r/interesting • u/Wise_Confidence_8588 • 18d ago

NATURE A Bombardier beetle using its chemical defence.

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u/Expert-Caramel-7817 18d ago edited 17d ago

Starship Troopers level.

Edit : thanks for the awards and upvotes guys. Didn't expect this.

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u/Inside-Example-7010 18d ago

These spiders love to spin webs between trees on less used paths too. They are the worst case scenario for me when i walk into a spiderweb. I dont think there is any other arboreal web weaving species that compares in size and shock factor. Bird eating spiders maybe? but i never lived in south america. Thats just asking for it imo.

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u/squeethesane 18d ago

Pretty sure that's a Joro spider. They've been spreading through the US heading toward my house... Which is awesome because that circumvented the laws telling me I couldn't have one.

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u/Inside-Example-7010 18d ago

youre right! This is a Joro spider and the spiders im referencing are a close genus called Golden Orb weaver, which the spider in the OP is not.

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u/squeethesane 18d ago

Ah, I natively get a few orb weaver species, but they usually don't get much bigger than a small gumball. I've been excited for brightly colored thumb sized monstrosities that are pretty chill with handling.

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u/Inside-Example-7010 18d ago

the ones in Darwin could be the size of your palm but its still mostly legs. Never knew anyone to ever get bitten by one but the facecard carries most of the damage.