Comments & ID Thoughts
This spider was found in the hay in my chicken coop. It seemed docile when it ran out of the hay in my hand.
- Submitted by:
- Submitted: Nov 21, 2021
- Photographed: Nov 21, 2021
- Spider: Unidentified
- Location: Jacksonville, Florida, United States
- Spotted Outdoors: Ground layer (leaf litter, dirt, grass, etc)
- Found in web?: No
- Attributes:
It looks like a White-banded Fishing Spider, Dolomedes albineus. https://spiderid.com/spider/pisauridae/dolomedes/albineus/ They hunt on-foot rather than by web. They are as docile as they seem, they may bite in self-defense if they are handled roughly in a way that pains or scares them – like most animals do. The venom isn’t medically significant to humans. Possibly able to kill chicks, hopefully you have laying hens, not breeders. Large spiders may be able to kill rodents or reptiles that get into the coop. We have some interesting photos of spiders with large prey, like lizards and goldfish.
Yes I think you are right! Looking at the other photos really confirms it for me. They get big! Yikes! I’m using long armed gloves to clean my chicken coop next time.
Thank you!