It obligingly held still long enough for me to fetch a ruler for scale, too:
I know spiders get a bad rep, but I think they're just the coolest, neatest organisms. I have way too many unwelcome bugs around here, but the spiders are always welcome. In fact, the spiders are especially welcome when I have unwanted bugs. (Well, OK, maybe not the poisonous ones, but not because I'm afraid of them for my own sake. I happily co-habited with a black widow for a couple of weeks once; they're not dangerous as long as you know where they are and stay away from them. But I don't trust the cats to be that sensible.)
Anybody know what kind of spider this is? I have an insects and spiders identification guide, but I have never successfully identified a bug out of it yet.
You know, I agree that spiders are cool and neat and useful and everything, but I still can't help but be a little creeped out by them, especially when they're this size.
ReplyDeleteI seem to have somehow been born without that common "creeped out by spiders" instinct. Not that plenty of other things don't creep me out... Just usually not the same things that bother other people. :)
ReplyDeleteIt appears to be a common Wolf Spider, a member of the Hogna genus. Generally harmless to humans (they're more afraid of you than you should be of them) but they are hunters and can do a number on crawling indoor pests. I would avoid being bitten because some may exhibit adverse reactions to the venom.
ReplyDeleteOf course I don't live in New Mexico and am not familiar with all the arachnids of your area, so I could be wrong. If it bites you and your arm swells up and turns blue, at least you have a photo ID for the venom antidote ID.
Thanks! I thought it might be a wolf spider, but, like I said, even with the book I'm pretty hopeless at identifying them.
ReplyDeleteI do know it isn't seriously poisonous, as the only spiders we have here that are are the black widow and the brown recluse, and it's clearly neither of them. Needless, to say, I'm not planning on trying to get it to bite me, anyway. :)
Glad to hear it's good on household pests. It certainly looked like it could probably take even those big, evil cockroaches I've been fighting!
a 2 inch spider...*bleagh*
ReplyDeleteI'd be peeing on the floor if that ran at me...anything over 1 inch is not welcome in my house. I know they help eat other bugs...but I"m antibug. Had to clear out a bug infested attic once...made me squirmy about bugs for life.
Particularly the dart at me really fast with many legs kind...
I get all creepy crawly just looking at it.
I have had a couple of close calls with Black Widows, no thanks.
ReplyDeleteJanice is screaming just by looking at them.
ReplyDeletePoor misunderstood spiders. I like you.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a wolf spider (and a well fed one). I had a few in the house recently
ReplyDeletehttp://www.greginthedesert.net/files/bb73a9eafc3c0883519ad2c748ae602d-1286.html
I hope it's well fed! The more bugs it eats, the happier I'll be!
ReplyDeleteOTOH, the better fed it is the more bugs your house must be harbouring for it to eat. :)
ReplyDeleteIt couldn't possibly eat all the damn bugs my house seems to be harboring. :(
ReplyDeleteYou might enjoy Dr. Richman's web page, the spider specialist at NMSU.
ReplyDeletehttp://cahe.nmsu.edu/academics/richmanresearch/index.html
Cool, will check it out!
ReplyDeleteYou've GOTTA get more posts in...I get the heebie jeebies checking the blog with al lthe spiders about.
ReplyDeleteGeep.
Hee! Sorry. I've been a very lazy blogger lately... ;)
ReplyDeleteThey always seem to be pretty bad here, but they do seem worse than usual this year. I was thinking it's just because there are cracks in my concrete that need to be fixed, and they're getting into my house that way, but, dude, I go walking down the street at night, and I see them scuttling across the sidewalk in front of me, shameless as you please. So it isn't just me! It's nuts!
ReplyDelete