Spider of Blue, Dilly Dilly...

[PPI Brian]

Stumbled across this story during my daily journey through the net and thought it was worth sharing with our PPI forum family:

Dr. Karl Shuker is looking for answers as he presents a photograph of a seven-legged blue spider. The photo was snapped by a retired biology teacher at her home in Batley, West Yorkshire, England and forwarded to Dr. Shuker by Fortean Times. Take a look at the photograph. Read Dr. Shuker's list of possibilities that may explain the image. Then decide what you think explains this blue spider with only seven legs.

http://www.karlshuker.blogspot.com/

[PPI Tracy]

Honestly, the more I look at it and consider the posibilities that were listed on the blog, the more I think it isn't any single one of those.  Due to the color of it, it reminds me of what iron or brass looks like when it is very tarnished and old.  It makes me think that it isn't real or that it isn't a spider at all.  We merely think it is a spider because we are conditioned to view it that way because it merely looks like what we perceive spiders in general to look like.  It could be part of something else that broke away or maybe was glued to something else (thus could be why it's missing a leg). Maybe broken off of something it was attached to and in doing that, all of Mr. Spider didn't come with it.  Looks like maybe it was part of some sort of garden decor.  Just my three cents, but something about it just hasn't gotten me convinced that it is truly a spider - real or fake.

[PPI Brian]

The first thing that crossed my mind was "Photoshop".    The missing leg made it appear real to me. But I do agree with the points you raised, Tracy. Could very well be a fake spider, or one that was spray painted and photographed. If that was the case it would have died almost immediately by suffication.

I had a bunch of Banded Garden Spiders in my garden a couple of years ago, and one of them was missing a leg. I didn't notice it until I took the picture, then went back outside and really looked at the poor thing. Yep, she was missing a leg.

The Argiope aurantia or Banded Garden Spider. This one's missing a leg:



The other ones had all of their legs, so I always wondered what happened to the other one. I learned a lot about these spiders that year -- for instance, orb weavers build their webs in direct relation to the angle of the fall sun so they don't overheat. They also drink water that accumulates in their webs. They are fascinating creatures, and much smarter than we realize. I didn't see any in my yard last year, so I'm hoping they make a return this year. 

Can't say the same for the Brown Widow spiders that have been turning up all over the place. I go on spider hunts at least once a week and spray them. They are an invasive species from Africa that out breeds our native spider populations, so I don't feel guilty wiping them out. Besides, they're more poisonous than our native Black Widows.

Here's a picture of a Banded Garden Spider drinking water from her web:

[PPI Tracy]

Hmmm.....me thinks this thread is not too good for an arachnophobic individual such as me-self. 

(yes...I actually shrunk back from the screen when I saw your photos.....*shudder*)   

[PPI Karl]

There's not much in the way of shadow in this picture to assure us of its depth.  I found that kind of strange.  Unless the photographer was using lighting umbrellas, there should be some random shadows around the legs of the spider.  One or two segments of its legs look like the color has worn off to reveal its natural black pigmentation, so I considered the possibility that it got caught in a spray paint incident, too, but then the joints at its abdomen seem pretty consistently blue.  I would have to be very deliberately and carefully painted for that effect, which raises the possibility that this is a picture of a spider corpse that's been "blued" post-mortally--possibly using eye shadow or some other makeup. 

To me, the real problem is that the picture overall has a suspicious, or an unfortunate, lack of context:  nothing lies nearby to provide a clue about its size, the location, or the lighting conditions.  That, alone, seems a technique to disguise the contrivances of the photo.  If this thing were photographed in a couple of different poses in front of recognizable landmarks--like the Travelocity Roving Gnome--maybe there would be less doubt about this spider.  Otherwise, I would have to say that there's nothing especially unusual about another blue-haired widow.

[Damian]

I know I'm not bringing anything of value to this thread with these comments, but I felt compelled nonetheless...

That spider looks like the little beastie that bit Peter Parker and blessed the world with Spiderman!

Also, it reminded me of this hilarious email thread that made the rounds on the Internet awhile ago:  http://www.geekologie.com/2008/11/good_idea_man_submits_drawing.php 

[PPI Jason]

That's pretty funny there Damian. It reminds me of that story where a guy got a traffic ticket in the mail when he was photographed speeding (or possibly running a red light).

In response he sent them a photograph of money (like a bribe).

In response to that, the police department sent him a photograph of handcuffs. 

The spider also reminds of how often I would come across spiders when I worked the night shift on patrol. I remember, and Lillie can appreciate this, I was checking a burglar alarm call at a home at night with one of our sergeants (Osmers). It was pretty routine since we get burglar alarm calls all the time that end up being false alarms. As we approached the house I was talking to Ozzie when he suddenly starting flailing his arms and moving around wildly and yelling. I quickly pulled out my gun, aimed it at the house and asked him "What happened what happened!!??" thinking someone was shooting us with sniper rounds or something. He finally calmed down and told me he walked through a spider web. He hates spiders, lol.

[Damian]

Spiders creep me out, no question about it... But I'm ok with scorpions, weird.

[PPI Brian]

That's pretty funny there Damian. It reminds me of that story where a guy got a traffic ticket in the mail when he was photographed speeding (or possibly running a red light).

In response he sent them a photograph of money (like a bribe).

