JOY Breakfast

31 Oct 2023

8 Spider Myths Busted for Halloween

Comedy, Education, Hobbies, Natural Sciences

Rach and Dean are joined by Melvin from Melbourne Zoo to bust 8 Myths about Spiders on this ooky spooky Halloween special.
Melvin is an invertebrate keeper at Melbourne Zoo, where he looks after bugs like giant burrowing cockroaches, butterflies and the critically endangered Lord Howe Island Stick Insects.

Melvin’s favourite bug is a ladybug – he has loved them ever since he was a young boy and says there are the one that got him into invertebrates.

But 8 Myths getting busted (one for each leg and an extra thrown in for good measure) are
Spiders are insects
Spiders will attack you
All Aussie spiders are deadly
Daddy-long-legs are super venomous but they can’t bite you
White tailed spider bites will make you lose a hand if you get bitten
All spiders have a web
You swallow eight spiders a year
Spiders only suck the juices from their prey

And Rach’s bonus question “Do people die from spiders because they inject their inside melting enzym into humans to eat them…” Find out now.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:17 — 25.1MB)

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