I've read about the J'ba Fofi or Jba F'ofi or however it's spelt, this is the pygmy-sized tarantula like spider reported in the Congo. I think Monsterquest did an episode where they spent part of it in the Congo - some said it was the size of a small-medium sized dog like a smaller spaniel, others said the size of a pygmy human. Apparently it spins its webs in between trees and chases prey into the 'net' if you like. I dont think a spider could realistically get that big BUT if someone was to find a spider there with a 15-20inch legspan it would not surprise me at all. Most myths and legends are sparked by a dash of truth, after all.
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I was about to say there is a physical limit to the size insects and arachnids can grow to (thank God!) because they don't have lungs but spiracles. I thought I'd better check though as I'm relying on 20 year old 'O' Level Biology. And I was wrong. From Wiki:
"Insects and some more advanced spiders have spiracles on their exoskeletons to allow air to enter the trachea.[2] In insects, the tracheal tubes primarily deliver oxygen directly into the animals' tissues. The spiracles can be opened and closed in an efficient manner to reduce water loss. This is done by contracting closer muscles surrounding the spiracle. In order to open, the muscle relaxes. The closer muscle is controlled by the central nervous system but can also react to localized chemical stimuli. Several aquatic insects have similar or alternative closing methods to prevent water from entering the trachea. In spiders, however, the oxygen diffuses into the hemolymph.[3] A similar diffusion effect also occurs in some insect caterpillars. In these groups the respiration is more reminiscent of lungs. In spiders and other arachnids they have structures called book lungs."
I'm off out now to buy a tin of Raid. :shock:
"Insects and some more advanced spiders have spiracles on their exoskeletons to allow air to enter the trachea.[2] In insects, the tracheal tubes primarily deliver oxygen directly into the animals' tissues. The spiracles can be opened and closed in an efficient manner to reduce water loss. This is done by contracting closer muscles surrounding the spiracle. In order to open, the muscle relaxes. The closer muscle is controlled by the central nervous system but can also react to localized chemical stimuli. Several aquatic insects have similar or alternative closing methods to prevent water from entering the trachea. In spiders, however, the oxygen diffuses into the hemolymph.[3] A similar diffusion effect also occurs in some insect caterpillars. In these groups the respiration is more reminiscent of lungs. In spiders and other arachnids they have structures called book lungs."
I'm off out now to buy a tin of Raid. :shock:
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danny_cogdon said:
Pass it on - arachnids can read.
bosskR
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Don’t be afraid, I’m sure book lungs aren’t enough either to power giant spiders! I can’t point to an external source right now (not real easy to find as most spider experts don’t spend their time speculating about giant spiders I suppose) but it feels like that’s what I’ve always read.danny_cogdon said:
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Fossilised spider 'biggest on record'
By Jonathan Amos, Science correspondent, BBC News
Scientists have described a Chinese spider they say is the biggest fossilised arachnid yet found.
The female, which lived about 165 million years ago, belongs to a collection of spiders well known today - the golden orb weavers.
These creatures make webs from a very tough and distinctively golden silk.
The researchers tell the journal Biology Letters that Nephila jurassica, as they have called their specimen, would have had a leg span of some 15cm.
"She is the largest known fossil spider," said Professor Paul Selden from the University of Kansas, US.
"Her body is not the biggest, but if you add in her long legs then she's the largest," he told BBC News.
Today's Nephila species are found around the globe in tropical and sub-tropical regions.
Until this new fossil turned up in Inner Mongolia, the most ancient example from this grouping, or genus, was about 35 million years old.
So, this discovery pushes the existence of the Nephila back to the Jurassic Period, making them the longest ranging spider genus known.
No-one can say for sure how this particular arachnid met her end, but she may have succumbed to a natural catastrophe.
The spider was encased in volcanic ash at the bottom of what would have been a lake. Perhaps the ash fall from an eruption pulled her from her web and smothered her. Whatever the circumstances of the spider's end, the preservation of detail today is exquisite.
