THIS IS TERRIFYING

[silvertongue1]

Point of fact: spiders scare the everliving daylights out of me

Comments

[shysylph]

You know, I'm not usually scared of spiders, but even this creeped me the heck out, while also eliciting a nerdy reaction of "COOL!"

[chirugal]

I'm not even looking. Not. Even. Looking. *shudder*

[catlantean]

I read that yesterday. Fascinating..if a really awful way to die if you're a bat, trapped and starving to death while this eight-legged horror just hangs around and occasionally bites you. But Nephila spiders are among my favourite kinds of spiders, they're elegant and have such pretty colors and patterns. I wouldn't touch them (or any large spider), but sure would love an opportunity to take photos of them.

I also like jumping spiders, these little guys are so awesome in so many ways...like how they're the only spiders that appear to show curiosity, or use refraction of light to determine distances, or that one species of them is vegetarian, or just what silly, fuzzy, huge-eyed faces they have. Plus they're too tiny to bite you :)

[silvertongue1]

I'm scared of siders because of the legs. And since jumping spiders have stubby little legs, their Internet macros are pretty adorable, ngl.

[dhampir]

yet another reason i *never* click on bug links from you.

[silvertongue1]

SPIDERS ARE NOT INSECTS, LET ALONE BUGS.

[dhampir]

according to merriam-webster: bug: a : an insect or other creeping or crawling invertebrate (as a spider or centipede). so im using the word correctly, just not as accurately as possible. so there. :P

but yes, spiders are a whole nother mess of EWW!DIEDIEDIE!!!!!11eleventy11!!!

[silvertongue1]

Yes. A bug is an insect. An insect in a specific taxonomic hierarchy.
They might be alluding to slang with the rest of that definition, and by that logic, a synonym would be "critter" or "horrible thing with too many legs"