Spidoodles

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JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
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Spidoodles

Post by JudyN »

You thought you'd heard it all - but let me introduce you to the latest attempt at a designer cross, the Spidoodle... Done with the best of intentions of course: someone wanted a more effective way of hunting ducks, so they crossed a poodle with a spider, in the hopes of breeding an animal that could both catch the ducks, and then make a net to bring them home in.

It was destined to fail, of course....

Image

For the perplexed - I did actually find the above critter in my shed today Image I've now discovered (thanks to Emmabeth on Facebook) that it's caused by an entomopathogenic fungus which grows within invertebrates and slowly kills them. If you're not already sufficiently creeped out, there's more info here: http://www.uksafari.com/curse_of_the_zombie_spiders.htm

My son says he's never ever ever ever ever going in the shed again :lol:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Shalista
Posts: 1363
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Re: Spidoodles

Post by Shalista »

ahahahahhaah :lol: :lol: :lol:

....and yeah.. thats really creepy about the fungus :shock:
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
Erica
Posts: 2697
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:35 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: Spidoodles

Post by Erica »

Don't look into zombie ants and slugs, then :lol: I find this kind of thing fascinating but only because it has no effect on humans! The video game "The Last of Us" had a zombie plague caused by a fungus and it was terrifying. Extremely well done, and terrifying.

From the title I thought it was going to be about Spinone x Poodle crosses :P
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
Shalista
Posts: 1363
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Re: Spidoodles

Post by Shalista »

but only because it has no effect on humans
Never looked into Toxoplasma Gondii before? =P
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
Erica
Posts: 2697
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:35 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: Spidoodles

Post by Erica »

The cat one? That's not a fungus ;P And the behavioral changes are generally very minimal, I believe? At least........SO FAR.... (dun dun DUN)
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
Shalista
Posts: 1363
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Re: Spidoodles

Post by Shalista »

It's a parasite and therefore creepy =P and last i heard it caused suicide and a bunch maybe also stuff like schizophrenia and things like that. scary O.o

(although to be fair even if you have it the odds of it inducing some of the nastier affects is small)
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
AliceGrimm
Posts: 105
Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2016 10:38 am
Location: Pennsylvania

Re: Spidoodles

Post by AliceGrimm »

Cute story.. but omg.. you scared me from sheds too.. Where do you live again so I can never go there?

*Shivers* Ugh! I can't do bugs and spiders.. or parasites and things. Nope. Nope Nope!!!
JudyN
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Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
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Re: Spidoodles

Post by JudyN »

I've just been googling zombie ants & slugs over breakfast... Alice, I'm on the south coast of England, we're not meant to get bizarre creepy-crawlies here :lol:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Erica
Posts: 2697
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:35 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: Spidoodles

Post by Erica »

Shalista wrote:It's a parasite and therefore creepy =P and last i heard it caused suicide and a bunch maybe also stuff like schizophrenia and things like that. scary O.o

(although to be fair even if you have it the odds of it inducing some of the nastier affects is small)
There are studies to support it having an effect on various mood disorders, and studies that say "No, there really isn't a difference between people with T. gondii and people without it." Most reliable health care websites I'm looking at are talking about how in rare cases it may mimic the flu and cause vision problems, but are not mentioning anything about mood disorders.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
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