A spider

[bodger]

As I was taking out the trash, I saw some motion as I went through the door. At first, I was afraid it was a stinkbug, but then I got a closer look and realized that it was just a spider. A pretty one, too.

After I had put down the trash cans, I went and grabbed a camera with a macro lense to get a picture of this beastie. I'm guessing it's Platycryptus undatus, the tan jumping spider.

It's about 11mm long, hairy and black with tan/orange markings. It also has plenty of eyes, including a couple of big ones - a common characteristic of jumping spiders (Salticidae). They're said to be friendly critters, and sometimes will explore people. Normally I'll put spiders like this outside, where they're more likely to find food than in the house, but it's getting cold outside, so I let her stay in. Perhaps she'll chow down on some stinkbugs for me.

Comments

Wow, that's a big spider!

[aramintamd]

Not sure I really want a comparison. Torn between looking for the ruler and ignoring the fact that I have one to look at.