A true story and its source was the Australian Quarantine Service in Adelaide

I've heard of something like this happening before. I think there may be some other tarantula species that also do this. The thing that I find hard to believe is that so many tarantulas could manage to grow to adult size inside a cactus. What were they eating to grow so much? Each other, the inside of the cactus? Scary nonetheless, but also a pretty cool evolutionary tactic!

OMG that is horrible! Thanks a lot! I don't expect I will sleep tonight. Then again why did I read this, I knew it was about spiders and that is my phobia.

This one I have heard about before feralwoman and am appalled by it actually for a couple of reasons. One is that Customs had it quarantines for 3 months, so I do not understand how they did not find these things. The other is how did AQIS, who are actually responsible for this sort of thing, allow it into the country. Soil cannot be bought into this country from overseas, so the soil on the cactus should have been fuminated as should the cactus.

It sounds to me like someone was not doing their job properly, and that makes me mad because these people in Customs and AQIS are paid to protect our country from this sort of thing. Also when our son returned to Australia after his time in the UK, they checked his shoes because he was a farmer and had been on farms over there. As it happened he threw out his old work boots and bought new ones as he had no intention of bringing any weird diseases into our country.

Actually feel for the neighbours more as they had done nothing at all and yet still had to be out of their homes for 2 weeks.

This is how invasive alien species get into and become problems for native and pristine habitats. We here in Wisconsin USA are awaitung the arrival of the emerald ash borer. Arrived in a crate from the PRC, it is believed. Probably a shipment for Wal-Mart. It is killing millions of ash trees in Michigan. Foresters are trying to quarantine huge areas. Many old ash trees are being cut down as a prophylactic.
Spiders. What fascinating creatures. They are merely land crabs or land lobsters. In their native habitat they are beneficial predators. Eat those emerald ash borers, you spiders.

Hi,
The photo of the 1st spider doesn't look like either of the red leg mexican tarantula spiders. Euathlus smithi is the latin name. There are not bird eating spiders in Mexico. You have to go to South America to find bird eaters. I am not expert but it looks like the Australian funnel web spider. It also doesn't look scorched and looks very much alive.

I don't know how the eggs would get inside the cactus. Let alone how they would live in there unless they ate each other. LOL. Keep it in the family.

Now that I did some research. You copied it word for word from http://trendmicro.com/vin... You even copied the photo. LMAO.

I knew I was right. I should have spoke my mind before I looked.

OMG! I live in Tucson, AZ. & have never heard of such a thing! I did do research, & it is true. This has scared the bejeseus out of me. I have several huge cacti in & around my yard. I am having an expert come in & remove them from my area.I am not going to take a chance with this creepy, yucky, gross, make my skin craw, spiders!We are always finding small ones around & in the house. I am going right now to scan my entire house. I should be busy for a few days. YIKES!!

Being an arachniphobic i would have died seeing spiders explode all over the place. The scary part is i was probally living in Adelaide at the time.