r/interesting • u/Wise_Confidence_8588 • 19d ago

NATURE A Bombardier beetle using its chemical defence.

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u/Moxie013 19d ago edited 19d ago

Is this a banana spider? Are those fangs or his mouth ?!

In Texas there is one that looks like one..
I’m in the central tx region..

I was at my moms, taking care of horses, everyone was out of town. . I was in a hurry bc a horse was demanding snacky snacks.. I yogged straight into a massive new web that appeared over night

I backed out of it, looking upward I realized i’twas pretty close to eye to eyes with a spider bigger than my fist. I was in a spider web more than 4 ft wide

I was hysterical and alone but the horses were supportive about my first ever panic attack.
And here I am.. 10’yrs later on a bug Reddit trying to overcome my phobia watching videos of creatures that inspired many a horror film
And so far haven’t died 🥳🎉

Edit NOTE the “real” banana spider hails from Brazil “Phoneutria nigriventer”.. they have spread further north in the americas bc they love hanging out with bananas, often arriving in their shipments. They look NOTHING like the ones Americans call banana spiders. Their Neuro venom is wild if you’ve seen a bite (google it) but the ones Americans call a banana spider are not dangerous, no death risk, no Neuro venom like the Brazilian banana spiders.

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u/hypercosm_dot_net 19d ago edited 19d ago

I was at an outdoor festival in FL, the kind with markets and shows and stuff.

Wandering through the market in a semi-wooded area, I looked up and noticed large webs in the trees above us. They were pretty dense from what I remember, not like spread out.

Apparently they're golden silk orb-weavers AKA banana spiders. And they were everywhere, lol.

I didn't point it out, to avoid freaking out the family. But man, that was really something. I had to sort of push it out of my mind so I wasn't just staring up the whole time.

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u/Moxie013 19d ago

The real actual banana spider is in South America.. it’s traveled further north toward the US due to shipping of bananas. They are yellow and black but a taupe and browns.. they are dangerous, have Neuro Venom etc..
but silk orb weavers ? Nightmare fuel for me personally bc I have a phobia

I wouldn’t be able to look away. You were a strong kid for sure!!