He was sitting on a photo album behind the couch in the living room, my sis saw him when she got up and freaked out. Her boyfriend came running upstairs and grabbed me, first thing I thought when I saw this bugger was  12ga.
Now im not easily afraid of bugs, a few years ago I helped my Dad and StepMom teach a Bees& Other biters and stingers at the Arizona State Firemarshall school.

But anyways this is a BIG ONE! Anyone know where I could find out what kind he is? Couldn't find him in any books that I have. Hes easily 4-5" with his legs spread out, 2" long body and about a solid 1" fat. Two of his big legs stretch out a lot farther than the others, reminiscent of the face huggers on Alien.

Spider-Cricket is what we call em where I'm from, Not sure if its actually a cricket or a spider, but they can jump like you wouldn't believe and theyre bites hurt (Becuase they take a lot of flesh out).

I killed a black widow in the garage tonight. I'm buying a case of bug bombs tomorrow.

Well the Treehuggers of the house have captured and released it in the field across the street. Damn I didnt even have time to conduct my scientific experiments on it![heavy]

I'm not familiar with the spiders of the southwest...but it could have been a wolf spider or something. I am sure you are familar with the tarantula. Not sure what you had there but it was WAY, WAY, WAY too damn big to be sharing living space with you! I hate spiders with a passion. I was never afraid of snakes (although I treat them with respect) and live in an area filled with rattlers and copperheads, but spiders scare the crap outta me! About the most common ones I see here are the common house spider, the jumping spiders, funnel web builders and a beautiful but scary looking black and bright yellow one that often builds a web in big weeds. There are of course the ones that build those pesky webs in the woods each Fall around the time hunting season starts! I hate walking through those damn webs! LOL. And unfortunately, there is no shortage of brown recluse or black widow spiders either. I have learned to treat any shiny, black spider with caution though...as it seems there are some variations within the black widows red hourglass marking on the belly. I have seen some with stripes in place of the hourglass and others with more of a round dot, and yet others with hardly no red marking at all. But they were all dem black widers and I hates um! LOL.

It was funny you mentioned the 12 gauge. There used to be an old man who lived not far from me who wasn't well, all there. He was a great guy and all, but his elevator was stuck in the basement! This guy would literally take an old single shot shotgun and shoot bugs and spiders from his walls! Then again, this guy also had a Maxwell House coffee can that he used for a mailbox, so go figure! I bet his insulation and walls were not in all that great condition. We had so much fun with all the stories he was responsible for.

Try looking here http://www.birdspiders.com/ If you really want to know I can look it up at home. I keep tarantulas for pets and AZ does have a few species. A interesting fact is that the largest sider in the world T. Bondi or the Goliath Birdetting spider can weigh 4 oz and have a leg span of 12"

John

If it was really hairy it was probably a tarantula or an unusually large wolf spider.  Both are harmless unless you try to eat them:).

Was it smooth skinned and black and yellow?  Wat region of Arizona are you in?  I only ask because when I was living down by the border (damn near on the border) I found a big ugly looking hairless spider that was black with yellow trimming.  It was easily as big as a large tarantula.  Naturally I thought it was something from the ofthe otherside of the border.  Looked like something that should be in the jungles of Costa Rica.

I've noticed this year that the tarantulas are really thick in my area this year. They're fun to play with but I hate seeing them smashed on the road all of the time.

Warning: you will be subjected to horrible homosexual pornography if you explore that link.

Thanks dude.

Yeah, no shit...I found out the hard way. Nice fucking link.

Hmph, I tried it before I read your warning and only get a picture of a little red/orange spider.

He was not hairy so im betting it was a wolf spider that has gotten a little big for his britches.

Yeah and be careful with that link some people really shouldnt reproduce.

I don't mind spiders around the house one damn bit!

They help keep Miz Hun reminded of why she puts up with me in the first place![:D]

I never kill spiders, except black widows, for they are 'meat eaters' and help keep the house and yard free of really damaging pests.

I just pick 'em up and fling 'em out into the yard.

Eric The(Natural)Hun[>]:)]

Yeah well don't click on the little spider too many times to get a close up. You'll get a close up of something you don't want.

FNG, if it wasn't hairy then it's not a wolf:).

Did it have a whip tail?  I'm thinking it was a Giant Vinegarone (sort of like a scorpion)  If not then it's got to be some kind of tarantula.  I don't know of any other arachnid that big in AZ.

My grandmother used to live in a house in Douglas, AZ.  One year tarantulas took over the house.  THOUSANDS of them.  I think the house was on some ancient tarantula migration path.  The only other place I've ever seen so many was masses of them crossing a highway in the Texas panhandle.  She had to have the house tented to get rid of them.

My guess would have been a Vinegaroon or a large "Windscorpion" they both get pretty large at times. Totally harmless tho.

The tarantulas would've died in a week or so. They only migrate (males) during the mating season, which is a couple weeks. Then they die.

That's why when kids find tarantulas out in the open desert and catch them, they seldom eat and die soon. They're at the end of their life-cycle at this point.

Don't Tread...

[size=6][center][b]KILL IT !!!![/b][/center][/size=6]

Spiders kill bugs.