# Sydney Funnel Web Found in ARKANSAS!



## patrickbull (Jul 2, 2011)

*Sydney Funnel Web Found in ARKANSAS! (Could be misID'ed Trapdoor)*

I just saw this on a local news website. Now why couldn't I had been the one to find this!

From:http://www.fox16.com/news/local/sto...-Arkansas/ZoOylotTcUSjsx3Ccg-emw.cspx?rss=315


> *Man Discovers Deadly Australian Spider in Arkansas*
> 
> Updated: 10:17 am	Published: 9:34 am
> 
> ...


----------



## jsloan (Jul 2, 2011)

> Gann warns not keeping a close eye on any spider can be a deadly mistake.


What a load of BS!



> Gann says the Syndey Funnel Web is capable of killing a child in 30 minutes. It’s attracted to water – so parents really need to watch their children at the swimming pool this summer.


Yeah, there are probably tons of Sydney Funnel Web spiders lurking around Arkansas swimming pools.


----------



## mitchnast (Jul 2, 2011)

terrible photos.  but looks like some type of trapdoor spider, probably native.


----------



## patrickbull (Jul 2, 2011)

Yep jsloan these are the type of myths and misinformation I live with here in Arkansas.

The pics are indeed horrible. I agree that it could possibly be a black trapdoor. Now why couldn't I had been the one to find this one!!!! Can you say new addition to the collection! lol


----------



## super-pede (Jul 2, 2011)

*cough*artard*cough*


----------



## Chris_Skeleton (Jul 2, 2011)

That guy is an idiot. "They're not normally found in Arkansas." Ha. Try never. I can't wait until he takes it to the entomologist and they laugh at him. How do they explain it being here?

Remember, if you find a spider that has a "reaction" to you of "not backing down", than it most certainly is a Sydney Funnel Web. :wall:

Oh, and read some of the comments. Especially from Patrick.


----------



## patrickbull (Jul 2, 2011)

Chris_Skeleton said:


> Oh, and read some of the comments. Especially from Patrick.


Yes indeed! Patrick is me. I signed up there just so I could comment and tell them that it is obviously not a wolf or house spider. Apparently here any big spider is called a wolf spider regardless of color, body size/shape, and habits. And the guy saying its a house spider, well all I can say is, "face to palm." I don't understand why the news station couldn't have gotten a clear picture of it. 

All I can do is tell them it either is a Sydney Funnel Web or it is actually a Black Trapdoor. I dunno how much more obvious it could be that it isn't a wolf or house spider. Unless they post a clear pic there is no way to tell between those two. 

It could easily be _Ummidia audouini _or _Ummidia carabivora_. Both are native Black Trapdoors. I definitely don't trust that guy to be able to tell between those or a Sydney Funnel Web lol.


----------



## Chris_Skeleton (Jul 2, 2011)

^ I'm glad somebody is registered to set them straight. Although I am wondering why you said it is either a trapdoor or a Sydney Funnel Web? How could it even be a Sydney Funnel Web?


----------



## super-pede (Jul 2, 2011)

do you seriously believe that there is a remote chance that that is a funnel web?
there is no way.


----------



## Eagercannibals (Jul 2, 2011)

While the pictures are not very clear or all that helpful, I don't doubt that there are funnel web spiders roaming around in Arkansas. There were reports of Lion fish in the Long Island Sound. Lion fish are definitely not native to the LIS, much less could they survive that long there, but people do stupid things and release animals into places they shouldn't be. Its very much possible that someone could have released funnel web spiders anywhere in the U.S. Does that mean this person found one? Who knows, we don't have the spider in front of us to identify.


----------



## Chris_Skeleton (Jul 2, 2011)

Eagercannibals said:


> While the pictures are not very clear or all that helpful, I don't doubt that there are funnel web spiders roaming around in Arkansas. There were reports of Lion fish in the Long Island Sound. Lion fish are definitely not native to the LIS, much less could they survive that long there, but people do stupid things and release animals into places they shouldn't be. Its very much possible that someone could have released funnel web spiders anywhere in the U.S. Does that mean this person found one? Who knows, we don't have the spider in front of us to identify.


