Sun Spider

Wow, did not know the Camel Spider or Sun Spider lived in California!

And then it jumps out and bites or eats you. :) I'm always fascinated by natures incredible amount of diversity.

That's what I love about nature. It goes undetected for long periods of time and is always there, even if we don't see it. Sometimes species seem to rise and fall like waves. Some years I see more of something than others, but I usually have to be out there looking. :-)

Interesting, I've lived here in the San Francisco Bay Area in California my whole life and have never seen nor heard of this infamous creature being a resident of this region.

A link below with info on sun spiders. In South Africa we call them "Red Roman" of "Haarskeerder". The last name translated literally means barber because people believed that the spiders will cut your hair with that vicious mandibles while you are sleeping. In the process building myths which have no standing at all.

http://www.camel-spiders.net/

You don't appear to be in the range of the recluse spiders, which will hopefully put you at ease.

Thank you for the quick feedback, I was worried this was a Brown Recluse. Now I can sleep well, knowing it's only a biting scorpion without a stinger. :(

Hi and welcome to Project Noah! This is a wonderful spotting, and as was suggested, this is an arachnid that's in the Solifugae family. They are known as sun spiders, windscorpions, and camel spiders, to name a few. I've gone ahead and moved this to the Arthropods category for you.