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Hi everyone, I was mowing the lawn this morning when one of these things jumped in my face. I've never seen it before and was just wondering if anyone knew what it is...
(sorry about the quality, its real humid in texas in the mornings and the camera got all fogged up)


Here it is next to a finger, just to show how big it is...


Any idears what this thing is?

*shudders* I hate spider's ... One jump's in my face you can count on a 6'6 280 lb man screaming like a school girl.

YIiiii YYYIIIIIIi YYYYYIIII!!!!!

Th'wife and I are constantly at war becuase I DO like (most) spiders and she's always smushin' em.....I mean I don't LIKE 'em but appreciate that they keep some other bugs at bay!

But THAT thing has a bad-nasty look to it!!!! I'm no expert but any spider that's BIG with a good-size abdomen and nasty little markings is a bad sign.

Where did it come from? I mean you weren't out actually mowing the grass in the open when this happened were ya? My own general rule of thumb is that most spiders you find out in the open like in trees and stuff are OK....but the ones that hide out in little nooks and crannies are bad (Brown Recluse spider, Violin spider, Black Widow, etc).....they're obviously up to no good if they're hiding from you.....and aggressive behavior like jumping on you and stuff is goin' too far!!!

Come to think of it I believe we saw one like that somewhere around our backyard or garage a long while ago and I tried to look it up online...I kept on being guided to info that it was some kind of garden spider but there are so many pictures and descriptions to wade through I gave up, but it was odd enough to spur our interest.


When in doubt......use shoe and wipe up the remains!

Prob'ly an orb weaver....harmless unless you're an insect with poor eyesight. Usually large and colorful....my Bougainvilla is host to several.

I found it in this little alley next to my garage. I think the only reason he jumped was because the mower scared him. He was trying to blend in with the light colored fence in the previous pictures...

Nice mowing job there Warhawk!
I sure hope you dont do that for a living LOL.

Man thats weird! I'll look around to see if i can find out what it is but in the mean time wash those shorts you had on!!


Senyu

the most amazing thing about this whole incident is it's still alive to take pictures of???????...I'm sorry but that thing woulda been dead, anything that causes me to sh** my drawers like that would have absolutely MUST DIE!

classroomclipart.com/c...45&tt=
Closest I could find on it.
Orb-weavers are quite large so, if it's one of them, it's a bubbah.

Argiope aurantia, or golden garden spider. lol sorry sometimes the nerd hidden deep inside me just takes over and fights it's way out!

Physical Description

As is true in many spider species, females of this species grow to much larger size that males. Adult female body length ranges from 19 to 28 mm (3/4 to 1 1/8 in.), while males reach only 5 to 9 mm (1/4 - 3/8 in.). In both sexes, the shiny, egg-shaped abdomen has striking yellow or orange markings on a black background. The forward part of the body, the cephalothorax, is covered with short, silvery hairs. Legs are mostly black, with red or yellow portions near the body. (Dewey, 1993; Milne and Milne, 1980)

Like other orb-weavers (family Araneidae), this species has three claws per foot, one more than most spiders. Orb-weavers use this third claw to help handle the threads while spinning. Also in common with other orb-weaving spiders (and most, but not all spiders generally), A. aurantia has a venomous bite that immobilizes prey that is caught in its web. (Dewey, 1993; Milne and Milne, 1980)

Good call Jose..:wink:

first off,,,,,,,I came to have a quik peek at the forums before I crawled into bed,,,,,,guess what,,,,I aint gettin' to sleep anytime soon,,,thanks eh!!!!

shudders* I hate spider's ... One jump's in my face you can count on a 6'6 280 lb man screaming like a school girl.

you and me both snoman,,,,,,,I can handle big reptiles....most large size flying bugs arent too bad,,,,,the normal small size spider and web weavers are even tolerable,,,,,but damn,,,,,I not even joking when I say that is one ugly sucker that I guarantee you I would have my wife dispose of.......I would probably have already cordoned off that area of the yard too........I hate big spiders and the ones that run around and hunt their prey just love to torment me . I know in all absolution that I am cursed.
has been good since moving to alberta,,no big honkers really as of yet,,,,but back home we had these big ugly hairy things with muscles on them to rival ol' arnie. and they ran around our house probably looking for a nice nice mouse to devour,,,,instead,,,they always found their way to me,,,,most call them wolf spiders, I can tell you this though,,,,when my wife killed them.....I would stand about 10 feet away and you could feel their body crunch through the floor,,,,,
and what the hell are you doing with your finger so close to that terrible thing anyways,,,,I personally would have used to weed whacker for a comparison shot,,,,hehe


found this.....

Active Hunters
Some spiders actively search for their prey. Any webs that they construct are used as resting areas. These spiders are commonly encountered when they venture from their retreat to search for prey. Spiders discussed herein that actively hunt include wolf spiders, jumping spiders, and nursery web spiders.

Wolf Spiders

These hunting spiders are fast runners that will chase their prey. Wolf spiders are hairy and often large, up to 1-3/8 inches long, sometimes confused with tarantulas. Their legs are long and spiny. Many are dark brown.

Wolf spiders may hunt day and night. They usually occur outdoors, but may wander indoors in search of prey. They tend to stay at or near floor level. They typically construct web retreats in sheltered sites.

Females carry their large, globular egg sac attached to spinnerets under the abdomen. Upon hatching, the spiderlings climb onto their mother’s back and stay there several days or more before dispersing.

Wolf spiders frequently alarm homeowners because of their large size and rapid movements. Wolf spiders are not aggressive, but may bite if handled.

Nice mowing job there Warhawk!
I sure hope you dont do that for a living LOL.

I agree....




IMS_JoseCuervo. Mules Medical Expert and Zoologist! lol

I agree with Hangman there would'nt of been much left to take a picture of LOL Snakes and spiders are all dangerous to me thay make me run into things at full speed

ok girls heres one for the spider runners among you , now you can mow in peace. www.engadget.com/entry...840053552/

It’ll set you back $2,300 US though, so if you really want it, make sure you have a secret bank account hidden from your significant other; basically there’s no way you’re going to be able to justify this thing to anyone, even yourself.

ROFLMAO...