One question: How did it get here?

I would also like to point out that most native MM mygalomorph are all black. So throwing out Sydney Funnel Web as a possibility is ridiculous.


----------



## Eagercannibals (Jul 2, 2011)

Chris_Skeleton said:


> One question: How did it get here?
> 
> I would also like to point out that most native MM mygalomorph are all black. So throwing out Sydney Funnel Web as a possibility is ridiculous.


Sorry but how did what get there? What are you referring to? The spider or the lion fish I mentioned?

And I agree that it is ridiculous that he threw out that it was a funnel web, out of all spiders that would make more sense to say it is... I feel like he was just  hopeful that he found something interesting to talk about. I knew someone who claimed she was bit by a brown recluse, highly unlikely considering her hand was only mildly swollen.


----------



## recluse (Jul 2, 2011)

Do ya think?


----------



## patrickbull (Jul 2, 2011)

Let me just clear up my statements made on the news site a bit. I was mainly referring to the people calling it a wolf or house spider. If you look at my first statement I told them that the pics obviously look like a funnel web OR trap door and it is OBVIOUSLY not another type of spider. 

My main point was to say that it in no way resembles a wolf or house spider and DOES look much more like a pic of a Sydney Funnel Web or Trap Door.

If those pics were put here and no location was known I'd think people would say it is either definitely a Trapdoor or Funnel Web, not anything else, and then ask for more details or clearer pics. Basically this is what I was doing. 

I did come back and post another statement, being more clear, saying the specific species it could be.(in fact the dang thing posted 3 times lol). Basically I wanted to make them aware it either IS a Sydney Funnel Web Or one of 2 Native Trapdoor species. From the pics I can tell there is no way it is any other type of spider. Super-pede, I seriously do believe it COULD be a funnel web. Stranger things have happened and in today's world species do end up where they shouldn't be. I have always subscribed to the belief that anything CAN happen. 


Now, however unlikely, it is entirely possible a Sydney Funnel Web could make it over here. Just look at Florida. Species invasion does happen. I see it being POSSIBLE a Sydney Funnel Web COULD make it here, especially with the somewhat recent import of Australian tarantulas. I doubt it tho. 

I will not make my FINAL decision until I see clear pics or video or hear from an entomologist who has examined the specimen. I HAVE decided it IS either a Funnel Web or Trapdoor and no other species though. To me it just simply has to be one of the two from what I'm seeing. I will say after thinking and starring at trapdoor and funnel web pics for a very long time I'm leaning towards trapdoor, but the pics are just too fuzzy.


----------



## Bazzgazm (Jul 3, 2011)

looking at the pictures of the local trap doors and sydney funnel web.. an untrained eye and fear mongering news caster could easily make the mis-identification..


next thing you know you'll hear someone died from a bite because of a mark on their arm.


----------



## tom (Jul 3, 2011)

*id*

I would say it is a trapdoor spider but definitely not Atrax or Hexethelidae! Photo is too blurry but does not seem possible that it would be found there in Arkansas.or anywhere else unless deliberately released.


----------



## Mycole68 (Jul 4, 2011)

*How's this for a clear pic*

Killed this spider after it jumped on my wifes leg . Then it tried to fight me and the camera . In Arkansas on 7/3/11http://http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/48320068@N03/5901386286/
http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/48320068@N03/5900821221/
http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/48320068@N03/5901372750/


----------



## Mycole68 (Jul 4, 2011)

*Can you tell me what this is*

http://http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/48320068@N03/5901372750/


----------



## marclar (Jul 5, 2011)

Does anyone have an update on this ? , I find it very intresting, would be strange if it was.


