Cane Spider

Description:

Gray and brown spider ~ 80 mm leg end-to-leg end. The body is relatively small vis-a-vis the overall size.

Habitat:

Suburban area on a mesic, tropical, insular lowland plateau.

Notes:

Spotted by my bride on the floor of our garage. Also known as the Huntsman Spider. I've seen individuals of this species before, most notably ca. 1982 on a wall at a previous residence. Thoughtlessly, I walked up and sprayed it with an aerosol insecticide. Contrary to expectations, it did not die. Rather--I'm not exaggerating--it launched itself across the room. I should have realized that arachnids might not be killed by an insecticide. After a furious scramble, it was eventually killed by another means: blunt force trauma. Final thought: I've had peoples' eyes and other animals' eyes reflect brightly in a camera flash. The bright eye in the attachment is a first for an arthropod.