Minnesota GOP Candidate Accused of Throwing Tarantula at Alleged ‘Squatter’
Minnesota GOP Candidate Accused of Throwing Tarantula at Alleged ‘Squatter’
“I’m good at creatively solving problems, and at the end of the day, I didn’t physically harm anybody.”
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Ah, the old Tarantula attack. They never see that one coming.
Unless I am mistaken, aren't basically every kind of Tarantula you can keep as a pet non venomous?
I'm the kind of person that'll take basically any kind of spider save a black widow and just put it outside while my gf is screaming at 115db to murder it and will then be angry with me for 3 days that I didn't.
Poor tarantula.
Oh right, this 'politician' is an amazing argument for lowering housing costs such that people can afford studios instead of living with crazy 'main character' people like this.
They are venomous but non-lethal unless you have significant health issues already. What a tarantula attack is good at is triggering an involuntary fight or flight response.
The really awful thing is that tarantulas are quite fragile. My great aunt used to own a pet store and she killed one just trying to blow some sand off its belly and it leaped out of her hand and cracked itself open on the floor.
RIP sandy buddy.
Basically every kind of spider is venomous.
They can’t swallow solids very well so instead, their venom liquifies their food and they slurp the juices.
Most spiders aren’t venomous enough to seriously harm a human, but a tarantula bite is gonna hurt.
They also have sharp hairs they can stick in you if they don't like you like one of those awful cacti that have the little tiny needles you can barely see. I had a friend with one as a pet.
They also have sharp hairs they can stick in you if they don’t like you like one of those awful cacti that have the little tiny needles you can barely see.
I think that that's only some tarantulas. Urticating hairs, or something like that.
kagis
Yeah, I had it right. Firefox's spelling checker apparently doesn't know about "urticating" by default.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urticating_hair
Urticating hairs or urticating bristles are one of the primary defense mechanisms used by numerous plants, almost all New World tarantulas, and various lepidopteran caterpillars. Urtica is Latin for "nettle" (stinging nettles are in the genus Urtica), and bristles that urticate are characteristic of this type of plant, and many other plants in several families. This term also refers to certain types of barbed bristles that cover the dorsal and posterior surface of a tarantula's or caterpillar's abdomen. Many tarantula species eject bristles from their abdomens, directing them toward potential attackers. These bristles can embed themselves in the other animal's skin or eyes, causing physical irritation, usually to great discomfort. The term "hairs" is technically a misnomer, as only mammals possess true hairs.[1]
In tarantulas
Urticating hairs (setae) are found in about 90% of the species of tarantula (spiders of the family Theraphosidae) found in the New World. They are not found in tarantulas from other parts of the world.[11]
New World tarantulas will, at the moment of danger, turn toward the attacker and briskly rub their hind legs against the opisthosoma throwing the urticating hairs in the direction of the enemy. The cloud of small bristles can get into the mucous membrane of small mammals and cause edema, which can be fatal. The bristles cause both mechanical and chemical harm to the skin and membranes.
Reaction and the degree of irritation to a defensive urticating hair barrage can vary tremendously, based on the species in question. Some, such as those of the Chilean rose tarantula (Grammastola rosea) and the pinktoe tarantula (Avicularia avicularia), are fairly mild and innocuous to humans. Others, such as those of the Brazilian giant white knee tarantula (Acanthoscurria geniculata), are moderately irritating. Still others, such as the Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi), are far more severe. These bristles can result in painful rashes, and have been likened to sharp shards of fiberglass.
After kicking urticating hairs, the tarantula will have a bald spot on its abdominal region.
Honestly, spiders are pretty cool roommates.
I mean? They respect boundaries, they’re fairly clean and tidy, they help deal with pests. And they’re quiet.
I like spiders, but I don't think I'd keep one as a pet.
