Cheeky little bastard

[Bushy]

SMITHTOWN, N.Y. -- SPCA rescues fanged, venomous spider.

What has fangs, venom, a cranky disposition and the ability to leap three feet?

A pet that's no longer wanted.

Suffolk animal rescue officials said Friday that they were called in by a Rocky Point man who finally gave up on keeping a household pet -- an Ornate Golden Baboon spider.

With venom as toxic as a scorpion's and a lifespan reaching 25 years, the spider was too scary for the man to keep, so the Suffolk Society for the Protection of Animals came to his house and rescued the spider, sending it to an out-of-state sanctuary, SPCA Chief Roy Gross said.

"This will make a regular tarantula look docile," Gross said.

"It doesn't take anything to tick it off, and it jumps three feet."

Gross said the former owner doesn't want to be identified.

The spider has a large, fat body, with the body and the legs thickly covered in hair, making it seem even bulkier and more frightening, Gross said.

It spends most of it time either inside or very near its nest, which is usually a silk-lined hole in the ground, he said. If alarmed near its nest the spider may rear up on its hind legs, with its front legs and fangs poised to strike downwards at its adversary.

When it adopts this posture you can see its sharp, brown fangs, surrounded by reddish hairs. The fangs can inflict a painful, venomous bite which can present a threat to humans.

Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California analyzed the neurotoxin in the spider's venom and classified it as equal to that of a scorpion.

Its natural habitat is throughout the southern African sub-region, but it's also popular as a pet. One Web site lists Ornate Baboon spiders for $45.

Gross said it was among the most frightening creatures he's ever been called on to rescue.

"I'll pick up an alligator but I won't touch this," the SPCA chief said. "The day I'd have to pick up a spider like that is the day I'd retire."

Scary

[36chambers]

cool