January 8, 2010

Work companion

Does anyone know what kind of spider this is? I saw it lurking around our study while I was working last night. Just to give you an idea of its size, the planks of our floor are about 3 inches (8 centimeters) wide. I really just need to know whether we can safely ignore it or if we have to avoid it at all costs.

3 inch (8 centimeter) spider
P.S. Guys and gals, killing it is not an option. I like spiders because they keep the bug population down at home, especially during the hot, humid and rainy months (that's about 9 months of the year).

43 comments:

Leif Hagen said...

Yikes! Yuck! Yell!

Hmmm, I think I'd either trap it and release it in a park 10 kilometers away OR end its days abruptly. That's up to you, Hilda!

brattcat said...

Good grief, that's a BIG SPIDER! I'm wearing my all-out yikes face. Good luck with that, Hilda. And let us know the outcome.

melanie said...

j'ai horreur des araignées !

bonne année 2010 quand même !

Stefan Jansson said...

Cool. No idea what it is, we have garden spiders over here, they are very colorful and photogenic.

Tara said...

I don't know either but it looks like one of my nephew's spider pets in PI. Hhmmm....

gogouci said...

I don't mind spiders when they're a manageable size. 3 inches is about 2.5 inches too much.

Copenhagen said...

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...I'd step on it if I were you :p

Anonymous said...

Well, I like spiders - but I seem to be outnumbered here. I would not want to risk an identification , but try googling "brown huntsman", I think that might come close. Best wishes.

Mike Rose said...

Hilda I agree it may be a Huntsman, but I have never seen one so large.

Verna Luga said...

Hilds, cool working buddy hahaha! sa Pilipinas ... gagambang bahay ...

Good Day!

arabesque said...

eeek, for real hilda? a spider hovering around your area.
and you even took a foto of it! ^0^
my initial reaction... really shout as loud as i can!
did you manage to kill it? ^-^

pusa said...

scary big spider! eeekkk run hilda :)

Anonymous said...

Having eight arms this fellor would probably get work done pretty fast.

Impressive to have the nerve to make this nice photography.

Please have a nice Friday.

James said...

If I saw that spider in my house I would SCREAM like a little girl and run away.
The only time I saw a spider that big was in a pet store.

Linnea said...

I would absolutely FREAK if I saw that spider crawling on my floor. But kill it I couldn't! Sometimes the bigger the spider, the less dangerous...(ya think?)

Mirela said...

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!

If it were me, it'd be my favorite spider kind - a thoroughly dead spider. I can't sleep if I'd seen a few millimeters large spider in my room (that is, until I kill it). As for keeping the bug population down, wouldn't it be nicer to have couple of geckos and/or birds around if you're not a fan of chemical anti-bug products?

Olivier said...

elle est magnifique, tu as raison il faut pas tuer les araignées, elles sont utiles dans les jardins

Dina said...

Mercy!! On you, not on it.

Just yesterday my kids in Australia posted about a similar, but not identical, visitor to their porch. They gave this link:
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Mouse-Spiders
The mouse spider is very dangerous.
Oi ...

Chuck Pefley said...

I'm with Leif on this one. Trap and release.

maricar said...

that's a nice mono pic Hilda, just let the poor creepy thing live, take it and free it far away...

Cezar and Léia said...

oh gosh, it's huge! I can not stare it, I have a great fear about spiders!
No idea about it! :)
Léia

Anonymous said...

I hope you do not do this, but

if you step on it and it squirts,

then it is a "dead spider."

Halcyon said...

I am fine with spiders as long as they stay in their spider place and I stay in my people space. He looks like a cool dude who will eat a lot of pests!

Lois said...

I'm OK with spiders that are NOT in my house! I would be scared it would end up in my bed and crawl on me while I was sleeping. If it was me, I would get a broom and try to get it to crawl on it and then take it outside far away from the house and shake it loose!

B SQUARED said...

Feet, don't fail me now!

Lowell said...

That is not a spider, Hilda. It's a UFO from the planet "Spydertarium." If you kill it, a terrible plague of similar spiders will descend upon you to feed the bugs in your garden.

Nah, I have no idea what it is, but my working philosophy (which has worked out well throughout my life) is that spiders, small and large, should be left alone. They are not to be held, petted, or otherwise nurtured. They can take care of themselves.

It could be this one is harmless; I've often found that small spiders are the most dangerous - like Black Widows. I know the little scorpions can kill you in a second, while the big ones take several days.

Have a great day! Evening? Tomorrow?

Andreea said...

I know what kind of spider it is, it's a scary spider :) I'm not for killing spider either but giving the size of this one I would trap it and release it outside otherwise I won't be able to sleep.

Pepe Alcaide said...

Ufff... Hilda. No se que clase de araña es pero no me gustaría encontrarla en mi trabajo ni en ningún otro lugar. Tengo aracnofobia.

VP said...

I am not afraid of spiders, but here I won't think twice to erase this creature with any object at hand.
There, if it may be useful, I am out of options...

EG CameraGirl said...

Although spiders make me jump when I first see them, I understand they can be very useful...but I prefer them outdoors. LOL

BlossomFlowerGirl said...

Ddin't half give me a fright seeing that big hairy thing. It looks similar to a Phlogiellus spp.
Now I can't stopp thinking of Harry Potter - remember the spiders?
Cheers.
Melbourne Daily Photo

Jilly said...

it's a magificent spider, Hilda. I used to be scared of them but soon overcame that living in tropical Australia and surrounded by all sorts of scary animals and insects. Eventually I got to love them. I don't know the species of spider but it sounds as if BlossomFlowerGirl knows. Like you I would never ever kill a spider.

Nilo Manalo said...

i wouldn't be able to work if that's my companion. i think it's a mini-taranchula :0

Neva said...

I am not a big fan of many bugs but I also don't go out of my way to kill them as that whole cyle of life thing is important...but ewwww....I would definitely be wearing shoes!

Chattahoochee Valley Daily said...

I too am a fan of spiders, but I don't think I could live with that one. I would have to move him to the yard. Good Luck!

Unknown said...

It's huge! I would really like to keep a distance! As a matter of fact I hate spiders, I prefer to have a ghecko nearby to get rid of the bugs... :-))
Once in Africa a tarantula was just 20cm away from my shoulder and when I was told not to move I almost had an heart attack! LOL!

George said...

I think you are more tolerant of work companions than I would be!

Hilda said...

Brattcat dear, and everyone else wondering:
Soon after I took photos, the spider scuttled off down the corridor towards the bathroom, and that was the last I saw of it. My husband saw it there that same night, but I didn't see it anywhere when I woke up the next morning. So it probably found its way back to the storage room or whatever dark place he stays. And I think Paul's right and that it's a huntsman — the descriptions both of its looks and its habits match.

Ursel said...

I don't know what kind of spider it is. But considering the size of it, knowing it's still anywhere in the house would make me feel soooooo uncomfortable.

Anonymous said...

You sure that beast isn't some alien from another solar system? LOL. Gosh it's huge and ugly :) I don't care about the bug population...it would be history LOL It's me or him/her LOL

Judy said...

I found a tarantula in my house once. Here's what I did...Put a paper cup over top of it, slip a thin piece of cardboard under it, take it outside to the far end of the yard, put the cup down, take the cardboard out from under it, kick the cup over and run like the wind.

traveller said...

Hope you've gotten rid of that. Spider bites can be NASTY... really nasty.

AB said...

What a monster, and in a nice ugly grey colour.