Today I Saw a Native Animal

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When the species was first described males and females were treated as two different species due to their vastly different size and appearance. It wasn't until years later that researchers found a mating pair that they were in fact the same species.

Why 'mouse' spider? Several possible explanations have been suggested

  • someone found a spider in a deep burrow that had possibly been an old beetle or mouse hole.
  • they are alleged to eat mice
  • the large females resemble mice

Identification​

Red-headed Mouse Spiders have a smooth, glossy carapace and their head area is high, steep and broad with very large, bulbous jaws. Their eyes are widespread across the front of their head. The spinnerets, at the back of the abdomen, are short and blunt, the last segment domed and button-like.

Female Red-headed Mouse Spiders are large, stout spiders with short legs. They tend to be uniformly dark brown to black all over, however their jaws are sometimes red-tinged. Female Red-headed Mouse Spiders are much larger than the males.

Male Red-headed Mouse Spiders have a bright red head and jaws and a gunmetal blue to black abdomen. They have thinner and longer slender legs without mating spurs. They are much smaller than the females.

When the species was first described males and females were treated as two different species due to their vastly different size and appearance. It wasn't until years later that reasearchers found a mating pair that they were in fact the same species.

Scientific name: Missulena occatoria
Similar species:
Trapdoor Spiders, Funnel-web Spiders
 
In camp about 12 months ago, before getting in to bed I did a full arm sweep under my doona and a large thickset spider was brought out which did a run out to the side of the mattress and stopped there.
It was a big fat nasty looking thing and I knocked it to the floor. I distinctly remember the ticky ticky ticky sound of its claws across the flooring.
I might apologise, but it got an absolute thongin' . I just know I would have been in a world of pain because in close contact with me under the doona I would have been bitten for sure.
 
Check this out, it landed here late this afternoon, we've had a hell of a windy storm here and hopefully Mr or Mrs Percivil is just having a rest and will be gone tomorrow.20220427_165406.jpg20220427_165406.jpg
 

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Came across these Black Swans with 5 hatchlings on my walk this morning, clearly there was more to come as one Swan was still sitting on the nest, on my way back I found them about 600mtrs away from the nest and there was 7 babies, I'm going to enjoy watching them grow
 

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We have a number of superb blue fairy wrens nesting under our carport at Daisy Hill. They have been a welcome sight flitting around our garden over a number of years.
As we work around the place and the garden stirring up insects they have become less wary over the years and approach us quite closely now. I snapped this one just a few feet away as I was working near my shed.IMG_1990 (Medium).JPGIMG_1987 (Medium).JPG
 
Not exactly a Native animal, but I sure was thankful I was in my car when I came across this bad boy. He was a huge ball of muscle roaming free in State forest near Avoca.0C429732-9884-4674-9CFF-AE86808D29B2.jpeg
 
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Really bad pic of an ex northern mouse spider. Hard to focus and aim with a thong at the same time!
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They're all great pics people. I love that close-up one of the ant taking home the spider for dinner. It's great to know some critters have got my back! Having said that, not all ants are our allies either. I remember well as a teenager, exploring the sand dunes of the back beach along Cape Schanck Vic with my cousins in the 70's. My youngest cousin sat down for a rest on a sand dune, and he got bitten on the backside by a huge dark blue/black colored Bull ant. He let out the most agonizing scream and balled his eyes out in pain.

So, what is the one that you said was something else in the preceding years Nightjar? Is it the remains of a native Mia Mia or something? I guess if you needed some shelter it would be easy enough to just throw a tarp over it and kip down underneath.
Better late than never, yes, remains of a mia mia. No tarps out there, local bushes, branches etc would have kept them comfy for the night before moving on with their hunting and collecting.
 

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