Last weekend while wrapping up the campfire I saw something move in my lower peripheral.
It was too dark to make it out clearly but through the use of modern technology I am able to bring it to you in all of it’s evolutionary glory.
A little closer shall we?
And from the backside?
This, my fair reader, is a Mygalomorph spider – in Federal Way.
He is lumped into a family of spiders commonly referred to as Trapdoor Spiders and belongs to the same SubOrder (Mygalomorphae) as the more well known Tarantulas.
From my limited experience with Tarantulas (i.e., none) he looks JUST LIKE ONE.
His Genus is almost certainly Bothriocyrtum but maybe Ummidia. I guess Bothriocyrtum based on the locale of these other pictures on Bugguide.com.
But…before you go getting all itchy and twitchy, this little fella, lets call him TwoBits, wasn’t very big. TwoBits could have probably made camp on a quarter.
You know what though, that sure looks like an awfully big quarter to me and TwoBits sure moved like a Tarantula.
Anyway, before you really come undone (on our behalf), we have a tent, with mostly good zippers so it’s all good.
You may notice in passing, as I did, that there isn’t much room left in there for a meaty guy like me?
I would certainly suffer a lot of welts if I tried to throw one of them out. [Ever tried to throw a cat in a lake? Yeah – same thing.]
OR
I would lose some function or other for the better part of a day if I tried to wedge myself in.
SO
TwoBits and I were shacking up. Now, it’s not my fault that I am the biggest and the strongest and as I am keenly aware of that I felt somewhat compelled to persuade TwoBits that I was right – if only for the night. I was sure an agreement could be reached.
After showing off my aggrandizing pictures to three inquiring minds…
What Daddy?
Daddy, what is “oh wow”?
Why did you say “oh wow” Daddy?
What was that?
What was that flash for Daddy?
What are you taking a picture of Daddy?A spider.
I wanna see the spider!
Gimmee see!
…I quickly returned to exert my presence with authority and to persuade TwoBits that greener pastures were further away from my sleeping bag than he might think possible only to..find…him……..gone.
Dang he was quick when he wanted to be.
So, I put out the fire and went to bed; And I slept pretty soundly too.
blief 
Hilarious story!! If I didn’t know better, I would say, ‘another Photoshop job … ‘!
1. Are you doomed to the “outer darkness” for the next 12-15 years?
2. What were you doing camping in Federal Way anyway?
3. Are you sure you didn’t have any nightmares, or “feel” a little tickle now and then?
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Two-Bits appears to have ten legs. What’s up with that?
Seriously. That. Ain’t. Right.
I’m glad you put the quarter in there for comparison. He looked a lot bigger in the first few pictures.
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Ewww…..
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Most of all, I’d like to know how you got him to pose on that quarter.
He looks like a California Trapdoor spider to me (Bothriocyrtum californicus). Their range is Southern California. Males walk around looking for females, while females rarely come out of their burrows, so this one is probably a male.
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