----------



## super-pede (Jul 5, 2011)

it's also not probable that this a funnel web because a sydney funnel web spider can kill a man in ten seconds, just by staring at him.


----------



## ZephAmp (Jul 5, 2011)

A quick check on bugguide turned up two photos showing similar markings on the ventral surface of members of the genus Ummidia. Does anybody have ventral pics of a sydney funnel web for comparison? That could end this really quickly.


----------



## Scorpendra (Jul 5, 2011)

Headline: "Man Watches Animal Planet Until He Forgets What Continent He Lives On"


----------



## codykrr (Jul 6, 2011)

I have found several of these trapdoor's down towards bullshoals, Hercules glades, gainsville.  

I could honestly see why some guy would believe it would be a sydney funnel web.  as they look similar to an untrained eye.  Also with todays imports/exports you never know what species could indeed infest.

I dont have any pictures, but a member on here that goes by "backwoods" had caught a large male at one of the bug hunts we hosted a few years back in the gainsville area.  I will see if I cant dig up better pictures.  I know everyone got some shots of it.

---------- Post added at 10:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:52 PM ----------

BTW these are most likely an ummidia species.

---------- Post added at 11:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:55 PM ----------

so I couldnt find a picture from our bug hunt. but here is one from bug guide.net.

here is a decent picture

here is another of the same with an added picture

You find these(least I have) along field/glade edges. In loose rocky soil.  Males wander about from the end of july through out the month of august.

farthest north I have found one was in the town I live in which is marshfield.


----------



## patrickbull (Jul 6, 2011)

Ok now that they posted a video with a clearer view I'm ready for my final decision. It is either _Ummidia audouini_ or _Ummidia carabivora_ for sure. Our native trapdoors. The size of the Chelicerae give it away. Sydney funnel webs have much bigger ones compared to body size. 

It seems Mr. Gann needs to learn his native spiders better. I love how he tries to sound like an expert. Please don't think all of us Arkansans are so simple......


----------



## Kris-wIth-a-K (Jul 6, 2011)

super-pede said:


> it's also not probable that this a funnel web because a sydney funnel web spider can kill a man in ten seconds, just by staring at him.


Chuck Norris has it beat at 6 seconds before their brain melts.


----------



## Tarantel (Jul 6, 2011)

So this guy walks outside and finds a spider, which he immediatly decides is a deadly spider from another continent? And not he is going to take this spider to an entomologist? (couldn't he find an arachnologist?) Yeah, that could happen, recently I walked out side and saw a Brazilian wandering spider, so I took it to my local herpetologist. :}


----------



## codykrr (Jul 6, 2011)

PsychedelicTs said:


> Ok now that they posted a video with a clearer view I'm ready for my final decision. It is either _Ummidia audouini_ or _Ummidia carabivora_ for sure. Our native trapdoors. The size of the Chelicerae give it away. Sydney funnel webs have much bigger ones compared to body size.
> 
> It seems Mr. Gann needs to learn his native spiders better. I love how he tries to sound like an expert. Please don't think all of us Arkansans are so simple......


It also could be an undescribed species.  But those two species would be a good start.


----------



## loxoscelesfear (Jul 6, 2011)

Scorpendra said:


> Headline: "Man Watches Animal Planet Until He Forgets What Continent He Lives On"


nice summary.  amen.


----------



## richoman3 (Jul 7, 2011)

hahahahaha
i can tell you this guy, definately not what you find down here


----------



## pitbulllady (Jul 7, 2011)

On the whole "invasive species" thing, given that the importation of _Atrax_ into the US is illegal, and has been for quite some time, it would be highly, highly doubtful that one would wind up in Arkansas.  While smuggling does occur, again, the destination of Arkansas, as opposed to somewhere near a port of entry for most exotic species, would be extremely unlikely.  The person who found the spider in question probably does not know this, anymore than he knows that Arkansas is home to two native species of black trapdoor spiders.  And, while I got a laugh from the "man watches Animal Planet for so long he forgets what continent he's on"(thanks for that, Scorpendra), WE can't forget that Animal Planet is still believed by so many people to be a credible source of factual information about animals, people who don't understand that AP is basically a cable version of "The Weekly World News" now, and that they have many shows which are specifically intended to paint animals like spiders and snakes and other reptiles in a very, very negative light, along with people who keep them.

