My sister Carolyn and I met someone on our walk last week.
Well, we met someTHING.
The funny thing is, when dogs rush at us with barking throats and slathering tongues, Carolyn stands her ground, puts her hands on her hips, and tells them to leave.
When we ran across this little fellow small enough to step on (if you don't mind the crunch!) she nearly climbed up onto my shoulders.
I sent a picture to Bob, and he said it was, indeed, a tarantula. (I have my shoe in the picture for size reference. Don't quibble if it doesn't look like a shoe to you. The only time I completely cover my foot is when I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO, such as in 12 inches of snow or places that don't accept open footwear. Believe it or not, there are such places!)
Also keep in mind that my footwear is a glorious size 11, so that makes the tarantula even bigger than you first thought on seeing it.
Perhaps we should have used one of Carolyn's shoes... but I'm not sure she would have survived the trauma of having her footwear in such close proximity.
From what Bob told me, and what I read online, tarantulas rarely bite people. If they do, it may feel like a bee sting.
Worse than a bite, if threatened, tarantulas can scrape stinging hairs off their abdomens and flick them at intruders, which can cause a painful rash. (And a bald tarantula belly!)
Tarantulas may sometimes eat their own legs.
I prefer to keep my legs intact so I can keep on walking!
Do you like to go on walks?
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