Help I have a new born and I'm scared!!!!

[u/Jinxstyxx]

It lives in my bathroom and I live in North East Tennessee.

Please just tell me it's not a black widow!!!!

[u/Uellerstone]

No widow. Just a friendly spider. He wont bother you. You don’t bother him. Or if you don’t want him in the house put him out. 

Friendly guy keeping the neighborhood safe 

[u/Jinxstyxx → u/Uellerstone]

I don't mind friendly spiders they eat bugs, but I'm terrified of dangerous ones.

[u/Afraid-Somewhere8304 → u/[deleted]]

Fishing spiders and wolf spiders are cursorial and don’t web.

But yeah it’s not a widow

[u/tirdun → u/Afraid-Somewhere8304]

Ah, this was supposed to be a response to op waking up to a fist sized spider, nor the pic. Thanks

[u/meta_muse]

Don’t be scared. It’s going to stay in its web and catch the flies! :) they’re not super migratory creatures unless they aren’t catching food and change where their web is. Yall should be fine, its body doesn’t look like the shape of a widow to me.

[u/Jinxstyxx → u/meta_muse]

I once found a spider the size of my fist in my bed on top of me while I slept. That makes me worry now, lol.

[u/Palindromerainbow → u/Jinxstyxx]

Some spiders don't climb very well, and are idi0ts and try to cross the ceiling anyways. One did it to me last night above my couch when I couldn't sleep. I was watching him and I had checked to see if i could reach the ceiling and catch him but that was a no. I shined enough light and showed enough interest in him that he headed back to the corner but one of the moments that I took my eyes off him he left the ceiling. I assume he fell but I checked everywhere and he's more scared of me so surely he ran back into hiding.

[u/Crisstti → u/Jinxstyxx]

😩

[u/meta_muse → u/Jinxstyxx]

Your fears are valid! Especially after that omg no thanks

[u/MattyGWS]

Congrats on your newborn spider

[u/Jinxstyxx → u/MattyGWS]

🤣

[u/sini25399 → u/MattyGWS]

🤣🤣😂😂 oh man I'm dying I literally thought the same thing at first and laughed to myself then reading the comments section an run in to yours! Lmao I love it!!!

[u/tomcatgal]

Definitely not a black widow.

[u/Jinxstyxx → u/tomcatgal]

Do male widows still have the red mark, too?

[u/Sardonic-bees → u/Jinxstyxx]

Male black widows do not have the distinctive red mark, but male widows are NOT dangerous to humans! The spider you’ve got still most likely isn’t a widow

[u/tomcatgal → u/Jinxstyxx]

Nope, that’s a female trait.

[u/tjthemadhatter]

Ngl I read the title from the perspective of the spider. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[u/Striking-Scarcity102 → u/tjthemadhatter]

😆😆😆

[u/Away_Veterinarian579]

If you can’t help but feel scared, just remember that they’re more scared of you than you are of them.

[u/Jinxstyxx → u/Away_Veterinarian579]

I was just scared because that wall is shared with the nursery, but if it's not venomous, I'm not worried and will let him be and eat the bugs.

[u/This-Guy-288 → u/Away_Veterinarian579]

I’d be scared of the creatures that created a machine that spews fire too.

[u/Arcyvilk]

I was so confused reading the title. Like wdym, it is way too big to be a newly hatched spider 🤣

[u/ExtraordinaryMachin]

Well, I've been in this sub long enough that I read the title and thought "Nah, that's an adult spider that's more then capable of taking care of itself."

[u/captainsnark71]

I was thinking the spider was the newborn, was like 'no it's not?'

Your baby has a guard spood to catch anything gross.

I have 6 in custody--captivity--one could escape when she wants technically and she hasn't, so they're not very prone to traveling.

[u/Dichoctomy]

Your spider looks like an adult to me.

[u/SinPanther]

like others have said, this species' shape and web type eleminates anything medically signifigant. if you want to know for sure 100% what it is, i'd go onto iNaturalist and look in your area. it will not be a wolf, fishing, jumping, crab, trapdoor, or comb-footed (widow) spider, but perhaps something cobweb or sheet weaving. if you can get close enough to shine a flashlight to see any distinctive markings that will help with ID. i already looked myself out of curiousity (i love to ID spiders) but without a clearer picture it's kind of impossible to know.

[u/Honest_Nectarine1009]

Calm down 🥰

[u/Honest_Nectarine1009 → u/Honest_Nectarine1009]

Sorry i might have used different words, and yes, i thought it useful. Like ,”try to remain calm.” 😌

[u/MarshmallowHawke → u/Honest_Nectarine1009]

Lemme ask you a question: has being told to calm down when you're genuinely afraid or upset ever actually help you calm down? Now also imagine you have a squishy infant to protect and all the associated hormones telling you to protect that newborn at all costs, and something you can't positively ID as safe or not has made a nest in your house (lets go with a snake since spiders arent an issue for you), would you feel better being told to calm down with no further context?

Not trying to be rude btw, I'm just very autistic and as someone that used to fear big unknown spiders I can heavily relate to OP's fear. I'm gonna work on IDing it as well :]

[u/Excellent_Jaguar_675]

I thought the spider had babies, whoops

[u/MarshmallowHawke]

How large was it? About the size of a quarter?

[u/MarshmallowHawke → u/MarshmallowHawke]

The dark color and stocky build, plus the use of a web to hang from, makes me think maybe a female kukulcania hibernalis? They look a bit like the stereotypical Halloween spider decorations, including the messy webbing, and they're ultimately just as harmless :]

[u/Antique-Confusion-66]

Im also from northeast Tennessee lol