Thankfulus carolinensis

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Granted this is odd.

But I was taught to be thankful for the small things and if you have enough small things to be thankful for they will outweigh the big bad things. Yesterday was Thanksgiving. That's when I found a Carolina wolf spider (Hogna carolinensis) in my shower. 

H. carolinensis is the largest wolf spider in North America and I have been looking for one to live in my basement to deal with the crickets that generally hang out down there. Not that I have anything against crickets but we all need a check and balance. As Lord Acton said, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." That's the big bad thing I am worried about.  

Wolf spiders have pretty formidable faces with eight eyes. In the photo, one pair of eyes is hidden at the top of the head. I'm not sure if they eat the crickets or merely scare them into leaving. The jury is out on that one.  

Happy post Thanksgiving. 

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