Redback Spider

missgecko · Post by **missgecko** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 12:43 am

A photo of a redback spider I found under the doorstep to my hubby's shed. Redbacks appeared to flourish last summer so I hope that's not going to be the case this summer. I've also known they have red on their backs but until this photo I didn't realise they had it underneath as well. Because redbacks are extremely poisonous, I didn't take took much care while taking the photo, so the quality is not good. It didn't appreciate the photo shoot. They are the only spider I get rid of but only if they're close to the house, oh, and White Tips too. If I find one of those IN the house they're history.

Cheers

Cyclops · Post by **Cyclops** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:07 am

Fabulous, I love these tthings! I know someone who keeps these in his house. No cage just a dead cactus stuck to the wall.
There's an interesting chapter in a book called The Red Hourglass about a guy who gets himself bit by one as an experriment,making notes of the venom's effect!

missgecko · Post by **missgecko** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:42 am

Keeping a redback in a house in a dead cactus

The mind boggles!!!! The Red Hourglass sounds interesting - I'm presuming the fellow was able to write up his results before shuffling off his mortal coil.

Cheers

Cyclops · Post by **Cyclops** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:46 am

missgecko wrote:Keeping a redback in a house in a dead cactus The mind boggles!!!! The Red Hourglass sounds interesting - I'm presuming the fellow was able to write up his results before shuffling off his mortal coil.

Cheers

Yea it was a fascinating read. Take a look:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/disp ... ew=excerpt

missgecko · Post by **missgecko** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 5:43 pm

Thanks Cyclops. I'd love to get hold of that book, so will check it out. The guy who writes it has a beautiful way with words and considering he's talking about creepy crawlies with venom, that's pretty impressive. His writing reminds me of Nick Cave. Apart from singing (sighh

) Cave has written books and has the same beautiful way with words.

Cheers

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:23 pm

I don't see very many of these things, thank goodness, though they are beautiful in some respects. However, if I do come across one, even knowing of their ecological importance, they are "history!" Great photo by the way, even for a careless one, as you say.

Cyclops · Post by **Cyclops** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 1:10 am

missgecko wrote:Thanks Cyclops. I'd love to get hold of that book, so will check it out. The guy who writes it has a beautiful way with words and considering he's talking about creepy crawlies with venom, that's pretty impressive. His writing reminds me of Nick Cave. Apart from singing (sighh ) Cave has written books and has the same beautiful way with words.

Cheers

It doesn't just deal with inverts,but also has chapters on the wolf, the pig etc.
Nick Cave, hmmm my other half hates that song he did with Kylie Minogue

missgecko · Post by **missgecko** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 1:39 am

Thanks Ken. They really are quite spectacular, what with the black and red contrast. A few years back we had plastic chairs on the deck stacked up over winter. Got them out for summer, cleaned them with a hose and put them around the table on the deck. I knocked one of them over and lurking underneath was a redback. Realising how close one of us came to putting a hand on it while pulling the chair in, was somewhat creepy. Another reason why we always check boots or garden gloves before putting them on. You just never know. I have shoved a pretty big huntsman into the toe of my golashes. My heart has only just stopped thumping and that was a couple of years ago.

Cyclops - yes, the singing budgie. It wasn't one of St. Nick's finest moments.

Cheers

Cyclops · Post by **Cyclops** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 4:35 am

missgecko wrote:

Cyclops - yes, the singing budgie. It wasn't one of St. Nick's finest moments.
Cheers

She's a Kylie fan, has all her albums. I only like sone of her later stuff and strangely I like that song with Nick Cave!

P_T · Post by **P_T** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 9:06 am

Very nice shot of this spider. It really is one of the hardest subject to shoot, not because of its venom, but because it's contrasting black and red colours. If you pump up the exposure, the red channel will be blown.

This spider is very timid and doesn't like too much light. One touch of the web and it's gone. Too many flash burts and it's gone as well. Then you'd have to wait for it to come back out again.

Anyway, sorry for rambling...