Now, on that invasive species thing-I noticed that a lot of people kept bringing up Florida as an example of non-native species establishing themselves in the US as an arguement for the possibility of this black spider being a Sydney Funnelweb.  Florida's situation is unique in many ways.  The climate of south Florida is more or less tropical, which lends itself really well to tropical species being able to get a foothold there.  Nowhere else in the US has such a climate that comes so close to replicating the natural environments of many tropical species of plants(no one ever mentions those in spite of the fact that PLANTS, not animals, make up the bulk of all invasives in the US)and animals.  Arkansas has some nasty winters, if the weather reports I see and hear over here in SC are correct.  Even here in my homestate, the average winters are considerably more severe than in southern Florida.  South Florida also has the largest port of entry for legally imported plants and animals in the entire country, Miami-note the word LEGALLY here, as every single one of the species which has established themselves in Florida either were legal to import at the time, or still are, unlike the Sydney Funnelweb.  The simplest, most logical explanation for something is usually the one that's correct, so that, in this case, would be that the spider the guy found is one of two native species and not an exotic species whose importation into the US is banned.

pitbulllady


----------



## Comatose (Jul 7, 2011)

*Unbelievable...*

The state of the media in this country is asinine... that some moron count make a baseless statement like that and end up in _any_ newspaper is ridiculous.


----------



## patrickbull (Jul 7, 2011)

Comatose said:


> The state of the media in this country is asinine... that some moron count make a baseless statement like that and end up in _any_ newspaper is ridiculous.


Actually it's worse, local news TV channel.....


----------



## marclar (Jul 7, 2011)

I think I'm just going to make an outlandish claim and tell everyone.


----------



## Comatose (Jul 7, 2011)

Please express your dissatisfaction with this story here: http://www.fox16.com/feedback.aspx

EDIT: You can also call them here and let them know their spreading lies: 1-888-367-1616

I just did, and someone actually answered. He was a dick, but I still managed to tell him that his station is running non-factual stories. 

I wrote this: 
Did you do any due diligence before running this story? In no way is that a Atrax robustus (Sydney Funnel Web) or any related species. There are at least half a dozen native species that could be represented in that jar, none of which pose any danger to children (not nearly as much as the swimming pools you featured anyway). How do you people get away with posing as a new organization?

---------- Post added at 08:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:39 PM ----------

And we have a response... here's the entire chain:

Davidson, John to me

show details 7:46 PM (16 minutes ago)

Hey Patrick, we just talked over the phone! I'm glad you e-mailed, I will make sure this message gets into the hands of the reporter who did the story.

Thanks again for your message.


John Davidson
Fox 16
KLRT Little Rock, AR

-----Original Message-----
From: FOX16 [mailto:noreply@idmemail.net] On Behalf Of support@inergizedigitalmedia.com
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2011 6:40 PM
To: Little Rock TV Web; SPEARMAN, SUZANNE
Subject: Website Feedback

Source Url: http://www.fox16.com/feedback.aspx

Name: Patrick Corcoran
Email: PatBugs@gmail.com
Improvements: By reporting actual news.
MostLiked:
NotWorking: Yes, this story is broken: http://www.fox16.com/news/local/sto...-Arkansas/ZoOylotTcUSjsx3Ccg-emw.cspx?rss=315

Did you do any due diligence before running this story? In no way is that a Atrax robustus (Sydney Funnel Web) or any related species. There are at least half a dozen native species that could be represented in that jar, none of which pose any danger to children (not nearly as much as the swimming pools you featured anyway). How do you people get away with posing as a new organization?
AddToSite: Some factual news would be great.

