5 am, Monday
Elvis, or the spider also known as Huntsman Harry, has left the building. Or at least that is what we hope has happened. No need for anyone to call PETA – he didn’t leave in a body bag, nor even under the slightest bit of duress. Can’t say the same for us, who cut our movie short last night when Harry, in all of his 4-inch-wide glory, decided to reappear from behind the speaker:
I suppose we could have watched how the movie ended if he would have just stayed put. But when he started advancing our direction and ultimately parked himself overhead, hanging upside down from the CEILING, that was the end of that. “Goodnight Harry,” we said through clenched and whimpering teeth. “We’ve left the deck door open for you – hope you choose to use it.”
This morning there was no Harry in sight. How do we know for sure he’s really gone? Well, that’s the kicker – we don’t. Gina did tear the sofa apart, and every few minutes you will catch one of us glimpsing toward the ceiling and to utter relief, seeing nothing but an unblemished line of clean white moulding, but really, we have no proof that he isn’t lurking behind that dresser over there or underneath that potted plant.
So just like the movie last night, the ultimate ending is still a mystery to us. Let’s just hope it’s a happy one and by that I mean that Harry is riding off into the Sydney sunset for destinations grander than our ceiling or sofa.
Cool! Yes, looks like a Huntsman… That is probably of the Genus Isopeda. There are are 40 in that genus and this one looks like the Isopedella flavida. Can you get a close-up photo next time? You must have a zoom lens. Per a Huntsman website they are large flat spiders with legs up to 30 mm. They can often be seen in summer running over walls and ceiling during the nighttime. The young spiders move faster than the adults and are difficlt to catch. Isopeda are distinctive, brown to grey spiders. the ceplalothorax is rounded and the abomen more oval. The body is flat in side profile and adapted for living in narrow spaces under bark and other crevices. The spider is not aggressive. Wikipedia states in general, huntsman spiders are not regarded as dangerous, and can be considered beneficial because they feed on insects (cockroaches are a favourite). Many Australians will relocate huntsman spiders to the garden rather than kill them. So next time, do as the Aussies do and gently relocate the spider to the neighbor party building.