awesome spider!

[reorith]

http://i41.tinypic.com/3088efn.jpg
this is portia labiata. the world's smartest spider. it has evolved to be the ultimate predator, it is a spider that hunts other spiders, and hunts in an intelligent fashion that rivals and even exceeds the cognitive abilities of large mammals like cats.

portia labiata remembers what each of the things its preyed on looks like, and will selectively choose the easiest of those prey in the future.

it is able to memorize where its prey is located - it doesn't need to constantly check where it is as it maneuvers around.

it recognizes which spiders can spit poisonous silk and which ones cannot, and changes its tactics based on this information. if it sees a spitting spider it keeps its distance and flanks it. it knows that if a spitting spider has an eggsac, that it won't spit and can be attacked frontally.

it will go into the webs of other spiders and experiment with vibrations, testing for one which will attract that unwary spider towards it. it will remember which vibration worked on which type of spider and use that in the future.

its visual acuity rivals that of a human or a cat.

it will spend hours planning how to stalk down and attack its prey. memorizing which paths it needs to take and what direction it needs to attack from.

it may be lacking in the size department, but what it does have are a very particular set of skills; skills it has acquired over a very long career. skills that make it a nightmare for people like you. it will look for you, it will find you, and it will kill you.

and now a thread about how awesome spiders are.

[RS14]

Jumping spiders are just awesome in general. "Physiological experiments have shown that they may have up to four different kinds of receptor cells, with different absorption spectra, giving them the possibility of up to tetrachromatic color vision, with sensitivity extending into the ultra-violet range."

I was lucky enough to see one catch an injured gnat once. It was beautiful.

[Blue the Thief]

:eek:

Well crap, there goes any chance of me not being an Arachnophobic.

[thubby]

i love the idea of spiders, they seem so... unique i guess.
i usually don't like biology, but spiders just make sense to me *shrugs*

unfortunately I'm horrendously arachnophobic.

[Starscream]

:eek:

Well crap, there goes any chance of me not being an Arachnophobic.

Nah, it's actually kind of cute. Looks like it has a fuzzy mustache.

[Blue the Thief]

Nah, it's actually kind of cute. Looks like it has a fuzzy mustache.

Knowing spiders, that "fuzzy mustache" is probably some sort of tactical nuclear device.

Or perhaps I'm paranoid:tongue:

[chiasaur11]

Knowing spiders, that "fuzzy mustache" is probably some sort of tactical nuclear device.

Or perhaps I'm paranoid:tongue:

Spiders are our friends.

They fight crime, man!

[Starscream]

Knowing spiders, that "fuzzy mustache" is probably some sort of tactical nuclear device.

...J. Jonah Jameson, is that you?

[Jokes]

Try being scared of it now-

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh111/jokersmods/spiderbrit.jpg

I would kill for those 'chops.

[Mr. Mud]

That spider is scary...Even though he has that faint whisper of british charm and poise... and a top hat. And to bring Keris to this thread in spirit, if anything: http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z257/kerisrain/other/Pennybags.png

[Ravens_cry]

Spiders are so awesome, there are spiders that eat Bats. (http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/bugs-animals/spiders-and-scorpions/spider_orb_kills_bat.html)
And if that is not awesome, I am not sure what is.

[Blue the Thief]

...J. Jonah Jameson, is that you?

No.....:smallconfused:

A former member, I'm guessing?

[kpenguin]

No.....:smallconfused:

A former member, I'm guessing?

No, not at all (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Jonah_Jameson)

[Ravens_cry]

I am sure all and sundry will find the effects of various pharmaceuticals on arachnids (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHzdsFiBbFc) to be most enlightening.

[Blue the Thief]

No, not at all (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Jonah_Jameson)


Ah....

Well, now I feel like a idiot:smallredface:

[reorith]

I am sure all and sundry will find the effects of various pharmaceuticals on arachnids (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHzdsFiBbFc) to be most enlightening.

greatest video ever!

[chiasaur11]

Ah....

Well, now I feel like a idiot:smallredface:

In this case you should.

We're talking the only man able to rock a Hitler stache while still being lovable since Chaplin.

[Teron]

It looks like General Goomblast (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20031027).

[Serpentine]

Try being scared of it now-

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh111/jokersmods/spiderbrit.jpg

I would kill for those 'chops....
I think I have my new desktopbackground http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z257/kerisrain/other/XD.png

[Thanatos 51-50]

Try being scared of it now-

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh111/jokersmods/spiderbrit.jpg

I would kill for those 'chops.

+1 awesome.

[Alleine]

Yeah, seeing the thread and then the picture made me think it would be about how awesome his 'stache is.

Aside from facial hair that massively out strips my own, that is one freaking crazy spider! I don't suppose they know how the spider is capable of such feats?

[Vizen]

That spider is made of win!

Same with the one Ravens_cry linked earlier, that was quite a thing to see..Its also going to make me think twice about walking through spider webs, but hey.

[Icewalker]

Well done, Jokes! That's bloody fantastic! Top hat!

...awesome.

Yeah, there're some pretty awesome spiders out there, definitely...

[Linkavitch]

Nah, it's actually kind of cute. Looks like it has a fuzzy mustache.

I think I'll name it Mario!:smalltongue:

Seriously, spiders are cool. I have a bracelet with a spider embedded in a peice of teardrop-shaped glass. It's yellow and black and all spikey. Completely kick-awesome.

[golentan]

OMG!!! SO CUTE!!!

I'm wondering if that would count as a case of specialist's advantage. I don't think so, because I can't think of a scenario where that results in death for the spider when the specialized circumstances would go away.