Technical Information
UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.18) Gecko/20110614 (CK-IBM) Firefox/3.6.18 ( .NET CLR 3.5.30729)
IP Address: 209.6.73.50
Accepts: text/html, application/xhtml+xml, application/xml;q=0.9, */*;q=0.8

Reply

Forward


ReplyReply
More|
[Available] Patrick Corcoran to John

show details 8:01 PM (1 minute ago)

John,

I appreciate it John. You might also let your viewers know during the retraction statement that there are no Sydney Funnel Web spiders in the US, and that even if they were somehow introduced to Arkansas they wouldn't survive the climate. They might also mention that spiders kill one or two people a year in the US versus the 3,000 or so that drown. I'm sorry to be so curt but reporting baseless information that's going to terrify your viewers for no reason isn't something a news organization should be doing.

Regretfully,
Patrick Corcoran
- Show quoted text -


----------



## patrickbull (Jul 7, 2011)

Comatose said:


> Please express your dissatisfaction with this story here: http://www.fox16.com/feedback.aspx


I just sent in some feedback asking them to retract the story and to assure people that there is no need to be more concerned about spiders in this area.


----------



## Chris_Skeleton (Jul 8, 2011)

Just left some feedback.


----------



## Comatose (Jul 8, 2011)

Well they changed it to 'Man _Thinks_ he discovered sydney funnel web...' but left the entire story intact, including the ridiculous 300-400 deaths a year metric. I'm going to go ahead and write to Media Matters over lunch.

---------- Post added at 12:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:41 AM ----------

Update - I'm making some serious headway here. I'm in touch with the agency that saw the original specimen and now has a second live specimen. Hopefully this will get quashed and Fox will retract it's story soon.

BTW, Psychedelic, my name is also Patrick, so apologies in advance in you get blamed for all the hell I'm raising


----------



## Tarantel (Jul 8, 2011)

Look at this older article I found.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1301292/Has-worlds-deadliest-Funnel-web-spiders-Gloucester.html


----------



## jsloan (Jul 8, 2011)

Tarantel said:


> Look at this older article I found.
> 
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1301292/Has-worlds-deadliest-Funnel-web-spiders-Gloucester.html


It's amazing how people's imaginations run wild when it comes to spiders!


----------



## Comatose (Jul 8, 2011)

'Distinctive white stipes'.... LMAO

At least it proves people in europe are just as stupid as we are.

---------- Post added at 01:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:28 PM ----------

Just got this: 

Mr. Corcoran, We have been having difficulty with our internet connection thru aol today- BUT, I took a live specimen to Dr. John Hopkins at the U of A and he has identified it as trap door spider, as you have. Also, I am scanning in some images and he is going to email me more pics of this live specimen and Channel 16 is going to do a follow up and report this to be the trap door spider which is common here in Arkansas. However, Dr. Hopkins said this is the first trap door he has had brought to him and that it is very similar in appearance. So glad to have heard from you, and so glad this is a trap door spider. I am native to Arkansas and have lived here my entire life and have spent 44 years in the pest control industry and this is my first trap door to see and know it, and the similiarites are many in appearance, but Australia can keep the Sydney fw. Thank you for your encouragment and for being with us in the resolution of this saga. Have a great weekend- Syvia ***************************************************************************


----------



## zonbonzovi (Jul 8, 2011)

Nice work, y'all.  Further evidence that we need to turn off the idiot box and get more in touch with the actual world around us.  I spend a lot of time looking through our library's section on invertebrates & it's a mixed bag.  It's one thing when the sensationalistic news media prints this balderdash(it's sadly to be expected), but when I find it in a book intended to serve as reference material for library patrons, it bursts my bubble.  Too many publishers have forgotten to check facts before sending things to print.  Too many teachers are filling their students' heads with nonsense.  But I suppose that's what outreaches are for


