Scary Looking Spider

I don't usually like showing creepy crawly spiders like this one, but they are just as much a part of nature as any other fuzzy little animal that I bring to you. And besides, this one was very intent on becoming the latest star here at The Everyday Adventurer. Very intent.

As far as I can tell, this is what is called a Phidippus Audax, which is a common jumping spider of North America. The common names it is called are Daring Jumping Spider and Bold Jumping Spider. This creepy little fella was indeed daring and bold.

I met this spider while I was out taking pictures of the geese and ducks from the viewing platform of Carpenter Lake. I looked down at the protective railing and saw this scary looking spider crawling along it. The spider was about 20mm long, which is slightly over 3/4 of an inch. You can see that's not all leg length either.

I was trying to catch up with this little beasty with my camera, but it began moving kind of fast. At first it tried to hide from me, but I was persistent about it. I wanted to get a few really good pictures of him because I had never seen  a spider so impressively big before. Thankfully, our cold climate keeps most cold blooded creatures small, so this was a good find for me.

The picture above is the best one I was able to get. You can actually see the shine on one of his eyes. I tried to get a few top down shots of him, but he just wasn't cooperating. It was intent on resisting my directions. If it didn't want to have its picture taken, then why did it come out so close for me to see it? I really wanted to get those pictures! I had no idea what would happen next...

The jumping spider got mad at me! He actually turned and came after me! I began to move away when he did that. I'm not afraid of much, but I don't like drawing the attention or the wrath of a creepy spider as big as this one. I have to say that I still wasn't shy about getting my pictures, but this time I did it from a little bit of a distance.

Of course, this was all before I found out that it was called a Jumping Spider! That's another name that these spiders have earned. These spiders catch their prey by pouncing on them! Just thinking about that gives me the creeps every time I think of the way it had focused those eyes on me.

Okay, if I haven't driven you away yet, I'd just like to say that this post is almost done. I got away from this monster, and everything turned out alright. I went to the very far side of the viewing platform, far away from those probing eyes. I didn't want any little surprises crawling on me. I was now happier to turn my camera to other, more pleasant things.

Have a nice day!!!