New Here With Tarantula?

[texasgirl]

Hi!
Let me introduce myself. My name is Lindsey, I have lived in Texas my whole life. I lived in the Panhandle for 18 years (prime tarantula country!) and the last year and a half I have lived here in South Texas (very few tarantulas )

This is why I'm here:
Today I was digging up my flowerbed for winter and when I turned over a shovel of dirt there was a little spider all crinkled up sleeping. I sat it over on the cement and it started to move around and I immediately realized it wasn't a normal spider and I'm nearly 100% sure it is a tarantula but I wanted some other opinions because they are so rare here, it's so small and I had never heard of them being buried underground, there was no burrow hole, it was like it got buried or dug in to hibernate.

Here are some pics, it's about the size of a quarter. (very little hair on the legs but visible hair on the abdomen)

So do I have a tarantula or is it just some other fat little spider?
I feel awful that I may have interrupted it's hibernation and ruined it's year.

 

[Mr.Scorpion]

Hm, I don't think that is a tarantula. It almost kind of looks like a trap-door. I did a quick Google search and one link said they sometimes range in as far as Texas. Oh, and plenty of tarantulas burrow.

 

[texasgirl]

It does look very much like a trapdoor spider, thank you Mr. Scorpion.
That might also explain why I didn't notice a burrow hole.

 

[MindUtopia]

I would agree, I don't think it is a tarantula. It looks a lot like a pic I saw a month or so ago, but I can't remember what that was but it was definitely not a tarantula. It's pretty cool though. Maybe post a pic in the "true spiders and other arachnids" part of this site and see if anyone who is more familiar with them can ID it.

 

[texasgirl]

Thanks MU, will do.

 

[ovaforty]

It looks similar to the 5 spiders that invaded my home at the beginning of Oct or so after the 1st cold front hit san antionio with rain....

 

[ovaforty]

My local pet shop is selling one that somebody brought into the store....So I am not the only one who got invaded...

"Pets R us" in s.a. tx

 

[ovaforty]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I bought a local caught T from them also. Most likely called a Texas tan or something. A. anax? maybe

 

[texasgirl]

I'd probably crap my pants if one was in my house but he was just hanging out in the garden. I'm a live-and-let-live kinda gal so I usually don't kill them, but in my house, eh...
Thanks for the help y'all

 

[kraken]

I would take all these cute little "invaders" !!!!! You all are soooooooo lucky!

 

[Scolopendra55]

I would take all these cute little "invaders" !!!!! You all are soooooooo lucky!

Ditto! Oh and btw it's 100% trap door

 

[Wee Man]

It's most definitely a trap door.

 

[ovaforty]

I think they are asking 10 bucks for it at pets-r-us. Maybe less....
It does not appear to have boxing gloves as mine did...