http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/artic..._0_Whatwa99771

Go to the link to see photos and video.
________________________

'Deadly' spider may have been harmless, zoo official says

by: SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer
Thursday, March 19, 2009
3/19/2009 3:01:04 PM


What was originally identified as a deadly spider found at a Tulsa grocery store may have been a harmless species, a curator from the Tulsa Zoo said Thursday.

The spider was taken to the University of Tulsa on Sunday, where animal facilities manager Terry Childs identified it as a Brazilian wandering spider, one of the most lethal in the world.

After the spider gained media attention Wednesday, Barry Downer, curator of aquariums and herpetology at the Tulsa Zoo, said video and photos he had seen led him to believe it was a Huntsman spider and is harmless to humans.

"There's pretty definitive evidence it has been misidentified," he said.

Childs said Wednesday night he had destroyed the spider at the urging of a TU administrator because of safety concerns.

Downer said the spider should have been preserved for study, but he was told the body would not be made available.

"It doesn't make any sense to me why it wouldn't be saved," he said.

A TU spokesman said Thursday the university is looking into how and why the spider was destroyed.

The spider was found in a shipment of bananas at Whole Foods. Childs praised the store's employees for their handling of the situation, and said it can happen at any store.

Copyright © 2009, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved