Giant Spiders

News of an invasion of very large spiders in Australia. full article here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6231301.ece

Sophie Tedmanson in Sydney

Australia is known around the world for its large and deadly creepy crawlies, but even locals have been shocked by the size of the giant venomous spiders that have invaded an Outback town in Queensland. Scores of eastern tarantulas, which are known as “bird-eating spiders” and can grow larger than the palm of a man’s hand, have begun crawling out from gardens and venturing into public spaces in Bowen, a coastal town about 700 miles northwest of Brisbane.

Earlier this week locals spotted an Australian tarantula wandering towards a public garden in the centre of town where people often sit for lunch. They called in a pest controller, but not before using a can of insect spray to paralyse the spider.Audy Geiszler, who runs Amalgamated Pest Control in Bowen, said that the spider was a large male with powerful long fangs and was so big that when he placed it – dead – in the palm of his hand its legs hung over his finger

Somehow the massive spiders seem less scary than the garden spiders we get in the UK. I think it is because they are a bit furry so look more cuddley :-)