Why are people scared of spiders?

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Well, our Australasian and American cousins obviously have more reason to fear spiders than we pampered Europeans.  Has anyone seen the the pictures from Iraq of the Camel Spiders?  They look suspiciously fake, like someone has pasted the head of an ant onto the body of a spider using photoshop.

Anyway, I'm petrified of spiders but if I find one in my house I won't kill it.  Instead I pick the thing up in a piece of tissue and send it on it's merry way via the window.  

I can't abide killing something over an irrational fear so out it goes.

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T_Bone wrote:


Camel spiders are real, although technically they're scorpions I believe.

Pics?

My Dad was in the RAF in Iraq (in the mid 50's) and remembers pulling a fried camel spider from a valve radio set.  The one's I've seen pics of have exaggerated ant heads with big mandibles that look so photoshopped it's unreal.

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OMG!  I'm positive I once dated her.....

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T_Bone wrote:

"...and then hurriedly departs before the female has a chance to grab and eat him."

Damn, I've dated her too!

Seriously though, they aren't as scary as the recent flurry of email ciculars might suggest - being non-poisonous and only eating insects, arachnids and small reptiles.  

Although I still shudder and cringe at the sight of spiders, they're pretty fascinating creatures.  

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blobrana wrote:
@t_Bone

Yeah, when they jump up and hug your face?

I've dated worse.

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Cyberus wrote:

PMC wrote:

I've dated worse.

Hmm, what if you *aren't* dating them though? Ever been preyed on by a face-hugger?

Only due to very bad nightclub lighting.

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X-ray wrote:
We get those spiders in South Africa too, we call them Red Romans.

A friend of mine went out on a field trip and they had to spend a few nights in a thatched bungalow. All night he could hear the tapping of spider legs on the rafters above and every now and then there would be a hard thump as one landed on him on his bed. They apparently jump off the rafters trying to get moths.

There's NO WAY you'd get me to sleep in the same room as one of those.  Not unless I was either very innebriated or there was substantial amounts of cash in it for me.

They seem like they're harmless enough though, I am quite amused by the thought of them jumping off rafters trying to catch insects.  

Thinking about it they're kind of cute in an eight legged pointy fanged kind of a way...