"You see not just the hairs on the legs but little things like the trichobothria which are very, very fine. They're used to detect air vibrations. There's a very distinct group of them and they're a very distinct size which is typical of this genus, Nephila," Professor Selden explained.
Nephila females today weave some of the largest orb webs known, up to 1.5m in diameter. The great prowess of the females stands in stark contrast to the rather diminutive males of the genus. Their small form make the females look like giants.
This disparity in size is an example of what biologists refer to as extreme sexual dimorphism.
Professor Selden and his colleagues are keen to find out whether this characteristic holds true for the ancient Nephila, too.
"The previous oldest Nephilid is a male from the Cretaceous Period found in Spain. That male is normal sized, whereas in the present day the females are giants," the Kansas scientist said.
"So, it looks like we may have this dimorphism going back this great length of time. We'd like to find a male in the deposit to confirm this. All the evidence would suggest the male would be normal size, but we haven't yet located one."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13134505
By Jonathan Amos, Science correspondent, BBC News
Scientists have described a Chinese spider they say is the biggest fossilised arachnid yet found.
The female, which lived about 165 million years ago, belongs to a collection of spiders well known today - the golden orb weavers.
These creatures make webs from a very tough and distinctively golden silk.
The researchers tell the journal Biology Letters that Nephila jurassica, as they have called their specimen, would have had a leg span of some 15cm.
"She is the largest known fossil spider," said Professor Paul Selden from the University of Kansas, US.
"Her body is not the biggest, but if you add in her long legs then she's the largest," he told BBC News.
Today's Nephila species are found around the globe in tropical and sub-tropical regions.
Until this new fossil turned up in Inner Mongolia, the most ancient example from this grouping, or genus, was about 35 million years old.
So, this discovery pushes the existence of the Nephila back to the Jurassic Period, making them the longest ranging spider genus known.
No-one can say for sure how this particular arachnid met her end, but she may have succumbed to a natural catastrophe.
The spider was encased in volcanic ash at the bottom of what would have been a lake. Perhaps the ash fall from an eruption pulled her from her web and smothered her. Whatever the circumstances of the spider's end, the preservation of detail today is exquisite.
"You see not just the hairs on the legs but little things like the trichobothria which are very, very fine. They're used to detect air vibrations. There's a very distinct group of them and they're a very distinct size which is typical of this genus, Nephila," Professor Selden explained.
Nephila females today weave some of the largest orb webs known, up to 1.5m in diameter. The great prowess of the females stands in stark contrast to the rather diminutive males of the genus. Their small form make the females look like giants.
This disparity in size is an example of what biologists refer to as extreme sexual dimorphism.
Professor Selden and his colleagues are keen to find out whether this characteristic holds true for the ancient Nephila, too.
"The previous oldest Nephilid is a male from the Cretaceous Period found in Spain. That male is normal sized, whereas in the present day the females are giants," the Kansas scientist said.
"So, it looks like we may have this dimorphism going back this great length of time. We'd like to find a male in the deposit to confirm this. All the evidence would suggest the male would be normal size, but we haven't yet located one."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13134505
Congo spider
"Congo indigenous peoples claim the spider was once a common encounter but has since become a rare sight, though still seen on occassion."(1) How hard is it to believe in the credibility of their existence? If oxygen is the issue, well, they live in an oxygen invested environment, aka a rain forest. If prey is an issue, there are a smorgesboard of small game available. If lack of sightings are the claim, well the Congolese rainforest is pretty scarsley populated and the fact being, the indigenous people know of theyr existence, a populate of every day living, and European visitors have claimed such sightings, unprovoked. All of which sheds extreme creedence to the existence of such archnids. All scientific speculation is moot in the absence of evidence, for or against, and the only tangible knowledge is the testimony of the indigenous people. And if they say something is real, than, in all probabilty, that something is.