Way back when Windows XP came out, back when you had to buy the new OS, there was a special bundle offer I saw with one of those newfangled digital cameras which had been way too expensive before, so I got it. I then spent weeks working on what would be an Instagram page or something these days, documenting the jumping spider who lived in my office. I called him Mr. Jibbles because he kept his home in the hole at the bottom of my JBL 4311 monitors (speakers in non-pro audio talk), until he sadly died one day. I have no idea what the hole was for, but they have this big hole at the bottom. Anyway, I had a lot of fun taking your picture, Mr. Jibbles. Sorry if I misgendered you. You may live on somewhere on the Internet Archive, but I don't remember the URL.
Iirc, the hole does 2 things. The first is it acts like a sound hole in a guitar or violin and alters the tonal qualities of the speaker (the enclosure acts like a resonate chamber.)
Also, iirc, drivers have to work harder to move the membrane of the enclosure is totally sealed, since it’d have to compress the air inside/behind the membrane.
Of course, cheap speakers probably did it because they saw JBL and others do it on the expensive studio monitors.
As for spiders…. I think they’re cool, but only if they stay over …. There…. Jumping spiders can even be cute. But at a distance.
Same goes for the centipede with the creepy legs. I respect that they eat things I’m happy not deal with… just don’t come over here.
This would be the latter. Interesting explanation, thanks.
Modern studio monitors don't usually have those in my experience, but I got those years ago in a trade and they really capture a flat monitor sound in a way that modern monitors don't. I'm sure in part because they're massive. Anyway, they were perfect for my audio work at the time.
All spiders (and tarantulas) are venomous.
Whether or not the venom is medically significant to humans... That varies by species.
Well in MN we need to be cautious of spiders generally because our climate between spring and fall is conducive to venomous spiders of all kinds, both native and invasive. Natively we have black widows, northern widows, brown recluses, wolf spiders, jumping spiders, woodlouse spiders, and many more. Climate change is expected to increase the range of black widows in our state, one of the most venomous spiders in the US. We're going to experience severe dry and wet seasons, so I expect imports and exports through the great lakes see a massive increase in dnr presence. I hope Walz follows through after our elections.
Just FYI, wolf spider and brown recluse bites are not dangerous, they'll basically cause itching and maybe give you a rash, and black widow venom is nowhere near as bad as stories would have you believe. The symptoms are by no means pleasant, and they are easily treatable within 72 hours. You'll know you need treatment well before then.
Jumping spiders and woodlouse spiders don't tend to be a danger either.
These are also all spiders who want to get away from humans as quickly as possible, so they don't want to bite you, they only do it if they have no alternative. Really, the main reason to worry is if you have allergy issues. But that's also true with bees and wasps for some people.
I'm from the wet side of the PNW and we have all of those as well, excepting possibly northern widows, I've not heard of those.
I've spent weeks in cabins and lived in houses and apartments all over WA.
Every single time I have ever seen a spider in a house or apartment, its been something that is totally harmless to humans.
Out in the boonies? Sure, thats where you'll actually run into some dangerous things.
That being said, I've never lived in MN, perhaps dangerous spiders are a more serious threat in urban/suburban areas, and yeah, climate change fucks up everything.
Something absolutely absurd started happening a few years ago, right in the middle of Seattle, like 2 blocks from a main road:
Coyotes.
I've seen coyotes out in the foothills occasionally, on trails far from cities, in the brush on the east side of the state.
But... basically that heat wave a few years back, and wildfires and droughts managed to drive a population of coyotes into residential areas of Seattle, likely hunting the rabbits.
That was pretty stunning to me.
I saw them in L.A. occasionally coming down from the hills. I'm far less concerned about urban coyotes than I am about feral dog packs. The latter is much more likely to attack you.
[screaming in arachnophobe]
Remind me never to visit MN
Spiders here mostly keep to themselves, and mostly well away.
Historically, our winters have kept critters small.
It’s the GOP you need to be worried about. Those fuckers will infect you with their crazy and then suck your blood dry.
(We also brought you the guy who thought schools were accommodating furies with kitty litter.)
Personally, I prefer pocket sand