h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As I type this, there's a whopping big spider climbing up the wall behind the computer, and I do mean big furry body, but well shaved legs (must be female ) her body is about 4cm long with thick antennae (if that's what you call them on spiders) and her legs if stretched out would be about 8/9 cms any ideas what type she is....

Whoops she just fell off the wall & is wandering over the carpet scaring the

Wild stab in the dark, I'd say you have a common house spider. Something that big could also be a garden spider but they tend to be smoother and a bit more spikey in appearance.

it's much bigger than a common house spider, in fact she's just eaten one she's lovely... off to google

erm...bought any bananas recently granny ??

alec.

nope, and she's not a tarantula or bird eating spider either, I know what they look like . She's now making her way, very stately, back up the wall. As I said, her body is furry but her legs seem quite smooth, certainly the biggest spider I've seen in a domestic situation. Lovely eyes as well

smoother and a bit more spikey . . . ?

That's it

what colour is she granny ??

alec.

Black with irridescent eyes

body - 4cm - that's over 1 1/2 inches. How big is it including the legs, in inches (if you're old enough to remember those!)

- quick conversion - about 4 inches I think and I am old enough to remember inches, it's just been soooo long since I thought in them

and er......no sign of anything like a red hourglass on the abdomen or anything then ??

alec.

Catch it in your scanner and post it!
My Charlotte (12) won't sleep if she thinks there are spiders that big, on the loose, in England.

Nope, although I can't see underneath she's now making her way across the curtain pole hang on a sec.............. no, black all over

Whoops simul-thingy I can't get her on the platen without hurting her & I don't want to do that!!!!!!!

is the pole bending under her weight?
4 inches isn't far short of a CD . . . I'm scared

so...this sort of size then??

http://www.bigpineapple.com.au/tours/spider.gif

alec.

That's if her legs were stretched out, they're not, they're hinged delicately in the middle I'm off to bed now anyway, probably pop to the local library tomorrow, I couldn't find anything on google that resembled her, the common house spider has the wrong body shape, she's quite slender.

Good night

Simul-thingy again Alec that's a tarantula hairy, banded legs, and she's not quite as big as that, she'd just about fit on a floppy disc.