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I saw a big, scary looking spider in Duke Forest today.
Unfortunately I didn't have my camera handy to take a picture. Does anybody know what kind of spider is large, black, and looks like a hairless tarantula (only a bit smaller in size)? I thought it was too big to be a black widow and the legs were maybe not long enough, but maybe it was? I tried to flip it over with a stick to see if it was a black widow, but the darned thing was so aggressive it struck hard biting at the stick, and then latched on to it! Needless to say, I dropped the stick because I was freaked out. Any ideas what it could have been?
I also nearly stepped on a baby copperhead while running on the Tobacco Trail. Geesh! I'm thinking I should stay out of the woods the rest of today... :-)
JUMPING SPIDER?
"They are fast moving and active hunters that can be found in many places in the landscape. They don't use webs and stalk prey as a cat does."
Yes!!! It looked like a Trap Door Spider! No wonder it looked like a tarantula. It's related!
Thanks!
Yikes! Glad it didn't drag you into a tunnel!
"Trap door spiders live in a small tunnel in the ground covered by a silken trap door. There they wait until prey passes by. At that time they spring from their hidding place and drag the prey down into the tunnel."
Oh man I am sorry I read this thread but now that I did I can't stop! I seen a lot of these spiders and now I know what they are.....lucky me! In the words of Austin Powers....right! Yuck!
"Yikes! Glad it didn't drag you into a tunnel!
Trap door spiders live in a small tunnel in the ground covered by a silken trap door. There they wait until prey passes by. At that time they spring from their hidding place and drag the prey down into the tunnel."
Yeah! Me too! Good thing I had a big breakfast so was a little too heavy for it to pull me into its snare! The thing seemed just about big enough to drag my cat down there though! :-)
Luckily no chigger bites yet! I did live in central and southern Africa for several years so had to deal with no see-ums, bot flies, bilharzia, giardia, black mambas, puff adders, king cobras... I could go on, but am freaking myself out reliving the memories. I thought I escaped those things when I came back to the U.S.! Little did I know...
Dear Iamishra,
You are absolutely scarring me to death! Are there a lot of bugs that bite and snakes? I live in NJ and plan to move but can't imagine all these things. Am I a bit silly?
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