To think this should be illegal? (Picture of spider included)

[SoniaFouler]

Why? Just WHY? And HOW does something like this exist on the same planet as us?

I know some people say we are all Gods creatures and we all have a right to be here, blah blah blah, but this surely can only be the creation from something evil and to punish humans for something we’ve done in the past?

The article the picture is from says this type is not aggressive to humans but I would BEG TO DIFFER because if I saw that thing in my house it would give me a heart attack and I would die.

How do people in Australia live? I wouldn’t be able to get anything done. I know people say that the long trip is what puts them off from visiting but I truly believe the country would see tourism skyrocket if there was an iron-clad guarantee that people wouldn’t come face to face with this type of thing. And before anyone chimes in with “I live in Australia and that’s very rare/I’ve never even seen a single spider here in my life” sorry, but I do not believe you, and even the mere fact it is even in existence means I will never go down under. I don’t understand how people are able to function in Australia on a day to day basis, honestly, and it’s not even a “I’d never leave the house” or “I’d set fire to my house and move” situation because THEY ARE STILL THERE, EVERYWHERE. Seriously Aussie MNers, are you not looking over your shoulders right now reading this in case one of these or its cousins is behind you? 😭

I don't mind spiders as a rule, but I couldn't cope with that. Even my cats wouldn't take it on

Tell me that's fake 🤮

It looks like it'd eat my cat!!

That's made me feel somewhat nauseous...

I don't mind spiders... but I wouldn't want to share my home with that!

Lived in a country with snakes and lizards. It was the cockroaches I hated though.

Sorry, love spiders. That one is spectacular, could watch it for hours.

Backpacking round Australia many years ago I learned that the huge scary spiders (huntsmen etc) are relatively harmless and the bad guys are smaller and better at hiding. That said, I woke up eye to eye with one of those big beasties while working on a farm and screamed so loudly I woke everyone for a mile around.

Nope.

Agree with you OP. This is the reason I am never visiting Australia.

There's nothing else in the pic that can help show the scale, so it's not clear how big that spider actually is; though to be fair it looks pretty hefty.

@MrzClaus

Tell me that's fake 🤮

It looks like it'd eat my cat!!

They're definitely not big enough to eat a cat. We get them inside our house from time to time, they're generally up high near the roof. Never been an issue. Less often but we also get these ones. I don't likee spiders, but the worst things about them are the blood curdling screams our DC make when they see one.

What the fuck is that?! Please tell me those aren't in the UK 🤦‍♀️

@MonsteraDeliciosa

There's nothing else in the pic that can help show the scale, so it's not clear how big that spider actually is; though to be fair it looks pretty hefty.

It is quite big enough! I met one on my first arachnophobe course.

A tarantula I can deal with for some reason. That one destroyed my sense of control.

Second course I went on I met another one, it moved and I freaked. But I also met other slightly smaller ones and managed to control myself enough to slowly leave the room.

And that is where I remain... able to slowly leave the room!

Never, ever going anywhere that has spiders that big. Ever!

I have lived half my life in Australia and the other half in England - and I have never seen as many spiders in my life as I have in England - they all come inside to escape the cold. Its unbelievable!
I have also never even seen anything like the spider you have posted in Australia - but if you want to keep ignoring Australians telling you life in Australia is not full of giant spiders then there is not much we can do about it! But since you have never been to Australia and all Australians were born there I think our opinion is worth something.

That's not a spider, that's clearly two horses sellotaped together.

Not that that's any consolation; apparently in Australia, more people are killed by horses than by all the other dangerous beasties combined. Australian horses are TERRIFYING.

This one was apparently in Laos...

(Also a Huntsman)

It depends where you live in Australia, I lived in Melbourne for 5 years then a country town 100km outside for 2 years and I never seen a spider even remotely that big (that picture is fake I'm sure) DH used to drive a further 100kms north for work and he would occasionally have large huntsman on the back of his car but like PP says huntsman are not dangerous, it's the much smaller ones you need to watch out for as they can give nasty bites.

My friend lost all our dogs as a child to snakes that got into the garden but again she lived rural.

If you're anything like me you live on the edge, ready for one of those fuckers to appear at any moment. I'm live and let live usually but any spiders in my vicinity need to die asap. I've had to deal with a few big huntsman's and they do not go easily!!

My worst nightmare is one popping up in the car when I'm driving. I check it over every morning before I leave for work. I also check under my pillow every night, and am basically on alert everywhere I go. I can spot a critter a mile off.

On my Lord @RumpoleoftheBaileys - there I was reassuring myself it was prob not that big and you post THAT😱. To be fair I’m ok with spiders - we’ve had a fair few false widows in this house (there seemed to be a colony when we moved in) and I’m sorry to say I Hoover them up as they’re prob the nastiest ‘biters’ we have in the uk - I have a few normal house spiders in lots of the corners of ceilings….I leave them be. I struggle in countries with big scary ones though….

Oh and I've seen big ones. The one in the picture could be pregnant. We've squished one before and all it's little babies ran out.

Huntsmen eat the venomous spiders though. Useful things. They also catch mice.

I lived in Aus for 24 years, yes there are loads of huntsmen, they also jump at you, usually from behind the curtain/blinds. I also once flicked down my sun visor while driving very fast on a motorway to have one jump at my face. TRAUMA :)

@MrsSkylerWhite

Sorry, love spiders. That one is spectacular, could watch it for hours.

As IT watches you BACK! !!

@amter

I lived in Aus for 24 years, yes there are loads of huntsmen, they also jump at you, usually from behind the curtain/blinds. I also once flicked down my sun visor while driving very fast on a motorway to have one jump at my face. TRAUMA :)

I would literally drop dead 💀

I can also deal with holding a tarantula. It was a bit like holding a little hamster or something.

That big one in the picture is surely fake though (I'm off to google world's biggest spider).