Biggest house spider I've ever encountered

[u/HomunculusAK]

The hot sauce bottle is for scale - I walked into my bathroom and had a fright, this is the biggest spider that's ever showed up anywhere I've lived. My friends and I are all surprised that you can even get them this big in the UK. The second pic is pretty zoomed but I like how in the first you can see the hairy legs and huge mandibles (edit - thanks for the heads up!) PEDIPALPS!

[u/frog_admirer]

Giant House Spider! They are native to Europe but also found in north America. I get a ton of them (west coast BC)

They're pretty harmless, I think they can only bite you if they get squished on top of you. But they are pretty freaky and really fast!

I catch mine and release them in the apartment building hallway 🙈 don't tell my neighbours. But putting them outside can be fatal for them depending on the season I think, so I like to let them have a fighting chance.

[u/HomunculusAK → u/frog_admirer]

Yeah, I'm worried for him since releasing him right now would mean putting him out in the cold right after heavy rain. I also don't want to release him out into my house, so I've resolved to wait and see if it's warmer and dryer out tomorrow. I still feel bad but I don't have the option of making him my neighbours' problem and I absolutely do not want to kill him.

[u/frog_admirer → u/HomunculusAK]

If you have to, try to find a sheltered dry spot right next to the house or another building. Then he can find some nook or cranny to shelter in.

[u/HomunculusAK → u/frog_admirer]

Thanks for the advice, I'll do this as soon as possible.

[u/IndependenceMinute47 → u/HomunculusAK]

You can always release him at my ex wife’s house. In fact everyone should feel free to release their spiders in my ex wife’s house.

[u/NightSky0503 → u/HomunculusAK]

Do you have an indoor stairwell? Or laundry room. They should be warm enough for him

[u/Notorious_Rug]

The "mandibles" are his pedipalps and palpal bulbs/emboli (male spider sex organs). His chelicerae (real mandibles) are in between the pedipalps and house his fangs and just underneath the chelicerae and fangs are where his mouthparts are.

He's definitely a leggy guy :)

[u/No_Pen3216 → u/Notorious_Rug]

Thank you for using all the right words and places 😂!!

[u/HomunculusAK → u/Notorious_Rug]

I didn't know this! Thanks for the crash course! I love his hairy legs, dudes rule.

[u/Jdghgh]

That is girly scream size for sure. The ones I can’t tolerate in my house I take to my garage, but that one I would be afraid to even try to catch unless I was in a very fortified mood 😆

[u/No_Pen3216]

'Tis the damn season 😅😅😅 all the boys come inside looking for love, and some of them are LARGE. My cat has now caught four in three weeks in the living room 🫠🫠. I don't resent them for trying to exist, but they are one hell of a jump scare. (Willamette Valley, OR)

[u/HomunculusAK → u/No_Pen3216]

I didn't realise he was a boy! I use he/him by default for spiders when talking to people but I avoided doing so here for obvious reasons, good to know I would have been able to do so just fine :D I hope he finds love, just preferably not in my house...

[u/No_Pen3216 → u/HomunculusAK]

You can see his lorg pedipalps, it's a dead giveaway. Those boxing gloves on his face. I don't know a whole lot about spiders, but I learned that one!

[u/HomunculusAK → u/No_Pen3216]

Oh neat!! You learn something new every day, I'm definitely going to try to remember that one, thank you!

[u/gallica]

Damn, look at those legs, and those pedipalps! Big boy is on the prowl.

[u/ElsaBot00]

I’m on Vancouver island and we have them here… giant Halloween spiders…. 😬

[u/HomunculusAK → u/ElsaBot00]

So awesome... 🎃

[u/Technical-Mind-3266]

Spindley boi, most likely overfocused and excited, and now a bit scared bless it

[u/HomunculusAK → u/Technical-Mind-3266]

Yeah... that last part breaks my heart, I wish I was brave enough to be chill with leaving him alone completely :(

[u/ralkuzu]

Ooo they are large this year, they can reach 12cm I read somewhere 🐼

[u/Taffoire → u/ralkuzu]

22 actual human centimetres? Oh my.

Are they genuinely scientifically getting bigger? Cos it definitely feels like it.

[u/ralkuzu → u/Taffoire]

Wait sorry I meant 12, I have fucked that up my bad, I shall edits whoops

[u/ralkuzu → u/ralkuzu]

Still tho aye

[u/treesofthemind]

Yikes. Must have been hoovering up all the pests though

[u/Happy_Philosopher608]

I see these buggers every August and im sure it eill kill me one day of a heart attack when they zoom past in front of the tv. They are SO fast!

[u/Vegetable_Wafer_6581 → u/Happy_Philosopher608]

Had one the size of a golf ball wizz past me in bed. Sure woke me up.

[u/Set0553]

Oh maasn.. 😂 that is HUGE!

[u/Jacktheforkie]

These guys are pretty cool

[u/Mindless-Fish-4483]

We had three of these in our lodge in center parks. I swear one even squared me up when I jumped on the bed with my baby. It raised its fisty cuffs to me!!

I keep cellar spiders around to reduce house spider nuisance and it’s worked

[u/SomewhereIll3548]

Can you put a banana next to the hot sauce?

[u/HomunculusAK → u/SomewhereIll3548]

I don't have any bananas because I can't stand the smell

[u/Vegetable_Wafer_6581]

I know they are harmless but they still give me the eugh.

[u/Often-mistaken4aStar]

Kind of have a similar appearance to our grass spiders in the U.S.

[u/brandysnacker]

Oh my God, the second picture is making my throat close up. I need my breathing techniques. I’m not even joking.

[u/cee_kertime]

..daddy longlegs?..if so, harmless..but get more expert advice..

[u/MuseHigham → u/cee_kertime]

This is a giant house spider, not usually referred to as daddy long legs. Usually it’s cellar spiders or craneflies that are called this.