Staff Reporter
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Tarantula spider, kept in a sand-filled glass case, was centre of attention at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) stall at the Pride of India Exhibition organised on the sidelines of the ongoing 97th Indian Science Congress.
Most visitors tapped and stroked the glass case trying to evoke some response while the exhibitors requested them to leave the creature in peace.
Tarantulas are found in tropical and desert regions and are mostly harmless to humans.
The spider was the only live specimen on display at the stall. Preserved exhibits of rare moths, dragonflies, butterflies, fish varieties and small reptiles endemic to the Western Ghats were drawing crowds. Preserved specimens of ‘atlas moth,’ the largest moth species in the country; the rare ‘pig nosed frog, also called ‘living fossil,’ etc were on display.
“It is called living fossil because molecular studies show that this species has not had any morphological changes since two million years. Which means that it has lived with the dinosaurs,” said K.P. Dinesh, zoological assistant at ZSI, Kozhikode.
The Giant Earth Worm, another species endemic to Nilambur in Kerala, is another interesting display. This worm can grow up to a metre in length.
Taxidermy of a large size anteater was another interesting sight at the stall which also had on display lively pictures of the flora and fauna from the Western Ghats.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/05/stories/2010010550530200.htm
Showing posts with label spiders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiders. Show all posts
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Saturday, 2 January 2010
Tarantula Owner Sees Red After Hairy Moment
3:58pm UK, Friday January 01, 2010
Lulu Sinclair, Sky News Online
Tarantula lovers are being warned to avoid getting up close and personal with their pet - or else do it from the other side of an aquarium pane.
That is a lesson that a 29-year-old man from Leeds in Britain learned the hard way, according to the medical journal, The Lancet.
In February of last year, the man turned up at St James's University Hospital in Leeds after three weeks of stinging pain in one eye, which had become red, watery and light-sensitive.
Doctors prescribed antibiotics, assuming he was afflicted with a particularly stubborn case of conjunctivitis, but the treatment did not help the symptoms.
When they re-examined the patient with high-magnification lenses, doctors spotted ultra-thin, hair-like projections sticking into the cornea.
They were so small that even microforceps could not remove them.
That is when the man recalled a close encounter with his pet spider shortly before his eye first became irritated.
While cleaning a stubborn stain on the glass tank that was home to his Chilean Rose tarantula, he turned his head to find the fist-sized arachnid very near by.
The spider released a "mist of hairs" which hit his eye and face, according the journal.
Treatment with topical steroids largely cleared his symptoms, but as late as August he continued to complain of mild discomfort.
"As a defence mechanism against potential predators, the tarantula will rub its hind legs against its abdomen to dislodge special hairs from the back of its body," the study explained.
"Multiple barbs allow the hairs to migrate through ocular tissue as well as other surfaces."
Moral of the story? "We suggest that tarantula keepers be advised to wear eye protection routinely when handling these animals," it concluded.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Strange-News/Spiders-Tarantula-Lovers-Warned-To-Keep-Out-Of-Eye-Range-Of-Eight-Legged-Friends/Article/201001115512759?f=rss
Lulu Sinclair, Sky News Online
Tarantula lovers are being warned to avoid getting up close and personal with their pet - or else do it from the other side of an aquarium pane.
That is a lesson that a 29-year-old man from Leeds in Britain learned the hard way, according to the medical journal, The Lancet.
In February of last year, the man turned up at St James's University Hospital in Leeds after three weeks of stinging pain in one eye, which had become red, watery and light-sensitive.
Doctors prescribed antibiotics, assuming he was afflicted with a particularly stubborn case of conjunctivitis, but the treatment did not help the symptoms.
When they re-examined the patient with high-magnification lenses, doctors spotted ultra-thin, hair-like projections sticking into the cornea.
They were so small that even microforceps could not remove them.
That is when the man recalled a close encounter with his pet spider shortly before his eye first became irritated.
While cleaning a stubborn stain on the glass tank that was home to his Chilean Rose tarantula, he turned his head to find the fist-sized arachnid very near by.
The spider released a "mist of hairs" which hit his eye and face, according the journal.
Treatment with topical steroids largely cleared his symptoms, but as late as August he continued to complain of mild discomfort.
"As a defence mechanism against potential predators, the tarantula will rub its hind legs against its abdomen to dislodge special hairs from the back of its body," the study explained.
"Multiple barbs allow the hairs to migrate through ocular tissue as well as other surfaces."
Moral of the story? "We suggest that tarantula keepers be advised to wear eye protection routinely when handling these animals," it concluded.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Strange-News/Spiders-Tarantula-Lovers-Warned-To-Keep-Out-Of-Eye-Range-Of-Eight-Legged-Friends/Article/201001115512759?f=rss
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