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Old 08-02-2017, 10:24 PM   #1
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Default Calgary Spider - Scary or Not?

Hopefully there are some arachnologists among you who might find the this short clip interesting (personally, I'm arachnophobic and this thing had me freaking out a bit)

https://youtu.be/zpRQEmf92gI

After a half hour of googling my best guess is it's a Brown Widow - the dark colouring on the legs, overall body morphology and light body colour match, but I haven't seen any other pictures of Brown Widows with black ventral hourglass markings. It's body is the size of a large blueberry and with legs extended it could touch the outer edge of a quarter, maybe even a loonie if fully stretched.

My concern isn't just academic as I have small kids and I don't want to deal with venomous spider bites... all comments and suggestions welcome (e.g. what is it, how to eliminate/relocate it).

Last edited by RoadGame; 08-02-2017 at 10:34 PM. Reason: I'm useless at embedding video, apparently
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:26 PM   #2
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I am a spider collector and enthusiast but your video is not working. That being said unless you or your family are very allergic there are no spiders in Canada that will harm you from a bite.
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:26 PM   #3
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I have no opinion on the spider because I hate spiders but I figured I would fix your YouTube link for you.
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:30 PM   #4
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It looks like a type of cross orbweaver.
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:34 PM   #5
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Looks like Araneus species.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araneus

Harmless.
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:36 PM   #6
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Pretty sure that's Shelob, mother of all spiders. You will need the light of Elendil to ward it off while you stab at it with an elvish blade that glows blue when orcs are near. Good luck!
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:37 PM   #7
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Thanks for the quick replies dissentowner, very much appreciated.
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:40 PM   #8
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Pretty sure that's Shelob, mother of all spiders. You will need the light of Elendil to ward it off while you stab at it with an elvish blade that glows blue when orcs are near. Good luck!
That's about the reaction I had when I first saw it. I did have large pruning shears in hand at the time but let it get away...
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:41 PM   #9
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What area of Calgary? You know, so I can avoid it at all costs
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:42 PM   #10
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i think we need a size reference to get a better understanding of how big/small it is (leaves can vary greatly in size)

how about another video where you let it crawl into the palm of your hand... just to give us a better idea
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:45 PM   #11
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i think we need a size reference to get a better understanding of how big/small it is (leaves can vary greatly in size)

how about another video where you let it crawl into the palm of your hand... just to give us a better idea
Here's one I took earlier today! j/k



Seriously though, these are banana spiders, and they are EVERYWHERE down here. Why the #### am I living in Florida again?
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:49 PM   #12
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Here's one I took earlier today! j/k



Seriously though, these are banana spiders, and they are EVERYWHERE down here. Why the #### am I living in Florida again?
There are so many spiders referred to as banana spiders. That is a Golden Orb Weaver, they have a painful bite but it is not highly venomous. They are amazing spiders and they eat a huge amount of pest insects. Beautiful.
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:50 PM   #13
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There are so many spiders referred to as banana spiders. That is a Golden Orb Weaver, they have a painful bite but it is not highly venomous. They are amazing spiders and they eat a huge amount of pest insects. Beautiful.
Yeah yeah...that's cool and all, but I don't trust a spider that can carry off a bird if it wants to.

*shudder*
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:51 PM   #14
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Here's one I took earlier today! j/k

Spoiler!


Seriously though, these are banana spiders, and they are EVERYWHERE down here. Why the #### am I living in Florida again?
wooooooh!!! those are crazy cool.... wouldn't want one crawling up my leg though! ha!
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:52 PM   #15
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Yeah yeah...that's cool and all, but I don't trust a spider that can carry off a bird if it wants to.

*shudder*
Generally only hummingbirds.
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:55 PM   #16
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I am a spider collector and enthusiast but your video is not working. That being said unless you or your family are very allergic there are no spiders in Canada that will harm you from a bite.
Would a black widow not count as a spider that can harm a person with its bite?
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:55 PM   #17
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Generally only hummingbirds.
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Old 08-02-2017, 11:24 PM   #18
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Would a black widow not count as a spider that can harm a person with its bite?
Actually the Northern Black Widow is the widow we have in southern Ontario, it is extremely rare and less potent than the Southern. Your odds of ever encountering one are extremely slim and pretty much zero in Alberta. I have tried to find one in the wild to photograph for years and have never found one. Here is a good article back in 2009 from CTV.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/black-widow-sp...alarm-1.419317
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Old 08-03-2017, 06:27 AM   #19
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Actually the Northern Black Widow is the widow we have in southern Ontario, it is extremely rare and less potent than the Southern. Your odds of ever encountering one are extremely slim and pretty much zero in Alberta. I have tried to find one in the wild to photograph for years and have never found one. Here is a good article back in 2009 from CTV.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/black-widow-sp...alarm-1.419317
I had one of those in my retaining wall a few years ago. I didn't take any pictures because I was to busy killing it with fire. Well OK, I used RAID, not fire.
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Old 08-03-2017, 07:01 AM   #20
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The OP's spider is a Jewel Spider I believe. They're a little unsettling when you see one for the first time, as they can get quite large. They're harmless though and absolutely devastate bug populations.

Last edited by Hatter; 08-03-2017 at 07:02 AM. Reason: Grammar
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