Here's something for those of you who are afraid of snakes and spiders: a dramatic photo gallery at The Cairns Post of a redback spider eating a snake!
The email accompanying the images claims a receptionist at an electrical firm came in to work on Tuesday to find the snake caught up in the web. It is believed the snake got caught in the web on Monday night.
Throughout Tuesday, the spider checked on her prey, but on Wednesday she rolled it up and started spinning a web around it. She also kept lifting it higher off the ground, while continually snacking on it.
Redback spider, by the way, is considered one of the most poisonous spiders in Australia: Link | Gallery - via Quiddity
ps: how exotic is 'Cairns' hey? miles from anywhere in Oz. Bitch to know it is infested by something more dangerous than a redback, another Murdoch ('Fox') publication
Redbacks make their web in dark corners and are normally not aggressive unless provoked. So I guess the office workers were keeping it as a kind of pet.
The pain from the bite is extremely painful and causes massive swelling for days, but not lethal to adults unless the swelling causes an unfortunate blockage (such as the throat). Always check under the seat when using an outside toilet in Australia.
I remember seeing a video of a Sydney Funnel Web (I'm pretty sure that was the spider) vs. a poisonous snake. The spider won and proceeded to turn the snake's head into a mushy syrup.
Ewwwwwwww.