----------



## BQC123 (Jul 8, 2011)

Just got a follow-up to my feedback:

Mr. Clark, 

We have a follow-up on the spider story that orginally aired last Friday.   A local entomologist, Dr. John Hopkins, identified the spider today as a "trap door spider".  Dr. Hopkins says trap door spiders are very similar in appearance to the Sydney Funnel Web.  Because of the physical likeness, Rick Gann -- (the man I interviewed last week) -- was certain he'd found a Sydney Funnel Web.  However, the trap door spider is NOT deadly -- it only delivers a painful bite.  I am planning to do a follow-up on tonight's newscasts.
Thank you for sharing your opinion about the coverage. We are very open to viewer feedback. 

Cheesa Parham s FOX16 News Producer
(phone: 501.217.4211 | (fax: 501.227.0855| *email: cparham@fox16.com 
10800 Colonel Glenn Road s Little Rock, AR 72204


----------



## Comatose (Jul 8, 2011)

Here's mine as well, with my reply:

Parham, Cheesa to me

show details 2:49 PM (9 minutes ago)

Mr. Corcoran,

We have a follow-up on the spider story that orginally aired last Friday.   A local entomologist, Dr. John Hopkins, identified the spider today as a "trap door spider".  Dr. Hopkins says trap door spiders are very similar in appearance to the Sydney Funnel Web.  Because of the physical likeness, Rick Gann -- (the man I interviewed last week) -- was certain he'd found a Sydney Funnel Web.  However, the trap door spider is NOT deadly -- it only delivers a painful bite.  I am planning to do a follow-up on tonight's newscasts.
Thank you for sharing your opinion about the coverage. We are very open to viewer feedback.  


Cheesa Parham s FOX16 News Producer
(phone: 501.217.4211 | (fax: 501.227.0855| *email: cparham@fox16.com
10800 Colonel Glenn Road s Little Rock, AR 72204

FOX16 Local News

Reply

Forward


ReplyReply
More|
[Available] Patrick Corcoran to Cheesa

show details 2:56 PM (1 minute ago)

Cheesa,

I was in touch with Sylvia this morning, she brought the second specimen to Dr. Hopkins after I ID'd it as a native trapdoor species. While the two species are superficially similar, there are key differences that anyone even remotely familiar with these spiders would see. A quick Google search of "spider identification" turns up a number of hits you could have utilized before running to the public with this sensationalistic story about deadly spiders invading the US. As I told John yesterday, it's a shame that you guys did such shoddy investigation and reporting here. The report I mentioned is still up (with the minor change that way made at 9:30 this morning, which seemed to be designed to relieve you of responsibility), and it's been shared almost 400 times on Facebook. That's 400 people terrified into believing deadly spiders are somehow being imported and released! Unbelievable.

I've forwarded the story and all related correspondence to Media Matters. I truly hope they're more receptive to correcting errors than your organization is.

Patrick Corcoran



*** By the way, I'm not really this snarky or obnoxious.... it's just that these idiots at the news channel didn't do anything but subtly change the title of the article to absolve themselves of responsibility. It wasn't until I spoke with the pest agency (they were awesome) and got the second opinion from the local entomologist that they agreed to retract the story. It just drives me nuts....


----------



## buthus (Jul 8, 2011)

zonbonzovi said:


> Nice work, y'all. ..


yep beat me to it.   silly, cause i look at pics 1st and then read text...  saw the pics ...figured male trap.  
we tend to take the image(most prominent/influential one) in our head ..its what we "know"... and we run with it. and our imaginations are _fast_   ...speedier than our logic fer sher.


----------



## patrickbull (Jul 8, 2011)

They changed the story on the website completely now. :clap:


----------



## compnerd7 (Jul 9, 2011)

*Well I'm happy to see you guys b*tch slaped Fox news... I'm suprized that they did a retraction! Kinda bummed I saw this thread a little too late to get my share of this action.*

The only real thing about this story that made me *MAD* is this:

*" Sydney Funnel Webs are not normally found in Arkansas. Gann plans to take his find to a local entomologist to confirm the spider species. "*

Why didn't they do this is the first place before publishing a whole news story on this? ... No no no lets let the *red neck* tell his version before we have any real evidence. So from then on everyone in that state is going to be killing every *black* spider they see.

