A little tough to judge the size. It looks something like a crab spider. Were there any other markings on it? posted by jquinby at 11:35 AM on May 20
We could use some more photos, your geographical location, and a reference of scale. posted by ZaneJ. at 11:40 AM on May 20
That is awesomely weird. My vote is that it's a glow-in-the-dark plastic spider. That came to life and then died. Will you please draw a face on it with a sharpie? posted by artychoke at 11:46 AM on May 20 [3 favorites]
The thing is featureless and unmarked, as if coated; there's a phillips-head screw in the wood behind for scale; this is in southern Oregon. It appears lifeless. posted by dpcoffin at 11:48 AM on May 20
It looks like a pholcid spider missing some legs. Some species are very light in color. It could also be a crab spider, but my first guess is pholcid. Can you get a better picture? posted by hellboundforcheddar at 11:49 AM on May 20
I blew on it and it jiggled like a dead spider; not stiff like plastic. posted by dpcoffin at 11:50 AM on May 20
Could it be an egg sac that happens to look a bit like a spider? posted by sindark at 11:50 AM on May 20
Eggs sacs on Google Image Search:
http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=egg+sac&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&oq= posted by sindark at 11:51 AM on May 20
Spiders shed as they grow- so with your additional input I'm going to guess the it's an exoskeleton. It's hard to identify the family. posted by hellboundforcheddar at 11:51 AM on May 20
Wow. pics a and b seemed to back up the exoskeleton theory but then c looks totally different. Is the specimen fuzzy? In picture c it almost looks like some sort of arthropod corpse that has mold growing on it.... posted by hellboundforcheddar at 12:07 PM on May 20
Yeah, I thought fungus-got-spider, didn't like the legs… posted by dpcoffin at 12:08 PM on May 20
bring it somewhere decently lit and get a good photo, maybe calling on someone who has a better camera...I admit I'm a little intrigued. posted by melissam at 12:35 PM on May 20
If you look for "spider fungus" on Google Images, there are a few results on the front page that look just like this. Some of them are identified as "spider egg sacs" or "an exoskeleton with frost on it" in the accompanying pages, but this result from the University of Wisconsin entomology department says it's a "fungus-killed spider." posted by fermion at 12:46 PM on May 20
OK; no doubt now: "fungus-killed spider," thanks for the UoW link. My hunch was good, thanks to David Attenborough!
(Odd, my google image results for "spider fungus" don't show anything even remotely like this…)
So, I guess the truth's about as creepy as any imagined fiction, eh? Glad the standing hominid truce with the local fungi's still in effect… posted by dpcoffin at 1:06 PM on May 20
(Odd, my google image results for "spider fungus" don't show anything even remotely like this…)
How strange--maybe we have different settings. Here's the most similar image to yours that came up when I did the search. posted by fermion at 2:02 PM on May 20
That's a great link, fermion; thanks! Weird imagining that spiders can live after being "fully bloomed out."
(But still getting no links to your image from a google image search for "spider fungus;" checked every page; you got the shot from that "Whats that bug?" page? Posted a link to my pix there, too, btw.) posted by dpcoffin at 4:16 PM on May 20
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posted by jquinby at 11:35 AM on May 20