Spider ID?
 

Curious if anyone knows what this spider is? Found him south of Athabasca.

Poking around the web (ba dum bum :scared0018:) it looks a lot like a jumping spider, but all of the ones I see as native to Alberta max out at around half an inch. This fella was at least double that. 1-1.5" body, mayyybe 2" stem to stern.

Probably a Zebra Jumping Spider but there are so many similar spiders that do not stay within their official ranges.

Tarantula?

Wolf Spider?

https://www.environmentalpestcontrol...to%20infection.

With so much produce coming from all over the world, there are hitch hikers of all different types along for the ride. A buddy used to work for Circa foods and had a few pretty cool stories about what came in to warehouse on occasion (snakes, spiders, etc...) inspection, fumigation, etc... is not always and option or permitted on food products.

As far as the spider you see in your post - not sure I've ever seen anything like that here in Alberta.

Though I know there are several types and I'm definitely no expert, it didn't look like a wolf spider to me. Much hairier and with a fatter body and shorter, thicker legs. Legs were tucked in as well where the wolf spiders I've seen seem to be pretty spread out.

For hitchin' a ride, true, could have fallen off anything. Although this was a pretty remote/off the grid location- deep in the woods about 50km from the nearest town and 10km from the nearest highway or hamlet.

My kid hands me his bucket and goes "there's a tarantula on my helmet"...I turn around saying "it's not a taran... $%#@!" and then headed off to change my pants.

Well we need rain so squish it.....that’s what I do:)

Looks like a type of jumping spider

For anyone curious, I emailed the National Identification Service (did not know that was a thing) and it is indeed a jumping spider. Some type of Salticidae Phidippus.

Great thinkin! :happy0180:

That's a gnarly lookin spider...

A friend of mine was recently unloading some train cars from WAY down south, he found a Black Widow in one of them. He was going to try and keep it in a terrarium but his wife vetoed that REAL quick so he set it free.

If a predator doesn't get it this summer winter certainly will.

Interesting :)

My wife was taking a shower in Mexico! And all of a sudden there was a *&%$# that there was a spider in the room. It was a Wolf spider!

He was big!

Sure it wasn’t you ? :sHa_sarcasticlol: RJ

I believe Black Widows are native to southern Alberta as well.

As far as the OP's spider - looking it up, there seems to be a few species of jumping spiders found here, native, in Canada as well - kinda looks like this one ...

Phidippus purpuratus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phidippus_purpuratus


I'm pretty sure I would have filled my diaper too ..... yuk

Not rare to find Black Widows in the South Okanagan either, the hotter the more common.

Im cutting up some blown down trees at the inlaws at big river saskatchewn and i have never seen so many spiders before and ones i have never seen before

My guess would be a Cat face orb weaver like the photo I posted..... super cute!!!! (if you like spiders) kinda like this one.... but I'm gonna steal your pic and post it on my spider ID page to see if others have a guess...(they usually do)

Edit to my above post lol- I heard back from the group expert - this is his id of that beauty spider of yours!

It’s a Phidippus borealis (boreal tuffed jumping spider)

Definitely not a wolf spider(dock spider we called them). We had lots of them in Ontario when I lived there. That looks like a giant version of a jumping spider. Colours and shape are bang on.