/seedlings home with them," Dr Barker told the BBC.
The tree we know today even had two failed plantings before taking hold, he said.
The exam myth soon followed, passed down eagerly through the generations of students. It was not often taken seriously but there "was always a slight tinge of panic and urgency" when the first purple flowers appeared, Dr Barker said.
The study tactic seemed to work for Australian author Peter FitzSimons.
"In 1980, I saw it was blooming, and realised I hadn't yet started studying. Went to my room, and emerged six weeks later. PASSED!" he tweeted.
Fortunately for future generations, the university took cuttings from the ailing tree in 2014 so it could one day be replaced.
"Students are reminded that the current tree had begun to bloom and we wish them all well for their final weeks of study for 2016," the university statement concluded.

That's actually quite a sweet little tale.

**AllSeeingSkink**

reds8n wrote:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-37819712

Australians mourn tree that 'failed' university students

I'm sure 99.99% of Australians were never aware of that tree's existence

**Frazzled**

They just knew to instinctively not stand under it, to avoid killer drop bears.

**chromedog**

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
reds8n wrote:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-37819712

Australians mourn tree that 'failed' university students
I'm sure 99.99% of Australians were never aware of that tree's existence

I ATTENDED that uni, and was never actually aware of it.

I don't actually miss the 2 years I spent there before realising that it wasn't the place for me.

Peter Fitzsimons starts studying 6 weeks before his exams - and yet somehow the "magic" of the tree is responsible for his passing his course?
I never understood superstitions and doubt I ever will - and USyd students have a lot of silly superstitions.
It was a badge of honour in the 90s to have your student email linked to the library system - as a Yourname @ LUSyd (lucid) address actually made it seem like you were relatively clear headed.

**BigWaaagh**

Meanwhile, back on the Death World...

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/offbeat/terrifying-image-of-giant-spider-goes-viral/ar-AAjRrZk?li=BBnb4R7&ocid=ASUDHP

**chromedog**

The spider is only about 4" across (broom for reference scaling).

Yes, it's a big huntsman.
Ye, they don't often get that big normally (the bigger you are, the more easily you are picked off by predators - and we have quite a few birds that love spiders).

It's a QLD (tropics) thing. A lot of their spiders are larger than southern state ones. They also have native tarantulas (mygalomorphs). The orb weavers they have are scary enough (with a leg span the size of your hand).

Also the green-ants that build nests in trees and sting anyone who threatens them (easy enough to do on a tropical bushwalk on any of the reef islands).

**Spinner**

Nostromodamus wrote:
Pretty sure the cute things like Koalas and Kangaroos are just there to lure people into going there as food for the rest of the fauna.

What do you mean 'rest of the fauna'?