Soon the media will be believing what _*FLAmoba *_ joked about...

*" I had to give a small speach on something I didn't know about and make it sound convincing  so i convinced my Creative Writing class tarantulas use their fangs as snorkles. " ( end quote, didn't mean to bash you bro, I just loved ur story  )*

*" I'm sorry sir, the pool is closed today due to killer aquatic trap door spiders launching underwater attacks at civilians. We also believe that some of these spiders are caring WMDs *


*Ok end of my rant*:evil:


----------



## Comatose (Jul 9, 2011)

Just FYI, the original story is still up, and it doesn't link to the retraction statement. Around 30 people have shared the original on facebook since the retraction was published.


----------



## BobGrill (Jul 9, 2011)

What's the big deal? The guy was mistaken, so what? I'm almost afraid to say that I've mistaken several brown house spiders for brown recluses. It does in fact look alot like a sydney funnel web at first glance. Not saying I agree with everything this guy's saying, but atleast he seems to know a decent amount about spiders. The venom info seems a bit outdated. I'm sure many people died from funnel web bites twenty years ago or more but nowadays with the antivenom people rarely die from what I hear.


----------



## Tleilaxu (Jul 9, 2011)

BobGrill said:


> What's the big deal? The guy was mistaken, so what? I'm almost afraid to say that I've mistaken several brown house spiders for brown recluses. It does in fact look alot like a sydney funnel web at first glance. Not saying I agree with everything this guy's saying, but atleast he seems to know a decent amount about spiders. The venom info seems a bit outdated. I'm sure many people died from funnel web bites twenty years ago or more but nowadays with the antivenom people rarely die from what I hear.


The "big deal" is the fact that this misinformation will further perpetuate the bad image spiders already have. Not to mention provoke mass hysteria that the "evil funnel web" is now "invading" the USA. And making it worse is that people "trust" media outlets so therefore incorrect information is taken as fact unless the situation is corrected. Also another issue is the fact that this story was reported without anyone checking to make sure that the species ID was correct. Also lacking was the common sense from all parties. You do NOT make such a claim without verifying your facts first, this would be like me declaring that Komodo Dragons are in Florida based off a blurry video or pic of a green iguana or some other monitor that has escaped.


----------



## Comatose (Jul 9, 2011)

That jackass can say whatever he wants... the big deal is a local news channel running a sensationalistic story without doing any due diligence.


----------



## paassatt (Jul 9, 2011)

> ...Gann warns not keeping a close eye on any spider can be a deadly mistake.


I've heard a good bit of hyperbole in my time, but my goodness...


----------



## BobGrill (Jul 12, 2011)

Tleilaxu said:


> The "big deal" is the fact that this misinformation will further perpetuate the bad image spiders already have. Not to mention provoke mass hysteria that the "evil funnel web" is now "invading" the USA. And making it worse is that people "trust" media outlets so therefore incorrect information is taken as fact unless the situation is corrected. Also another issue is the fact that this story was reported without anyone checking to make sure that the species ID was correct. Also lacking was the common sense from all parties. You do NOT make such a claim without verifying your facts first, this would be like me declaring that Komodo Dragons are in Florida based off a blurry video or pic of a green iguana or some other monitor that has escaped.


yeah that was stupid. But what I'm trying to say is that at first glance it's easy to mistake a certain species for another.


----------



## Verneph (Jul 13, 2011)

BobGrill said:


> yeah that was stupid. But what I'm trying to say is that at first glance it's easy to mistake a certain species for another.