(1)http://beforeitsnews.com/story/130/421/Terrifying_giant_5-foot_spiders_spotted_in_Congo.html
"Congo indigenous peoples claim the spider was once a common encounter but has since become a rare sight, though still seen on occassion."(1) How hard is it to believe in the credibility of their existence? If oxygen is the issue, well, they live in an oxygen invested environment, aka a rain forest. If prey is an issue, there are a smorgesboard of small game available. If lack of sightings are the claim, well the Congolese rainforest is pretty scarsley populated and the fact being, the indigenous people know of theyr existence, a populate of every day living, and European visitors have claimed such sightings, unprovoked. All of which sheds extreme creedence to the existence of such archnids. All scientific speculation is moot in the absence of evidence, for or against, and the only tangible knowledge is the testimony of the indigenous people. And if they say something is real, than, in all probabilty, that something is.
(1)http://beforeitsnews.com/story/130/421/Terrifying_giant_5-foot_spiders_spotted_in_Congo.html
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Giant spiders (and other air-breathing arthropods - that includes insects) were more plausible hundreds of millions of years ago because there was more oxygen in the atmosphere. There is NOT significantly more oxygen in the air in a rain-forest than there is anywhere else in the world at approximately sea level - if there was, humans who attempted to live in these regions would experience sever medical problems, and, if the excess of oxygen was sufficient to allow spiders of the size claimed to thrive there to actually do so, die.
This entire thread was effectively cleared up over a decade ago when this same rebuttal was made to the original posters, who, I cannot help noticing, cant spel to wel. This is your classic "Forteans are idiots" crap which relies on the assumption that either a) all folklore is true and all science is wrong, or b) creatures with infinite superpowers exist that can take any form they wish and do absolutely anything for trivial reasons because if they can't I'm wrong (the "Cosmic Joker" theory, aka "The Very Last Resort When All Sensible Arguments Fail" theory).
Perhaps it's worth mentioning that these very same pigmies who believe that unfeasibly massive spiders exist believe equally sincerely in a magic talking chimpanzee that can kill you just by looking you straight in the eye.
I'm not being racist in the slightest. I am Scottish, and it isn't so very long since my ancestors believed in (amongst other things), the Blue Men of the Minch, a race of seriously over-testosterone-fueled male mermen (of the blue variety, obviously) who destroyed ships for no particular reason off the West coast of Scotland, in an area well known for unpredictable weather and severe tides plus spiky rocks, just because "the Little Mermaid's evil twin did it!" is a far better story than "navigational errors sometimes occur in seriously treacherous waters".
All I'm saying is, as soon as Forteans start talking about things which physically cannot be true, they need to justify these claims incredibly well (and being basically literate does help), otherwise it's just a joke. And not a particularly good one.
This entire thread was effectively cleared up over a decade ago when this same rebuttal was made to the original posters, who, I cannot help noticing, cant spel to wel. This is your classic "Forteans are idiots" crap which relies on the assumption that either a) all folklore is true and all science is wrong, or b) creatures with infinite superpowers exist that can take any form they wish and do absolutely anything for trivial reasons because if they can't I'm wrong (the "Cosmic Joker" theory, aka "The Very Last Resort When All Sensible Arguments Fail" theory).
Perhaps it's worth mentioning that these very same pigmies who believe that unfeasibly massive spiders exist believe equally sincerely in a magic talking chimpanzee that can kill you just by looking you straight in the eye.
I'm not being racist in the slightest. I am Scottish, and it isn't so very long since my ancestors believed in (amongst other things), the Blue Men of the Minch, a race of seriously over-testosterone-fueled male mermen (of the blue variety, obviously) who destroyed ships for no particular reason off the West coast of Scotland, in an area well known for unpredictable weather and severe tides plus spiky rocks, just because "the Little Mermaid's evil twin did it!" is a far better story than "navigational errors sometimes occur in seriously treacherous waters".
All I'm saying is, as soon as Forteans start talking about things which physically cannot be true, they need to justify these claims incredibly well (and being basically literate does help), otherwise it's just a joke. And not a particularly good one.
kamalktk
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The coconut crab is an arthropod, and weighs up to 4.1 kg and is up to a meter in length. They eat coconuts, by cutting them open with their claws to get at the inside.MistyMisterWisty said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_crab
Here's pics.
ramonmercado
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Anonymous said:
They have something called "book lungs" two of them, located in the abdomen. They also have two trachea. The numbers vary from species to species.
