My workshop group and I were in Lower Antelope Canyon in Page, AZ when an attempt was made on my life. That’s a bold statement, I know. But in this case, I think the facts are pretty much on my side.
We’d been in the canyon for probably only fifteen minutes when we heard it: the sound of something landing in the sand near us. And there it was: the biggest little spider I’ve ever seen. At first I thought it must be a baby Acromantula, but then I remembered baby Acromantulas were the size of a Pekinese and this one was only about an inch and a half to two inches in diameter so it couldn’t be that particular giant spider breed. Anyone who’s read the Harry Potter books or has seen the movies knows this is true.
I’m pretty sure the beastie was aiming for me. Probably in retaliation for all of its relatives that have ended up as goo under my shoe. This isn’t my fault. Spiders are sneakier than cats and the bottom-of-the-shoe-gooing of a spider is a purely reflexive reaction on my part. I have no control over this, it’s a survival mechanism. So if you’re going to blame anyone, blame Darwin.
As I said, this spider was aiming for me. It leaped from the top of the canyon specifically to murder me. Fortunately, it was windy that day and my would-be assassin was blown off course, hence the ominous sound we all heard.
Now since this bugger didn’t technically sneak up on me, my ninja-like spider squishing instincts weren’t triggered. So instead I just took pictures of it. After dismissing the identification of Acromantula, I at first thought this to be a juvenile tarantula. But I don’t think it is. I’m leaning toward wolf spider at the moment, but that’s just from information I’ve found on the internet. Anybody have an idea of who my nemesis might be?
Edit: We have a verdict. According to my friend Dave Muse, accomplished photographer of things creepy and crawly, Wolf Spiders have eight eyes. When I zoom in on this critter, I see the four eyes on the top of the head and another row of four eyes below those four. So: wolf spider.
….a spider after your heart maybe?
I saw that same spider in volume 1 of Spiderman (Marvel comics)
Glad he didn’t bite me…. I wouldn’t fit into that Spidey-suit 🙂
The way it snuck up on you, it might be related to a cougar.
You had better start tiptoeing around…appears they are all out to get you!
That’s because they’re sneaky little creepies
Hope you’re still with us for Canadian Rockies! 😉
Did you see “Aracnophobia” with Jeff Daniels? He finally defeated the football-sized spider with a nail gun. Dunno where you’d fit that in your gear bag, but it could be handy for future hikes in the southwest.
Well, I’ve heard that the upcoming Nikon D5xxx has options for either 1) a bear spray dispenser, 2) an espresso maker, or 3) HBO. No nail gun option. But those Nikons are tough so you could use it for pounding nails. Or squishing spiders.