This isn't a simple case of mistaken identity though.  This is about man who not only has successfully proven that he knows absolutely not a damned thing about the behavior of spiders but also has succeeded in going around claiming to have found a "deadly" Australian spider in America and stirring up an isolated panic among the ignorant.   Spiders get an unwarranted bad reputation as it is.  The last thing they need is clowns like him pretending to be "experts" on the subject of spiders and making false claims thus leading fellow Americans to assume that just because a spider is big and black it *must* be a horribly deadly exotic spider that's going to bite your friggin' head off when you turn your back.  

I think the most annoying part about all this is that Funnel Webs (like, *actual* Funnel Webs in Australia) don't actually bite, let alone kill, people that often.  Lightning kills more people per year than spiders do.


----------



## 3ntomology (Jul 13, 2011)

Chris_Skeleton said:


> That guy is an idiot. "They're not normally found in Arkansas." Ha. Try never. I can't wait until he takes it to the *entomologist* and they laugh at him. How do they explain it being here?
> 
> Remember, if you find a spider that has a "reaction" to you of "not backing down", than it most certainly is a Sydney Funnel Web. :wall:
> 
> Oh, and read some of the comments. Especially from Patrick.



yeah it looks pretty damn common to me!


----------



## BobGrill (Jul 14, 2011)

I'd love to see one of these. Apparently we get some in north FL. Not the same species I'm sure, but still a type of trapdoor spider.


----------



## Michiel (Jul 14, 2011)

Comatose said:


> That jackass can say whatever he wants... the big deal is a local news channel running a sensationalistic story without doing any due diligence.


Yep, as you see "Freedom of speech" has it's downsides.....


----------



## ZergFront (Oct 11, 2011)

Chris_Skeleton said:


> Remember, if you find a spider that has a "reaction" to you of "not backing down", than it most certainly is a Sydney Funnel Web. :wall:
> 
> Oh, and read some of the comments. Especially from Patrick.


 OH no!! I think my P.reduncus is actually a funnel web!! Whatever should I do? ROFL! Love the fail posts.


----------



## Peter_Parker (Oct 13, 2011)

Tarantel said:


> So this guy walks outside and finds a spider, which he immediatly decides is a deadly spider from another continent? And not he is going to take this spider to an entomologist? (couldn't he find an arachnologist?) Yeah, that could happen, recently I walked out side and saw a Brazilian wandering spider, so I took it to my local herpetologist. :}


That's what I was thinking.  To me that's like discovering a gila monster and going to an ornithologist for help identifying it...


----------



## Spiderman24 (Oct 14, 2011)

Just to throw this.out there me and my fiance come from perth western australia and we ship packages back and forth to eachother (i collect action figures that arent sold here anymore (evangelion) and when a new one is released by yamaguchi my fiamce goes and buys it then ships it off to me here. Well since we can all obviously keep a secret.  my fiamce has jnfact shipped me a sydney funnel web before in a normal vial that we usually get slings in. now mine was dead by the time it got herw but that just shows you how easily they could get here. But needless to say obviously this man is quite ignorant. I still have the body of my sydney funnel web and will post pictures of it here in a bit. I also still have the box that it came in with my eva unit 06 figure. My fiance simply put the spider in the vial opened up the evangelion figures box and set it in there with it. So I guess it would be quite simple for it to get here but the chances of it happening and aurviving is rather slim. Will post pictures sokn though and if anyones interested ill show you guys my awesome not yet world releaswed eva unit 06 figure =D

---------- Post added 10-14-2011 at 02:28 AM ----------

Please by the way dont call my fiance ignorant or anything like that if anyone is ignorant its me for asking her to catch me.one and ship it.


----------



## The Snark (Oct 15, 2011)

Peter_Parker said:


> That's what I was thinking.  To me that's like discovering a gila monster and going to an ornithologist for help identifying it...


 And even then you may butt your head against a stump. As example, Rod Crawford will usually refer to others such questions if the spider isn't local to the Pacific Northwest.


----------