Their legs use a hydraulic system, to make them move, with valves that shut off the flow when they drop a leg.
I've got one tarantula, that came to me, with only two legs, I had to assist feed it and it's fine now.
Spiders also don't have true blood.
ramonmercado
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bigphoot1 said:
Heh, heh!
Mythopoeika
I am a meat popsicle
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I can't believe the amount of hysteria about asbestos ('asbestos-infected', indeed). 
Asbestos removal is a big racket these days.
My Dad's garage has an asbestos roof. Should that whole building be condemned? Jeez, it's in perfect condition and is no harm to anybody.
Asbestos removal is a big racket these days.
My Dad's garage has an asbestos roof. Should that whole building be condemned? Jeez, it's in perfect condition and is no harm to anybody.
Mythopoeika
I am a meat popsicle
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Brimir said:
Yes! Good point.
Thought to be honest, if the spider has been exposed to asbestos, I wouldn't think it would be alive much longer after. Spiders are very sensitive to chemicals, to the point where deodorant can kill them if it's sprayed in the same room.
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Asbestos is a human carcinogen, but does it also affect spiders?Brimir said:
And everything material is 'chemicals', including all of us and our various secretions!
If spiders are 'very sensitive to chemicals', it's amazing they're such a succesful species!rynner2 said:Asbestos is a human carcinogen, but does it also affect spiders?Brimir said:
And everything material is 'chemicals', including all of us and our various secretions!
I used the word "chemical" in a very general sense and should have been a bit more specific :lol:
I have asked around some of my more knowledgeable friends, and the general consensus is whilst the carcinogen effect isn't gonna be a problem for a spider, the asbestos is certainly not going to do it any favours
ramonmercado
CyberPunk
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Mythopoeika said:I can't believe the amount of hysteria about asbestos ('asbestos-infected', indeed).
Asbestos removal is a big racket these days.
My Dad's garage has an asbestos roof. Should that whole building be condemned? Jeez, it's in perfect condition and is no harm to anybody.
Yeah, but the story was real 1950s SF B movie material. Giant Mutant Spider created by Mans misuse of Science.
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bigphoot1 said:
What the hell are we supposed to use? Harsh language?
Bigphoot2
Not sprouts! I hate sprouts.
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Well that's Sri Lanka off my places to visit list
http://metro.co.uk/2013/04/03/spiders-a ... a-3581017/
http://metro.co.uk/2013/04/03/spiders-a ... a-3581017/
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I'm scared of spiders, and would run screaming if faced with any bigger than a shilling, but I find them fascinating, too. The markings on these spiders are quite extraordinary.
bigphoot1 said:
New species of pokie. I want one! I've got several species already. Amazing spiders. Poecilotheria metallica is one of the most amazingly beautiful spiders I've ever seen. Vivid metallic blue with yellow marking
amester said:
I'm not surprised to be honest. A lot of the Pokie species look very similar to the point where it's extremely easy to get species confused. It happens all the time. Plus, they like to live in trees and up trees and they're insanely quick moving. factor in height, and speed and they can be difficult to find even in an enclosure let alone a wooded area!
CarlosTheDJ
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Brimir said:
No :shock: no :shock: no :shock: no :shock: no :shock: no :shock: no :shock:
They aren't the quickest spider I've ever seen, that award goes to C. salei who I've seen catch flies in mid air. But the Pokies can move quick enough to be a pain in the arse to deal with.
I had one end up on my t shirt when I first started keeping them. I didn't realise just how potent their venom is at the time.
I didn't get bit thank god, but I've never made that mistake again. I've got a new system for moving them into new enclosures, suffice to say :lol:
I had one end up on my t shirt when I first started keeping them. I didn't realise just how potent their venom is at the time.
I didn't get bit thank god, but I've never made that mistake again. I've got a new system for moving them into new enclosures, suffice to say :lol: