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FULL TITLE: How FOUR cops rushed to kill spider in wheelchair-bound teen's home after she called 911 fearing it could have killed her Police in Portland, Oregon, received an unusual call earlier this month when a teenager phoned requesting assistance to deal with a ‘massive’ spider. The caller, Makenna Sewell, wasn’t a prankster or someone with an extreme phobia of spiders, but instead suffers from muscular dystrophy and is wheelchair-bound. She believed the spider was a brown recluse, a species with venom so toxic that it could have been deadly for her compromised immune system. Scroll down for video Sewell...

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is taking heat from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals after he killing a spider on his desk in front of a class of fourth graders. In a video titled, 'Governor Christie Saves School Children From Spider,' his fearless spider-swatting skills are witnessed to cheers from his daughter, Bridget’s classmates after it caused a commotion on his desk. He tells the children after delivering it a quick slap by his palm that it's just one of the many perks of being governor. 'Any bugs on your desk you're allowed to kill them...

There's only one place in the world to escape bat-catching spiders: Antarctica. These arachnids ensnare and pounce on bats everywhere else in the world, researchers say. Bats rank among the most successful groups of mammals, with the more than 1,200 species of bats comprising about one-fifth of all mammal species. Other than owls, hawks and snakes, bats have few natural enemies. Still, invertebrates — creatures without backbones — have been known to dine on bats. For instance, giant centipedes in a cave in Venezuela were seen killing and eating bats, and the arachnids known as whip spiders were spotted feeding...

A Fossilized Scene of a Spider Attacking a Wasp, Preserved for 110 Million Years Paleontologists have discovered beautifully preserved species trapped in amber before — but this one is extraordinary. It features a parasitic wasp that has become ensnared in a spider's web, with the owner bearing down on it for an attack. But just before the spider was about to have its meal, a drop of resin flowed down from above, freezing the moment in time. Researchers date the scene to the Early Cretaceous between 97 to 110 million years ago in the Hukawng Valley of Myanmar — a...

It's the eight-legged discovery of the millennium! An endangered species of spider not seen in more than three decades unexpectedly appeared in Northwest San Antonio two weeks ago. Biologists and science buffs, rejoice. There's just one downside if you're an area commuter: The spider, no bigger than a dime, showed up in the middle of a $15.1 million highway underpass project on Texas 151 at Loop 1604. And in this particular case of nature vs. man-made road, the arachnid wins. The highway project is on hold indefinitely. SNIP . . . No other spiders have been spotted in the hole...

A rare spider has caused a San Antonio highway construction project to be shut down - because of the Endangered Species Act. People on our side of the fence are properly upset. Here are a couple threads: Blind Spider Discovery Halts Development Of Texas HighwayRare spider found in Texas shuts down $15M million construction project Needless to say, the neo-Marxist freaks on the other side are overjoyed. I found an article at The Huffington Post. I scrolled down to read the comments and almost threw up: Wow.....I cannot believe that they are doing that.......It is great........ Oh, man, I can...

What has eight legs, is no bigger than a dime, and can stop a $15-million-dollar highway construction project? Why of course, it’s a Braken Bat Cave Meshweaver! It seems the San Antonio, Texas underpass project was halted when the rare spider was discovered after rain exposed a 6-foot-deep natural hole in a highway median at Texas 151 and Loop 1604. The endangered arachnid, which had not been seen in more than 30 years, gave biologists a chance to rejoice for the chance discovery.While the find is a significant one for science, area commuters will likely not be pleased as the...

Scarlet Spider swings into Houston just in time to tangle with supervillains lurking in the shadows of the Texas metropolis. Consider yourself lucky if you have never seen the evil Salamander, who can generate and control fire. Scarlet Spider is the star of a new Marvel Universe comic-book series that launches Wednesday with events at 8th Dimension Comics & Games and Alamo Draft House at West Oaks Mall. Scarlet Spider/Kaine, a clone of Spider-Man, has a villainous past and is on the run to Mexico when life happens, said writer Christopher Yost, and Kaine stops in Houston. Yost of Los...

Brief wildlife documentary featuring the wood spider.

