As part of the Hanauer seminar this quarter, our group arranged for a tour of the recently re-opened Burke museum with their resident arachnid expert, Rod Crawford. Rod took us behind the scenes for a fascinating look at their extensive archive of spider specimens. Having personally captured about two-thirds of the spiders currently preserved at the Burke, he proved to be a vast repository of arachnid-related facts as well as a passionate debunker of spider myths.
Concerned that spider in your office might be sizing you up for its next meal? Worry no more! Rod assured us that most spiders in fact have terrible eyesight, and very likely cannot tell you apart from the ground they walk on (which they can nevertheless taste via receptors on their feet, yum!).