Huntsman Spider

Isopeda Vasta

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With dozens of babies to care for  this gigantic female Huntsman Spider moved into my garage. She took over the inside of a home-made wooden drawer and totally dominated the garage and everything in it. She was larger than the outstretched hand of an adult human male.

Irritated by the light and unsure of my intentions she lifts herself from the darkness of the drawer to confront me

Site by Weblight Studio (Australia) Photography by Steve Solomons. All rights reserved

At this point (left) her babies were not hatched yet but she had decided to defend the big white egg sack. She rises like a nightmare from the inside of the drawer when I shine a torch towards it. I will bet that is not a spidery smile of welcome on her face

Funny story. They all hatched!

Perhaps she liked me because the whole brood moved into the corner of my lounge room one night. When I attempted to round them up they all jumped from the roof in a shower of tiny, and one very big, spider with many landing in my hair.

I have hair down to my lower-back in a pony tail and went outside to shake them all out but could not find the mother.

Several hours later while I was watching television she climbed out of the ponytail where she had been hiding, over my face and onto the back of the chair.

I was upset that her little family had been scattered but after a bit of a chase put her out near where her babies had been so unceremoniously tossed