What kind of spider is this? It's huge and really scarry!

[Icy Tea]

I was in the basement and saw one that big on the wall. Mine was dark gray though, not furry. I caught it in a container and tossed him out across the street in the grass.
I saw a much smaller version back during the winter by the laundry down there and maybe it was him and he got bigger. I left him go then because I figured he might catch some stink bugs we keep having get in the house. I generally have a rule, if its a light colored or green spider, its harmless. If it builds a web near a window and its got a pea shaped abdomen, its harmless. I'll let them go. But if its dark or black or a wolf spider, I don't want them in the house.

[Phawk57]

There is more than one color to widow spiders. I saw a brown spider that had an orange hourglass on it's abdomen in a web. I looked up on-line and there are even more colors than black or brown. I never knew that before.

[phonelady61]

one thing i did learn in a class I took about insects was that the wolf spider does hunt his prey and he eats insects and he does bite if threatened . the brown recluse however releases a nuro toxin when they bite and the toxin eats away at your skin . I also had a friend who lives in jax florida who was cleaning her pecan shells up and she was bitten and lost a good deal of her finger and part of her hand due to the toxin and she was anti biotics for a long time and she still did not gain full control of her hand . Please be careful at what kind of spider you kill or observe they can jump .