[moriez]

All amazing pics. Indeed very cool stuff but crap, hope to never, ever, encounter one of these backyard boys by surprise

 

[fordgtlover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by silencewithin /img/forum/go_quote.gif Coincidentally... This time the publication is more reliable though. Mammoth backyard spider devours bird This beats the snake hands down I reckon! Cairns can rejoice.

You are right about that original spider not being a redback. I didn't notice the red wasn't on its back when I posted late last night.

I received the Golden Orb photos in my inbox yesterday, and was actually looking for the pictures when I stumbled across the one I ended up positing.

And, yep it beats the snake one hands down.

Here are all the photos in the set, for those who want a better look than the ninemsn site.

 

[elliot42]

Well, redbacks don't have to have the red on their back. I think the distinguishing feature is the hourglass shaped red area which is underneath and then there is usually red going round to their upper body, but that's not always the case.

EDIT - Whoh, boy... didn't see those extra pictures, fordgtlover... that's nightmare material right there.
And I just read the article linked on the first page:
Quote:

Africa's Brown Button spider [the one eating the snake] is related to Australia's Redback spider and America's Black Widow spider. All three have distinctive red markings on their bodies and are similar in shape.

 

[poo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by silencewithin /img/forum/go_quote.gif That ain't a redback. I saw this in the news a few weeks back. Apparently it ended up in some museum according to that article. I'm not sure where that spider is from (Africa? maybe South Africa iirc) but it isn't Australia. You know redbacks have the red on their back! plus it doesn't look like a redback, different shaped abdomen.

Sorry man, but that simply isn't true. First, a red back won't always even have a red marking of any sort (although most do). If a marking is present, it can range in hue quite dramatically from bright red to orange. Second, most will have a red marking on the underside of the abdomen (usually an hourglass shape) and/or a red marking on the back.

In relation to your comment about the different abdomen - they range significantly in size and shape. The male looks so different from the female (which is the one people seem more likely to instantly recognise) that it is rarely recognised as a red back.