The sprinters of the indoor-outdoor flow. A spider that does not build webs. Huntsman spiders are easily distinguished by their impressive leg span and a somewhat unnerving sideways scuttle. Unlike the patient web-spinners, these arachnids are active hunters that rely on pure athleticism and lightning-fast reflexes to secure a meal. A spider that runs. They do not build webs to catch prey. Instead, they use their flattened bodies to squeeze into tight crevices during the day, emerging at night to chase down moths, cockroaches and other houseguests that have overstayed their welcome. The breeding process involves the female constructing a large, flat, papery silk egg sac, which she guards with a level of maternal ferocity that would put a grizzly bear to shame. A spider that mothers its young. She carries this sac under her body or secures it in a safe crevice, refusing to eat until the spiderlings emerge. Once they hatch, the tiny huntsmen are surprisingly independent, quickly dispersing to find their own real estate in the shadows of homes and gardens. They are not considered dangerous to humans, though their sheer size and tendency to teleport across a wall can cause significant heart palpitations for the unprepared. Their presence in New Zealand is a testament to the effectiveness of hitchhiking as a survival strategy. Having arrived via cargo from Australia, they have carved out a niche in man-made environments without significantly harming native biodiversity. They actually serve as a free, non-toxic pest control service, keeping the local cockroach population in check. The wall is white. The huntsman sits, legs spread, brown and flat. The hand reaches for a shoe. The spider scuttles sideways, impossibly fast, and disappears behind the curtain. It does not want to fight. It wants to eat cockroaches. That is its job. It is good at it.