[Katrascythe]

Yeah I gotta agree with golentan, that spider is so freakin' adorable! I love spiders though so I might just be a freak. I also suddenly feel like my place on the food chain has fallen a little bit more. If only I were such a good hunter.

...Although I guess I could do as well as him if I had a bit more discipline XD

[Eldan]

Nice...

And cute, too. Though, as other's have said, I'm just another freak with a bird-eating spider as a paperweight.

[Faulty]

Why does it have to be scary as ****? :smalleek: That's very interesting though. The animal world is really surprising, it's interesting to learn how many intelligent animals there are out there, it's very humbling. Did you know that magpies are self-conscious, birds have a sense of rhythm and octopi (I believe, might be squid) can learn from observation?

[Dirk Kris]

Terrified. Thanks. Can't sleep. Spiders will eat me. They know what time I take my showers. They know where I leave my shoes. They know what TV shows I like and what time they come on. I'm so dead.

Also, Jokes...thank you. That picture saved me from soiling my armor. *bows*

[golentan]

Why does it have to be scary as ****? :smalleek: That's very interesting though. The animal world is really surprising, it's interesting to learn how many intelligent animals there are out there, it's very humbling. Did you know that magpies are self-conscious, birds have a sense of rhythm and octopi (I believe, might be squid) can learn from observation?

It's octopi. If they lived longer than 5 years and were a bit more social, we'd so be fighting them for resources.

[Eldan]

Squid too, actually. They can do some really impressive stuff with spatial memory and pattern recognition.

[Faulty]

It's octopi. If they lived longer than 5 years and were a bit more social, we'd so be fighting them for resources.

I think we have more to fear from other great apes. They're land based and they can swing through trees! Bonobos would sex us into extinction.

[Mando Knight]

I think we have more to fear from other great apes. They're land based and they can swing through trees! Bonobos would sex us into extinction.

What are you talking about? Apes aren't the biggest threat to us... it's bears (http://ccinsider.comedycentral.com/2008/12/02/colberts-best-bear-moments/)! :smalltongue:

[lord of kobolds]

Well spiders are all well and good, until they become...
SPIDERGOATS!!! (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/889951.stm)

[chiasaur11]

I think we have more to fear from other great apes. They're land based and they can swing through trees! Bonobos would sex us into extinction.

Why do you think we're clobbering them so hard?

If not for traitors like that Goodall woman, we'd have won by now.

[golentan]

Naw, the other apes ain't intelligent enough. Sure they can learn to pick locks, but how many do it by age 2? (That's the age where the octopus I knew made his great escape plan, which included picking a lock and setting up a trap for the handler who taunted him. Of course, it was just to get at the fridge where his food was kept.) We'd use them as minions against the cephalopod menace.

[Ravens_cry]

Naw, the other apes ain't intelligent enough. Sure they can learn to pick locks, but how many do it by age 2? (That's the age where the octopus I knew made his great escape plan, which included picking a lock and setting up a trap for the handler who taunted him. Of course, it was just to get at the fridge where his food was kept.) We'd use them as minions against the cephalopod menace.
I, for one, welcome our new cephalopod overlords.:smallamused:

[chiasaur11]

We can't leave the pigs out of the math entirely.

I mean, they're smart, and good enough long term planners to become delicious specifically to gain our protection. There's got to be some big time plan there.

[Serpentine]

Squid too, actually. They can do some really impressive stuff with spatial memory and pattern recognition.My sister played with an old cuttlefish once. It'd been in an aquarium for years. She had two different coloured tops on. She'd lift the top shirt to show the bottom's colours, then put it down again to show its colours, and repeat, and it kept changing its colour and pattern in time. Then her boyfriend came up next to her and it got all aggro at him...
Imagine what they could do if they didn't die as soon as they bred, eh?

[Ravens_cry]

Imagine what they could do if they didn't die as soon as they bred, eh?
I'd be typing this with tentacles, as we would be pondering what monkeys could do if they came down from the trees, that's what they could do.

[chiasaur11]

Heh.
Thinking we humans don't have to worry?

I have on good authority Lovecraft's Cthulhu was based on real events.

Only the monster in question had a hide a tad more...

metallic.

[Khanderas]

Heh.
Thinking we humans don't have to worry?

I have on good authority Lovecraft's Cthulhu was based on real events.

Only the monster in question had a hide a tad more...

metallic.
http://www.odd-fish.net/viewing.php?comic_id=24 ?
(and more improved version later on)

[golentan]

Heh.
Thinking we humans don't have to worry?

I have on good authority Lovecraft's Cthulhu was based on real events.

Only the monster in question had a hide a tad more...

metallic.

I'm sorry. I had just landed, and sent out probes, and didn't realize there might be intelligent life on earth (I'm still ambivalent by the way). It's hardly MY fault one of the probes got involved in a scuffle. I stopped it when I realized you were coordinating actions and using tools. STOP JUDGING ME!!!

[Mando Knight]

Why do you think we're clobbering them so hard?

If not for traitors like that Goodall woman, we'd have won by now.

She's also in league with the bears (http://www.wikiality.com/Bears). Probably wants to put BearSharks (http://www.wikiality.com/BearSharks) on the endangered species list, too.

...

...
:smalltongue:

[chiasaur11]

She's also in league with the bears (http://www.wikiality.com/Bears). Probably wants to put BearSharks (http://www.wikiality.com/BearSharks) on the endangered species list, too.

...

...
:smalltongue:

Well, they are endangered, thanks to the efforts of President Roosevelt.

Man killed more'n a billion of them with his hands.

[Flame of Anor]

Ha ha, I thought this was going to be about that seven-legged spider picture that guy tried to pay his bills with. Good times... :smallsmile: