Already, Joe Swash has eaten two yellow-tale scorpions. At least they were dead as he sunk in his teeth. Interestingly, I doubt they were Australian solifugae though - looked more like the common European variety, so not really true Oz bushtucker!
The new titles for the show/in-programme inserts have an occasional sting featuring the brilliant Netcasting Spider/Stick spider (Deinopis subrufa). Common in gardens right across that wonderful spiders' web of a continent, the deinopis is a completely harmless arachnid (to humans anyway) that grows very large and cleverly back-comes its silk. Being unlike the silk of most spiders, it has no adhesive property, hence, if the animal built a web with it, insects would land and then just hop off!
Just for the hell of it, here's the titles for the current series of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
Deinopis (species of which also inhabit parts of South America) has cunningly evolved to, as I say, back-come the silk to give it a spring-loaded effect. It builds a triangular blanket web between its four front legs and uses one of its back legs to hold the 'net' in place, with silk outstretched, using the elasticity it has created with the back-coming to make it taught, spotting prey and then literally launching and catching it in its net.
Like most true arachnids, deinopis subrufa has eight eyes. Despite this, the majority of spiders have relatively poor eyesight. However, Deinopis subrufa has evolved two of its eight eyes as MASSIVE eyes that mark the animal out among most other similar species. These eyes are reminiscent of the eyes of maybe a small mammal like a fieldmouse or bush baby. This spider has often been nicknamed the ogre-face because of its fearful face, hence the name 'Deinopis subrufa', which pretty much translates as fearful appearance, or face.
So, that's the wonderful netcasting spider of Australia - completely harmless to humans. Think of it as the stick insect of the spider kingdom.
I see that tomorrow's I'm A Celebrity ... features spiders, notably huntsmans, another massive, but harmless Ozzie critter. I swear, if I see one of those animals maimed in anyway, I will be writing to Ofcom and the RSPCA - forget Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross! Harm a spider and I mean war!
Stay webwise folks.
Gav XXX
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