Crazy Big Spiders - November 22nd

A Rangatira spider lives on our front porch and sometimes in my rain trousers – what a nasty surprise that was! He popped out the bottom of my trousers when I put my foot in the top. I just shrugged… Ha! Okay, I screamed! (don’t tell anyone) But Alison has hungry caterpillars living in her clothes, and they have eaten holes in her sleeves. So maybe spiders are better.

Male Rangatira spider with 20 cent coin beside him:

Our porch spider is a male, so he is mainly black with brown patches (that is a twenty cent coin beside him) - really different to the female who lives in the fuel shed. She is much bigger, browner and hairier and thankfully doesn’t live in my rain gear.

Egg sacs on a forest tree:

There must be thousands of these giant spiders strolling the island by night. Almost every dead tree has egg sacs hanging from it, and each must have hundreds of eggs inside (no, I’m not going to break one open to see. What if the spiders want revenge?) I couldn’t find Big Mama spider last night (she is very shy), but I found her legs. Well, leg cases at least, left behind after she moulted. Spiders shed their skin when they grow so that means she must be even bigger now…… (cue sinister cello music..)

Spider moult!