[hosepipe]

I've seen brown recluse spiders(Florida) as big as my hand..
much bigger than that in the article.....

[TheThirdRuffian]

“I’ve seen brown recluse spiders(Florida) as big as my hand..”

That was either a tarantula or you have very little hands.

Brown recluse spiders are about the size of a quarter.

(I know this because I was cleaned my shed and got bitten on the leg by a brown recluse -— not only a nasty bite, but serious infection with nasty black and purple lines going down my leg -— 3 days in the hospital.)

[from occupied ga]

I've seen brown recluse spiders(Florida) as big as my hand

not a brown recluse then

The description is taken from Gertsch (1958). Adults of both sexes are similar in appearance and size, ranging from about 7 to 12 mm in body length. Adult females average slightly larger, about 9 mm compared to about 8 mm for adult males. The carapace is pale yellow to reddish brown, with a dusky brown patch just in front of the median groove (which is encompassed by a narrow, dark line); this patch is united to the front of the carapace by dusky brown stripes. In total, these markings appear in the form of a violin. In addition, three dusky patches may occur along the margin on each side. The sternum is yellowish, with other ventral body parts of the cephalothorax darker reddish brown.

Maybe a wolf spider - still wouldn't want to pick it up

[Sax]

We've got a ton of Huntsman Spiders here in FL. They get to be hand-sized, are lightning quick and can jump at least two feet up off the ground. (Much to the chagrin of my former 8yr old self, who had just moved from the upper midwest to FL.) I don't know anyone who's ever been bit by one - they normally use that speed of theirs to avoid you at all costs. (Except the time I startled one under the front porchlight as a kid. We were both jumping up and down in some crazy dance before we simultaneously split in opposite directions. That little bugger lived in a crack up by the corner of the ceiling of the front porch, but I usually only saw a leg or two sticking out. Dad said that was his buddy watching out for roaches and to leave him alone. great. I would've preferred some sort of aerosol and a lighter.