# I just saw the coolest spider. What is it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 18, 2002, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-the-coolest-spider-what-is-it/124502 "2002-08-18T20:11:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2002, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-the-coolest-spider-what-is-it/124502/1 "2002-08-18T20:11:20Z")
It was hanging out in the tall weeds near the fence. In size and shape it was simliar to a regular ol’ barn spider only not as “plump”. The remarkable thing about it was its color. It looked like someone had taken brighter shades of green and yellow paint and painted an Easter basket on it. If you can imagine the black lines in [this Mondrian](http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/mondrian/ryb.jpg) randomly changed to bright green and yellow and then squished all together…well, that’s what it looked like. Oh, and I’m in Central Minnesota - that’ll probably help. Anyone have a clue what it might be? ---
**Author:** ![Tir\_Tinuviel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tir\_Tinuviel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tir_Tinuviel)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2002, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-the-coolest-spider-what-is-it/124502/2 "2002-08-18T22:42:33Z")
As a complete guess it might be a species of orbweaver spider, as they are generally the most brightly coloured. However, I must admit my spider knowledge isn’t what it could be! Personally though I’d give it some space, things in nature are generally decorated like that for a reason! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2002, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-the-coolest-spider-what-is-it/124502/3 "2002-08-18T23:02:46Z")
Aight. The lovely **Max Torque** and I have been going through spider pages ad infinitum the last two hours and he finally suggested (I’d guess out of sheer frustration 😛 ) that I draw a picture. I do not draw. At all. But **lno** is sweet and - despite being all oogy about spiders - was nice enough to host this [picture](http://www.winternet.com/~grzesiak/spider.jpg) [sub]_cough_[/sub] for me which is about as close as I can get with my limited artistic capabilites to what the spider looked like. Hope that helps… ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2002, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-the-coolest-spider-what-is-it/124502/4 "2002-08-18T23:40:05Z")
Could it be a http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/beneficial/green\_lynx\_spider.htm] green lynx spider ? Or much less likely a (European) [huntsman spider](http://www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/Spiders/Eusparassidae/Eusparassidae.htm) ? ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2002, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-the-coolest-spider-what-is-it/124502/5 "2002-08-18T23:42:23Z")
[First link](http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/beneficial/green_lynx_spider.htm). Sorry bout that. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-the-coolest-spider-what-is-it/124502/6 "2002-08-19T22:19:50Z")
Nope, **donkeyoatey** , neither of those are it…thanks, though 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-the-coolest-spider-what-is-it/124502/7 "2002-08-19T23:09:16Z")
What was the web shape? Was it tightly made, or loose and ragged? ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-the-coolest-spider-what-is-it/124502/8 "2002-08-20T01:56:56Z")
I just saw the beginnings of a web, **Spit**. I went out today to try to track it down again but it has apparently moved on - there’s a lot of tall grass around this place for it to hide. ---
**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-the-coolest-spider-what-is-it/124502/9 "2002-08-20T11:48:42Z")
The [happy face spider](http://biology.swau.edu/faculty/petr/ftphotos/hawaii/postcards/spiders/)? ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-the-coolest-spider-what-is-it/124502/10 "2002-08-20T13:59:49Z")
[Lynx Spider](http://troyb.com/photo/gallery/093-32-LynxSpider.htm)?