Two creatures, small (not rare) & great (rare)

BBFSF -- or foe?

She’s baaaaack!  my BBFSF (best bathroom female spider friend), and I was so glad to see her (or her body double) again.  Our relationship began last winter, when she seemed to like the shower area -- a choice that made me extra careful about water direction.

Earlier this week, she appeared again in the shower area, but this time she was wily: after jumping around a bit up near the ceiling, she moved behind a grab bar on the far wall, as if to shield herself from the water.  That’s one smart spider.

A few hours later, she disappeared . . . then resurfaced near the door.  Then, she was absent altogether till yesterday, when she was back in the shower.

Are spiders born knowing that many people react to them with a swat or a squash?  If so, I hope my

Brown Recluse

BBFSF has somehow figured out that I like her company and won’t hurt her.  (In contrast to the child-me who used to scream at the sight of spiders, water bugs and such, then wait for a parent to save me.)

Now, an ethical dilemma: if summertime is when outdoor spiders build their webs, catch prey, lay eggs and ultimately die with the season (shades of Charlotte’s Web), does my BBFSF yearn to be out there too?  Should I try to gently catch her and take her outdoors so she can live au naturel?

That question was complicated when I googled and read about spiders in Wikipedia and “spiders of NJ” entries. The numerous varieties of spiders include poisonous ones, and not all spiders make webs or, I now hope, find their way into bathrooms.  

Judging by the number of exterminators whose websites describe spiders, these air-breathing anthropods with 8 legs are not universally welcome indoors -- you know who I'm thinking of, black widow and brown recluse. 

What have I got here?  Who am I hosting?  What to do? 

from the dark & deep

Squid

“We did not find a monster. Our perspective as humans has changed.  What were once monsters to be feared are now curious and magnificent creatures that delight.” 

Earlier this month, a deep-sea exploration crew in the Gulf of Mexico caught a giant squid on video -- the first sighting in US waters -- as it briefly examined a bait object some 3,000 feet down. Determining it was not a meal, the squid quickly withdrew from view.

 

To see life deep down and dark, the crew had used a special camera system with red light undetectable to creatures there.  Nearing the end of their two-week search, they got much more than they expected: the first giant squid to be seen anywhere since 2012, when another squid had been observed off the coast of Japan. 

Countering their joy was the threat of a water spout forming near the ship, then a lightning strike of the metal vessel that could have knocked out their film record (but didn’t).  Their brief squid glimpse was a thrill for those involved (some of whom had seen the earlier one, off Japan), as well as anyone following news of its sighting.  

And what a sight it was: “It’s got eight writhing arms and two slashing tentacles. It has the largest eye of any animal we know of, it’s got a beak that can rip flesh. It has a jet propulsion system that can go backwards and forwards, blue blood and three hearts. It’s an amazing, amazing life form we know almost nothing about,” according to Edith Widder, an expedition leader.

https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/giant-squid-captured-on-video-in-us-waters-first-time

https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/06/23/scientists-captured-historic-video-giant-squid-watch-it-emerge-darkness/?utm_term=.35d041deb5a1&wpisrc=nl_animalia&wpmm=1

https://www.difference.wiki/squid-vs-octopus/

Squid Sculpture  (artist unknown)

phone early & often!

No decision by Governor Murphy yet on the horrible S2419, so our course is clear: Phone the governor and ask that he veto this bill -- which is little more than a license to kill wildlife in reprehensible ways over expanded areas of NJ.  (609-292-6000) 

 #

Your comments are always welcome!  Just go to 1moreonce.blogspot.com and share your thoughts.