Mystery Animal - Iconic Animal #5

And why it's this abomination

Photo credit The Independent

Mystery Animal - Iconic Animal #5

K.L. Orion

This is the last entry of my Iconic Animal series, and I think one of the most important. That is because of not the animal itself but how the way we treat it says something about us. So welcome, reader, to the reveal of the most important animal…

…And my reasoning as to why it is the giant huntsman spider. 

I have a form of arachnophobia. Smaller spiders don’t really bother me. However, the bigger they get, the scarier they become in my eyes. That’s why when I learned about the giant huntsman spider of Australia four years ago, I made up my mind to never step foot on that godforsaken continent for as long as I live solely for the reason that this arachnid nightmare exists. And I thought tarantulas were scary. 

Tarantulas are technically bigger, but their stockier build gives them a more menacing look. Huntsmans, with their slender form, are far creepier in my mind. For years, I’ve considered them Satan spawn. And, I mean, can you blame me? 

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Photo credit IFLScience

For the last few years, I’ve had better luck coping with nightmares than before. That’s probably a part of growing up. But some of the worst nightmares I’ve had in that time that typically woke me up in a state of unparalleled terror were ones involving spiders a whole hell of a lot like the huntsman. 

Of course, I am not alone. Probably the only reason people know what a giant huntsman spider is outside of Australia is because of how they terrify the masses. They gained internet popularity because they scared the living hell out of people, like they did with me when I first heard about them. I for one am so scared of them that at times I find that I wish they didn’t exist at all. 

And I think the simple fact that I even have thought that is scarier than the giant huntsman itself. 

How horrific is the idea that I wish an entire species of organisms possibly with their own thoughts and emotions didn’t exist at all just because I thought they “look creepy?” Giant huntsman spiders aren’t that dangerous. While they do possess some venom that can hurt, they aren’t considered deadly. That means these spiders are harmless for the most part. Yet I and many other people fear them more than lions, tigers, and bears. We are afraid of them purely because we just think they’re “icky.” 

This sentiment that exists around the huntsman spider says a lot about human psychology. It proves how prone we are to act irrationally out of fear. It also proves how baseless our fears can be. When you combine those two factors together, you get a frightening combination. 

You get people who fear anything that makes them uncomfortable. Spiders, insects, worms, frogs, lizards, snakes, mice, bats, crows, vultures, other races, other religions, other genders, other beliefs, other societies, other people. And out of a place of fear, they sometimes act in violence. 

Have you ever thought when you bring a flyswatter down on a spider in a state of disgusted fear, your actions share an origin in human psychology with the actions of someone gunning down a black person who “looks suspicious?” Or the actions of someone beating a homosexual to death because they’re “spawn of the devil?” Or the actions of someone who bombs the church of another religion because they’re “enemies of God?” 

Obviously, there is a very big difference between committing vile hate crimes and killing a cockroach. I’m not trying to say you’re evil for killing bugs. I’m also not trying to say that extermination practices are a form of persecution or genocide. But what I do want to bring attention to is the fact that we often kill bugs in a spirit of fear and disgust. We fear and kill them because they make us uncomfortable. For that reason, our hatred for bugs can be used as an oversimplified metaphor for our hatred of each other. 

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, certain groups of people feel uncomfortable around other groups of people. And through bugs we prove that humans are prone to harm things that make them uncomfortable. It’s a part of human nature. The horrible thing about this whole situation is that some people alienate others or themselves from groups so badly that they begin to value the lives of humans who make them uncomfortable about as much as they value the life of a wasp building a nest on their porch. Then you get hate crimes. You get persecution. You get war. 

That’s why I chose the huntsman spider as the most important animal on this list. Because through it we are forced to recognize a fear within ourselves that is entirely based on unjust reasons. Because through it we are forced to confront a fear that goes far past bugs and into our own society. I fear the huntsman spider for no reason other than it makes me uncomfortable. Some people fear gay people for no reason other than they make them uncomfortable. Some people fear Muslims for no reason other than they make them uncomfortable. 

This kind of fear may be a rather minor deal when it comes to dealing with arachnids, but by exploring it and its implications, you are forced to face one of the most wicked parts of our society and ourselves. You are forced to wonder why humans are willing to kill those who make them feel uncomfortable for no reason whatsoever.

And thank you for reading the Iconic Animal Series.

Photo credit The Guardian