This is bullet-proof human skin - made from spider silk and goat milk. Yes, really. Jalila Essaidi is testing the limits of human endurance, and it starts by having to milk spider-goats. Spider goats are otherwise innocent-looking goats that have been genetically engineered to produce milk packed with the protein made in spider's silk. (There is no definitive proof that this also gives them a propensity to skitter up walls or hide out in your sock drawer, but I think it does.) Once the goats are milked, Essaidi spins the protein into fiber that is ten times stronger than steel,...

BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. -- A man from Erie, Colo. died after getting bitten by a black widow spider. Health experts say it's a rare for someone to die from black widow bites. Jeff Seale, 40, noticed 19 bites on his foot two weeks before he died. His sister says he worked at a horse stable, and she wonders if that's where her brother might've encountered the spider...

A supermarket in Germany was evacuated last Friday after a worker reported seeing one of the world's must deadly and vicious spiders -- a Brazilian Wandering Spider -- jump out of a banana crate. The store is due to reopen Monday after it was sprayed with pesticide -- but the beast has not been found.

ScienceDaily (Apr. 23, 2011) — One of the most feared spiders in North America is the subject a new study that aims to predict its distribution and how that distribution may be affected by climate changes. When provoked, the spider, commonly known as the brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa), injects powerful venom that can kill the tissues at the site of the bite. This can lead to a painful deep sore and occasional scarring.

The 165-million-year-old species is a relative of today's large web weavers. The biggest known fossil spider has been found in China, a new study says. Measuring nearly 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) in length, the 165-million-year-old fossil was uncovered in 2005 by farmers in Inner Mongolia (see map)—a region teeming with fossils from the middle Jurassic period. "Compared to all other spider fossils, this one is huge," said study co-author ChungKun Shih, a visiting professor at Capital Normal University in Beijing, China. "When I first saw it, I immediately realized that it was very unique not only because of its size,...

The largest fossil spider uncovered to date once ensnared prey back in the age of dinosaurs, scientists find. The spider, named Nephila jurassica, was discovered buried in ancient volcanic ash in Inner Mongolia, China. Tufts of hairlike fibers seen on its legs showed this 165-million-year-old arachnid to be the oldest known species of the largest web-weaving spiders alive today — the golden orb-weavers, or Nephila, which are big enough to catch birds and bats, and use silk that shines like gold in the sunlight. The fossil was about as large as its modern relatives, with a body one inch (2.5...

Scientists believe a spider could lead to a breakthrough in sexual health after finding a single bite can cause a four hour erection. Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia believe the venom of the Brazilian wandering spider could lead to a new cure for erectile dysfunction. Dr Kenia Nunes, a physiologist at the college, said it works in a different way to Viagra, reports the Daily Mail, "This is good because we know that some patients don't respond to the conventional therapy. This could be an optional treatment for them," she said. Her study, published in the Journal of...

"Native to Asia, it was first found in Allentown, Pa., and has no natural enemies here."

The 28 year-old suffered severe burns after attacking the arachnid with an aerosol can at his home in Clacton in Essex. The man was summoned by his wife to deal with a spider she had seen scuttling behind the lavatory on Bank Holiday Monday. Not being able to reach it, the man decided to kill it by spraying it with the can. However he was unable to see whether it was dead because the bulb in the bathroom light had blown. At this point he turned to a cigarette lighter to illuminate the room, but in the process ignited the...

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. -- A Paulding County woman is recovering from major surgery after being bitten by a brown recluse spider at her home. “I would have never known in a million years that a spider could ever do this much damage,” said Victoria Franklin. Franklin was at WellStar Windy Hill Hospital Friday morning, recovering from an April mastectomy. “I didn’t flip out over that. I was glad to be alive,” she said of her surgery. She found out she lost her left breast when the hospital staff told her after she woke up from an 11-day coma. “She said,...

Below is the complete email conversation that Adelaide man David Thorne claims he had with a utility company chasing payment of an overdue bill. From: Jane Gilles Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.19pm To: David Thorne Subject: Overdue account Dear David, Our records indicate that your account is overdue by the amount of $233.95. If you have already made this payment please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding. Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles From: David Thorne Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.37pm To: Jane Gilles Subject:...