This is the most frightening spider statistic ever: spiders walk across our faces as we sleep!

[canetoad]

36. I'm pretty fond of huntsmen

or huntswomen, as most of them are, and usually have one or more living around the cornices.

They are pretty amazing creatures. Being big, juicy targets for birds, humans and reptiles and having virtually no defences, they have evolved to be able to flatten themselves to 1 or 2 mm thick. Their leg joints can swivel both up and down and sideways, like a crab, enabling them to hide under bark, wallpaper, car sun visors - anywhere there is a tiny flat space.

You can tell a male from female - the males generally have smaller bodies and longer legs than the females who appear to be 'chunkier'. When a hunstperson appears in my house, it usually stays up high for a week or so, but if you are patient, they nearly always come down to eye level where they can be caught with a (large) glass and piece of card and re-homed outside.