Let us help you identify that mysterious object you’ve found.
Currently in CHALLENGE mode: If you've got something obscure knocking about, post a picture, and let's see how we do. Please prefix such posts with "CHALLENGE:" so we know we've got a fighting chance.
Sorry for poor picture quality. Found in France. Never seen anything like it.
Yup, that's a giant house spider. No kidding, that's the vernacular name of the species, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_house_spider. Formerly filed under the tegenaria genus, now its own genus.
They're comically large and terror-inducing, but not aggressive. And they keep out more aggressive species too.
God the memories. Lived in a house surrounded by banks of ivy and for whatever reason it attracted those things like none other (Giant House Spider).
The house at the time was also poorly insulated or sealed from outside. I'd find 1-2 every 2-3 days inside. They'd teleport across the house using the vent system too. One snuck inside my bath towel. I'd find them in the sink just chilling, they'd crawl across the bed sometimes, ugh.
Look, I know they're harmless (to humans) and I know I'm being dumb, but spiders for some reason immediately cause a fight or flight response in me. Like, there were nights I'd see one and then I'd be unable to sleep the rest of the night and I'd have to keep the lights on just in case. My brain just absolutely breaks down when spiders are involved, it's dumb, I know it, but I can't seem to stop it and those particular spiders are just so unbelievably large that it scared the shit out of me.
Roaches? Snakes? Ants? Beetles? Scorpions? Literally anything else? I don't care at all. Only spiders. No clue why.
You're hurting his leg :( (Pretty sure it's a male Eratigena atrica)
Friendly spiderbro, very common.
Thanks! It isvery likely a Eratigena Atrica. The pattern on its back is identical. I safely released it in the garden.
Moving an indoor spider outside typically leads to their death. What you did here is basically throw a spider to the wolves. If you can't deal with a spider indoors and you feel obligated to do something about it but have ethical feelings or whatever, the better thing to do is simply and quickly squish it.
But, it's a spider, so whatever.
Nahhhh if you let it outside your feeding another animal, if you squish it your making a mess.
Could you nsfw this? Not keen on seeing giant spiders randomly pop up on my feed
To those downvoting this comment. Why? Arachnophobic people do exist (and for some, even a picture of a spider can make them feel deeply uncomfortable)
Sorry about that
Hard to tell from the photo but maybe:
My bet is on a giant house spider. They’re massive, fast, but harmless (and are actually great with dealing with pests - I leave them be in the home).
Looks like a giant house spider. Another lemming suggested a brown recluse. One is harmless, and the other can kill you. Squach it or leave it, hard to tell.
There are no Brown Recluse in France. If it is scared of you, it's a Tégénaire.
Pas si vite mon ami :) https://www.rtl.fr/actu/international/qu-est-ce-que-l-araignee-recluse-tres-venimeuse-qui-vit-en-france-7800777120
I'm half joking, cases are so rare it's a non event.
It looks to me like a wolf spider, but I am by no means an expert.
Nah. Wolf's are stockier
They're named wolf spiders because they physically hunt and chase down their food. Like a tarantula their size/strength is how they get food, so their builds are similar. It also makes them almost impossible to catch with a glass like this, fuckers can move.
It looks to me like it could be a brown recluse, but if OP doesn't live where they do, it's likely just a random ass house spider that's no big deal.
Where do you live?
Very few spiders cover the whole world, but that looks close enough to a brown recluse that you should've killed it immediately if you're anywhere that could even potentially have them.
They're not normal spiders, if you get bit by one it will fuck you up bad. A bite could result in dead tissue almost a foot wide within days, and take months to heal even with medical treatment. They're not going to run at you and attack you, but you don't want these roaming around you house.
If the body has that light brown with dark brown in it, they get squashed. And not with a paper towel or tissue, take the time to go get a shoe or a hardcover book. It ain't worth the risk.
But again, they're pretty much only in a chunk of America that isn't really densely populated, so it really matters where you're at.
Thanks for the answer. Living in France. I didn't hear of dangerous species of spiders here. But this one had me look twice.
Yeah. I have no idea what spiders are in France.
A good way to figure it out is find a website with a list of dangerous spiders for your area, and ideally the most common spiders confused for them.
Chances are you'll see something like yours on the list.