A Monster in the Sink

The sink in question

I have to tell you, there are certain things they don't tell you when you move to a new city, including one like Jerusalem that is often thought problematic for a variety of other reasons, and that is: What kind of creature can you expect to spot in your kitchen while you fix your breakfast?

That's what happened today when my dearest friend Y came rushing toward me in a high-pitched voice about the monster in the sink. It was quite a fright, and it isn’t even Halloween yet. We had no idea what we were dealing with, even after I saw it lurking there in the far left-hand corner of the sink peeking out from behind a stack of cereal bowls. It was about four inches in length with lots of legs, and those legs had hair.  So I roughly deduced that what we had on our hands was some kind of tarantula.

Naturally it occurred to me that tarantulas could be dangerous, that their bites might possibly kill you, but I went ahead to find a plastic container so I could trap it. I removed one item from the sink, carefully, without scaring it, thinking it might get in the way of my next maneuver. Then I tipped over a bowl of water that was already sitting there, thinking the water would temporarily bog it down just long enough I could trap it under the plastic takeaway food container, the kind with a tightly fitting flat snap-on top.

With the giant arachnid enclosed within the walls of the upside-down container, I put a heavy bowl on top so it couldn't possibly lift it up to escape. Then I waited several minutes, thinking it would slow down enough, perhaps tire itself out trying to escape, so I could more easily slide the flat lid underneath, seal it up, and take the whole kit and kaboodle outside.

I do believe creatures like this have an important place in nature. You could even argue that they have an important place in the home, since they keep populations of insects in check. Be that as it may... if this monster weren't caught and removed it would have meant always wondering where she might be lurking, or when she might pop up all of a sudden to give us another fright!

While she was inside the container I had a chance to do what I believe everyone would do today under such circumstances. I went to the Schmoogle box and searched for “Middle Eastern tarantula.” Sure enough what popped up on my screen was exactly the type I had caught. It was a "black hairy." The exact same guy you can see here in this Wiki site.

Or if you are brave enough look at this slightly bigger-than-life photo:

Photo by Dror Feitelson, Pikiwiki

Now if you feel inclined go read about it some more in the Wikipedia entry under its Latin name Chaetopelma olivaceum.*

To make it short, this particular variety of tarantula commonly inhabits homes in our part of the world, it is quite fast — this I learned when I let it go in the valley — and its bite, when and if it does bite, stings like a bee, but is not likely to have any remarkable result. They aren't very serious about web building, preferring to trap and attack their prey in a more direct way.

I suppose the next time I see one I'll be better prepared to face the situation. Maybe even a little less intimidated.

Home safety tip: Keep used staples out of the carpet

 (*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaetopelma_olivaceum)

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Diana Barshaw, “The Spider and the Wasp,” Jerusalem Post Magazine,  September 3, 2009.

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Back in 1996, I was traveling through Kinnaur Valley in northern India when the whole busload of men spent the night in sleeping bags on the floor in a huge open room. I scarcely slept all night for the orchestra of snores that surrounded me. In the morning my hand was hurting, and I noticed the two marks side-by-side that indicates a spider bite. During the following days on the road the back of my hand puffed up quite a bit. I can't recall any other case of spider bite in my whole life.

Be well and stay safe!