Spider sh*t
Big_Al said:
By the by - on the subject of giant insects in general - I remember being told by a biology teacher when young that there was a limit on insect size because of the way they breath - unsure of the precise mechanics but I don't think that they can get much bigger than they actually are... if you see what I mean!
I think that's right, although I don't know the details. The biggest spider alive today is the bird-eating spider (prev. post) at 11.5 inches across, and the longest insect the stick insect (up to 14 inches long). I don't know what the limit on insect size is, but I do know that there were pretty big beasts on earth in the Jurassic period - dragonflies with 3ft wingspans, cockroaches the size of rats.
However, my view on the Ukraine spider: Utter garbage (not meaning to offend anyone here - this is just my opinion). Not a grain of truth in it. The reasons I know it's bull are:-
> An insect with a head the size of an orange would be 150X bigger than the largest known insect alive today. That's like finding a snake weighing 50 tonnes or an elephant 70ft tall or a dog the size of a bread van. It doesn't happen.
> A head the size of an orange would indicate a much bigger leg-span than 3 feet.
> Something that size could not exist in a lift shaft - what would it eat?
> Spiders don't kill their prey and then run away.
> Spiders can't stop lifts, or switch off lights.
> They don't suck blood, either.
> To catch a murderer, you don't go up and down in a lift for 3 days. Unless you're real lazy.
> Radios don't work in lifts.
> Even Russian detectives can't see in the dark
> You don't fire a gun in a lift unless you're mad or suicidal. Especially if the lights are out.
> Who got the missing leg?
> Spiders can't disappear from a closed lift, unless it pressed the button and opened the door. Something that big couldn't climb a wall.
> Radiation doesn't make things bigger, it makes them dead.
> You don't use flame throwers on something the size of a dog - it's called overkill.
> You most certainly don't use flame throwers in a lift, or even in a building.
As I say - this is just my view on the matter! Others might think different.