‘Mystery spider’ stirs curiosity among C.O. residents; biologist provides its identity
It's a folding trapdoor spider
Bend, Ore. (KTVZ)--With so many Central Oregonians enjoying nature and the outdoors as summer turns to fall, a spider some have come across recently has stirred curiosity.
Many natives apparently didn't know what the mysterious specimen was, so NewsChannel 21 reached out to an Oregon State University professor to find out.
Chris Marshall, who is part of OSU’s Department of Integrative Biology, said Friday the specimen is question is of an Antrodiaetus genus -- a folding trapdoor spider, as it's known.
Marshall shared information about the spider, saying it’s a close relative to tarantulas, but is a unique species in the Northwest, and is nocturnal.
Marshall added that although it’s local to the area, coming across the spider is rare.
“They spend their time hidden, and they’re only out during a certain time of year -- and only out at night, and so that’s not necessarily an easy observation to make,” he said.
Marshall said the reason the trapdoor spider might be spotted at the moment is due to weather conditions.
“It’s my understanding that the males are dispersing to find mates in this period of time, when there tends to be early fall rains,” Marshall said.
Whenever people are out exploring nature and are curious to find out about any animal species they may come across, there are websites to help assist.
Marshall suggested users use inaturalist.org when contributing information. Providing brief context about where and when the specimens in question are located also helps scientists with research.
“They can upload photographs of biodiversity, and those photographs are made usable to scientists around the world,” Marshall said.
This is NOT a mystery spider. This exact same photo was shared on a local Facebook Gardening group which I am a member of. The poster stated that she had found the spider drowned in her dog’s outdoor water bowl and wanted to know what kind it was. Another member identified it as a Trap door spider.
That’s where I saw this too. KTVZ just reposts stories they rip off of Reddit and Facebook and pretend like they’re doing journalism.
We do our own reporting, of course. Sorry we don’t always meet your standards.
I used to be a writer. When I wrote a piece, before I sent it to my editor, I would ask myself, What questions is a reader going to ask? Is the spider poisonous? comes to mind.
Poison is drank, venom is injected. I believe you’re wondering if the spider is venomous
Poisons can also be enhaled and absorbed through the skin. That typed, a spider bite that causes any real harm is extremely rare. I do not believe that any verified deaths or serious injuries have ever been reported in Oregon as a result of a spider bite.
Since you want to split hairs, venom is defined as a type of poison, but I get your point.
Well I am traumatized. Please dont put pictures like that on your front news page lol.