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Down Under |
Giant Spider photographed eating bird in backyard in Australia |
2008-10-25 |
THIS amazing image of a mammoth spider devouring a bird was taken in the backyard of a property near Cairns. The image, which is being cirulated via email worldwide, is real, according to wildlife experts, The Cairns Post reported. The photo, believed to have been taken earlier this week, shows the spider clenching its legs around a lifeless bird trapped in a web at a property near Atherton, west of Cairns. Joel Shakespeare, the head spider keeper at NSW's Australian Reptile Park, has told ninemsn the spider was a golden orb weaver. "Normally they prey on large insects, it's unusual to see one eating a bird," he said. Mr Shakepeare said he had seen Golden Orb Weaver spiders as big as a human hand but the northern species in tropical areas were known to grow larger. Mr Shakespeare told ninemsn the bird, a chestnut-breasted mannikin which appears frozen in an angel-like pose in the pictures, is likely to have flown into the web and got caught. "It wouldn't eat the whole bird," he said. More pictures at The Cairns Post. |
Posted by:Oztralian |
#4 Looks like a job for the Mobile Infantry. |
Posted by: One Eyed Wholung6829 2008-10-25 17:01 |
#3 I blame |
Posted by: Zhang Fei 2008-10-25 15:27 |
#2 Me: "Is there ANYTHING in Australia that isn't venomous?" Friend: "Yes. The sharks." Mike |
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2008-10-25 07:19 |
#1 it's unusual to see one eating a bird," he said. No true. In Australia, even the mosquitos eat birds. The other day, Bruce was telling me the bloody mosquitos had taken to screwing the bloody chooks. |
Posted by: Bunyip 2008-10-25 03:36 |