While I was elbow deep in cooking dinner last week, my son–heading out our back kitchen door–said, "Whoa…Mom… come look at what I almost walked into!" By the tone of his voice, I knew to drop what I was doing to see what he discovered.
It was a spider web that stretched across the door frame, and Mr. Spider himself was perched at eye level (ready to pounce, I'm sure).
But this was no ordinary looking spider. He had an usual shape, so I grabbed my camera to photograph him. Isn't that what you would have done?
Thing is, I couldn't focus on the little devil. I don't have a macro lens, and it was impossible for me to zero in on him–there wasn't enough contrast behind him. Then, with me messing with it, I accidentally detached the spider web from the door frame and that sucker when flying!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Thankfully, he swung Tarzan-style to the adjacent wall, where I knew I could get a shot of him on the contrasting white frame of the window.
Still, without a macro, I could only get so close…and I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. As I took a series of shots (none of them great), he looked "different" than I remembered him seconds earlier.
And then I scrolled through the pictures and realized that mutha was poised to KILL ME! I'm sure he was just waiting for the perfect moment to jump on my head, inject his poison, suck out my brains, and wrap me neatly in a cocoon of sticky spider silk.
That's what spiders, do…right?
Anyways, here's the first and last shot; I zoomed 'em a squillion times so I could share. Can someone please tell me what kind of spider this is? I mean, besides a mutant, brain-sucking, zombie-making demon spider.
I swanee…between snakes last time and spiders this time, it kinda makes you wonder a) if I'm trying to scare all my readers away, and b) what in the world I'm going to post next!
Hehe…well, I guess you'll just have to stay tuned………;)
UPDATE: A shout out and thanks to Phil-the-Webmaster, who in spite of debilitating arachnophobia, correctly identified this terrifying creature: it's a micrathena gracilis aka spined micrathena, which I'm pretty sure is Latin for "I'm going to kill you in your sleep."
Oh man. That is the creepiest thing I have ever seen! I’m surprised y’all didn’t head for the nearest hotel!
I’m not sure what kind of spider that is, but I am sure he looks pretty freaking cool! Must be the guy in me.
What the heck kinda spider is that??? Holy cow! I’d have run screaming like a little girl… I’m officially scarred… I can’t handle snakes and spiders two days in a row 🙂
I am not okay with that!
That my dear is a micrathena gracilis. Not sure about the zombie making part, but definitely ugly.
That’s one ugly Spider!
I am no whatever you said, but that is one FREAKY looking spider.
It looks like a spider with a half eaten slug attached.
How disgusting! I will be having nightmares about that. *shiver*
Did you know it’s hard to type when you have the shivers?
EW!
I’m a big girl about everything BUT spiders. They creep me out. And that one is the tops.
Off to Google micrathena gracilis now. Because I’m fascinated by the things that disgust me.
YUCK!
Have you called the exterminator? And if not, what are you waiting for?
I showed the hubbo and he said, “yeh, I don’t like that,” and walked out 😀 I saw it, and it made me think of the movie “Predator” ick 😛
It’s the kind of spider that makes me holler, “HUBS!!! I need you RIGHT NOW to come squish this spider RIGHT NOW!!!! PLEASE!!”
Oh jeepers!!! EX.TER.MIN.ATOR. =P
That’s enough to makes me have nightmares for about a week! I’ve never seen anything so horrible before EEEEKKKK!!!!
Extirpate that sucker!!!!!! That is some seriously disturbing type of creature. I pray they don’t have those in California, but my luck, they probably thrive there.
I’ve never seen that type of thing, ever, and I hope I never see it in 3D… some things are better off when you see them in an environment where you can creep up to the little X in the top right hand corner and go CLICK!!!
On the other hand, I must thank you… I now have the ultimate revenge in case my arachnophobic (?) husband ever really gets me angry… These photos. YOU ROCK!!!
Oh my gracious! That thing is UGLY – I have never seen a spider like that…ewwwwwwwwww!
So I had a friend look at it wondering if on the back was larva? Either way I am so creped out. NASTY!! I have had several encounters with spiders lately but they are all SUPER TAME compared to that thing.
Because of my very brief research on this micrathena gracilis I never want to go camping again!! Like ever!
Um yeah – this is the stuff of nightmares and horror movies. I want to know who said “completely harmless to humans” PUH-LEEZE… ewwwwwww… now I’ve got the creepy-crawlies.
that is nasty!!!! Yuck. I would probably have peed my pants.
I’m so glad you said something about snakes in this scareyspider post so I would know better than to scroll down LOL!!!
Total Yucksville! I’m practically positive the name of that spider is creepazoid mono-slime-apod
I think the sight of that in my home would have been enough to have me packed and ready to go QUITE quickly!
That is, indeed, a strange-looking spider. And in that last picture, it most definitely looks scary!
Okay, I was heading to bed, but now Im too paranoid. So I guess I’ll sit at my computer all night long. *Shudder*
Hi Robin!!! It’s been a while, no?? Anyways, you are certainly a woman after my heart grabbing your camera!! 🙂 I’ve seen these teeny little spiders here in Florida too, but never really knew what they were either-but now you sent out the challenge and I found it!! It’s generally called either a jewel, spiny or crab spider. http://www.usq.edu.au/spider/find/spiders/126.htm