In response to that, the police department sent him a photograph of handcuffs. 

The spider also reminds of how often I would come across spiders when I worked the night shift on patrol. I remember, and Lillie can appreciate this, I was checking a burglar alarm call at a home at night with one of our sergeants (Osmers). It was pretty routine since we get burglar alarm calls all the time that end up being false alarms. As we approached the house I was talking to Ozzie when he suddenly starting flailing his arms and moving around wildly and yelling. I quickly pulled out my gun, aimed it at the house and asked him "What happened what happened!!??" thinking someone was shooting us with sniper rounds or something. He finally calmed down and told me he walked through a spider web. He hates spiders, lol.

LOL! People's reactions to spiders and spider webs always amaze me. Yes, they are a little creepy. But they are absolutely amazing creatures. How did an animal that obviously shares a common ancestor with crabs evolve into the myriad forms we see today? And where did the ability to secrete silk and weave webs come from? Truly amazing.

When I was a kid one of my most vivid memories was the time I ran head first into a banded garden spider web in my Grandma's backyard in Colton. Ended up with one of those great big yellow and black spiders clinging to the side of my face. That really freaked me out. Thankfully it didn't bite me, and I got it off my face without killing it. Those spiders are big enough to break your skin when they bite. But after that encounter I became fascinated with orb weaving spiders. I still encourage them to live in my garden, but their brown widow and black widow cousins are ruthlessly hunted and killed. I won't tolerate venomous spiders near my family. 

It's funny that you mentioned scorpions, Damian. My Grandma's house in La Mesa was infested with scorpions. They could never seem to get rid of them the entire time they lived there. I recall my aunt getting stung when she took a bowl out of the cupboard. They always ended up in the overhead light fixtures, running around until my Grandpa either let them go or killed them. So far that's about the only critter I have not seen in my yard... yet. 

[PPI Tracy]

Well Brian, lions are amazing creatures too, but I wouldn't want to invite one to tea.  I'd end up being the crumpet.

I guess we all have our own fears for one reason or another.  Some people are afraid of heights, some of snakes, monkeys, scorpions and yes....spiders.  I don't know where the fear comes from.  I never had the experience that you did Brian, but the fear is defintely real and deep seeded.  Irrational?  Perhaps.  For some reason though, any crawling type of bug (especially spiders) just flips my lid.

What I want to know are what those bugs are that have a million legs.  Legs so thin they look like hair.  I had never seen one before I moved to the house I live in now.  UGH!  They are horrible.  They are not a centipede I don't think, but they resemble one.  (now I have the creepy crawlies!)

[PPI Brian]

From your description, I would guess it's a house centipede. Does this look like it?



http://www.socalpestadvice.com/2009/02/house-centipedes-creepy-but-beneficial/

[Damian]

Oh yeah, I've seen those guys!

Since we're on the subject of creepie crawlies, here's the one that creeps me out more than any other... the Jerusalem Cricket, also called a potato bug.  I've seen these things up close and personal and they look like six-legged evil incarnate, and I shudder on those rare occasions when our paths cross.   :o

[PPI Tracy]

From your description, I would guess it's a house centipede. Does this look like it?



http://www.socalpestadvice.com/2009/02/house-centipedes-creepy-but-beneficial/

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

yep.  dat be dem.  Yeeeee!  EWWWWWW!

[PPI Tracy]

Oh yeah, I've seen those guys!

Since we're on the subject of creepie crawlies, here's the one that creeps me out more than any other... the Jerusalem Cricket, also called a potato bug.  I've seen these things up close and personal and they look like six-legged evil incarnate, and I shudder on those rare occasions when our paths cross.   :o

Wow Damian....that picture was an "in your face"!  I actually shrank back from the screen.  Yuck.  I can see why you don't like them.  *shudder*

[PPI Brian]

Oh yeah, I've seen those guys!

Since we're on the subject of creepie crawlies, here's the one that creeps me out more than any other... the Jerusalem Cricket, also called a potato bug.  I've seen these things up close and personal and they look like six-legged evil incarnate, and I shudder on those rare occasions when our paths cross.   :o

I dug one up in the garden at my mom's house and jumped straight up in the air! They are creepy looking, and at first I thought they were giant ants. Remeber the giant carpenter ants we used to have all over southern California before the argentine ants wiped them out?

[PPI Tracy]

STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT...............STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PPI Brian]

STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT...............STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL!    Okay, we'lll stop with the creepy bugs. How about we talk about beautiful bugs? I just realized one critter I haven't seen very much this year -- the metallic green fig beetle. They are beautifully colored, don't you agree? They don't bite or sting, and they don't harm lawns or fruit crops like their east coast cousins, the green june bug. They make a loud buzzing sound when they fly, and they are clumsy flyers, but they are completely harmless. They are members of the scarab beetle family.

[PPI Tracy]

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......oh..hey...look at that, fellas...it's an unsuspecting human!  Hey..watch this guys..."Look out below......"   " *BAM*  *SMACK*  (in my best New York cabbie voice):  "AYE!  Stupid human!  Can't ya see I'm FLYIN here"!!!!!

They are terrible drivers. They should not be allowed to get a license in the first place. They are reckless, with no regard for your safety or personal space whatsoever.  They have no social graces, tact or piloting skills.  But, they do dress pretty sharp.