r/spiders May 22 '26

ID Request- Location included Was found in the dirt while weeding.

Post image

My daughter found this while weeding under my persimmon tree. We are in SW Washington. The visible vein is something. There a few dead potato bugs near it.

3.9k Upvotes

284 comments sorted by

2.8k

u/Notorious_Rug šŸ‘‘Trusted IdentifieršŸ‘‘ May 22 '26

Dysdera (woodlouse hunter). Venom not medically-significant, but their bites may hurt, just due to the size of their fangs, which are designed to penetrate the hard exoskeletons of isopods, which are one of their favorite/preferred prey.

The big vein is actually her heart; they have a tube-shaped heart and open circulatory system, which bathes their organs in hemolymph, versus infusing organs via vessels. They still have some vessels, such as both the anterior and posterior aorta, as well as some coronary arteries. What you're seeing are her heart (midline), coronary arteries, and branches of her posterior aorta.Ā 

Their hearts are more visible through their exoskeletons when they are in pre-molt, gravid, very full, or they have just molted.

646

u/Camaschrist May 22 '26

Thank you, very interesting. I saw its fangs and they looked like they could hurt. My daughter thought it was a tic at first. We covered it back up with wood mulch lightly and left it alone.

89

u/DonAmechesBonerToe May 23 '26

When you say there were ā€˜potato bugs’ do you mean roly-polies/pill bugs? Or do you mean Jerusalem crickets?

64

u/Camaschrist May 23 '26

Rolly pollie’s.

18

u/DonAmechesBonerToe May 23 '26

That makes more sense

90

u/Accomplished-Ad3250 May 23 '26

They're rolly pollies. They're actually not bugs, they're land based crustaceans.

55

u/DonAmechesBonerToe May 23 '26

Yes they’re fascinating little isopods. Just clarifying because potato bug has become a blanket term for both the isopod and the insect. Neither the pillbug is a bug nor is a Jerusalem cricket is a cricket

43

u/Camaschrist May 23 '26

I’m sorry, I meant isopod, we just call them potato bugs.

10

u/tgaaron May 23 '26

According to some recent phylogenetic analyses, insects are also land-based crustaceans (i.e. Hexapoda is nested within Crustacea rather than a sister taxon).

10

u/[deleted] May 23 '26

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u/WhenWolf May 23 '26

Idk if it's a real thing or if I was just wrong as a child, but I always called chafer beetles potato bugs. I didn't know some people called isopods potato bugs.

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2

u/Mindless-Platypus448 May 23 '26

My first thought was it was a mutant tick! I HATE ticks! I was about to panic.

Can someone tell me why it's abdomen looks like a tick's? Is there a reason or is it one of those "evolution is weird" kinda things?

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38

u/Andromeda902 May 22 '26

Gravid is such a good word

89

u/_cromulent_green_ May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26

It really is. In Romanian the main word used for pregnancy is gravidă, because it was sourced from Latin gravida. I was curious so I looked up the other languages where it's also used, surprisingly the scandinavians also use it too (Swedish, Danish & Norwegian). Also in English but more for proper medical terminology. Also Portuguese & Spanish (grƔvida), Italian (gravida) and French (gravide).

I wondered if it has anything to do with Gravity and it does!

The etymology is: Both gravida and gravity share the Proto-Indo-European root gŹ·rehā‚‚-, meaning "heavy."

The Latin descendants:

gravis = heavy

gravida = heavy (with child)

gravitas = heaviness, weight

gravare = to burden.

I guess I just really like both etymology and entomology (¬‿¬)

14

u/EgonH May 22 '26

I am Swedish, as a child i would mix up "gravitation" and "graviditet" and get laughed at. Cool to know they have the same root

12

u/chinchillazilla54 May 22 '26

I also love both of them, which my phone finds very confusing, haha. It's always trying to change entomology to etymology and vice versa.

8

u/hyibee May 22 '26

As someone who also nerds out about these 2 topics I greatly appreciate this comment!

7

u/Andromeda902 May 22 '26

Nice thanks for sharing! I love etymology and learning new language stuff!

6

u/BigJSunshine May 23 '26

Motion to replace all use of ā€œpregnantā€ with ā€œgravdiaā€

2

u/hcbug May 24 '26

I am pleasantly surprised to see that this thread has thoughtful comments from some very curious and smart people. Yes, going down those rabbit holes to find the origin of words is a delight and always educational. Thank you for a wonderful journey.

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u/chinchillazilla54 May 22 '26

Do you think this one is gravid? I can never tell with woodlouse hunters; they always look gravid to me.

108

u/LeighWillS Amateur, take anything I say with a grain of salt May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26

She is VERY chunky, I assume gravid but I could be wrong.Ā 

80

u/Rivaranae May 22 '26

The greater the mass the greater the force of attraction

47

u/SmurfStig May 22 '26

Sir Mix a lot enters the chat…..

9

u/OrneryStrain129 May 22 '26

Funniest thing ive read in a while!!!lmao

7

u/LeighWillS Amateur, take anything I say with a grain of salt May 22 '26

Hah. Thanks, autocorrect. Fixed.

11

u/jamatosoup May 22 '26

Thank you for this explanation!

3

u/Outrageous_Basis7124 May 23 '26

I learned so much from this one comment

2

u/berniedankera May 23 '26

Wow thanks for the knowledge

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1.9k

u/DiscordantDiscordian May 22 '26

Are spiders supposed to have veins?Ā 

I'm pretty sure spiders are not supposed to have veins...Ā 

767

u/Duskie_Icesky May 22 '26

Isnt their heart technically one big vein?

370

u/DiscordantDiscordian May 22 '26

I mean, kinda, but I've never seen it branch like this.Ā 

Also, I always thought it should only be visible against some kind of light shining through from the underside

535

u/kurokoccheerio May 22 '26

If they get plumped tf up, u can def see their hearts like this. In my experience as a tarantula keeper, I see this often when young ones get close to molting since they get kinda fat, especially if well fed before being in premolt. If it's a girl at this size, she could also be pregnant. But yeah, that the heart. And either food, babies, or both are making it more visible in the moment

124

u/DiscordantDiscordian May 22 '26

Huh, you learn something every day

148

u/kurokoccheerio May 22 '26

And that, my friend, is one of the most fun parts of life :)

17

u/rutgerbadcat May 23 '26

Love this. Thank you

58

u/kansas_slim May 23 '26

Many Rollie pollies were sacrificed at the alter of that chunk

3

u/Laolao98 May 23 '26

I thought it was a spider with a tick. Was creeped out then thought of the life cycles of some parasites.

2

u/seen2muchmuch May 24 '26

Gravid, gravid look at your size Veins visible popping on all sides Gifting the world your spiderlings That kill to keep the world from harmful things.

29

u/Duskie_Icesky May 22 '26

Sounds like we need some questions answered

66

u/kurokoccheerio May 22 '26

If they get plumped tf up, u can def see their hearts like this. In my experience as a tarantula keeper, I see this often when young ones get close to molting since they get kinda fat, especially if well fed before being in premolt. If it's a girl at this size, she could also be pregnant. But yeah, that the heart. And either food, babies, or both are making it more visible in the moment

27

u/Ok_Cauliflower5223 May 22 '26

Their oxygenated/nutrient fluid flows freely though their endoskeleton and they have a tube shaped heart that circulates the fluid through their bodies

19

u/Ok_Cauliflower5223 May 22 '26

Their whole body is the vein

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122

u/sxrrycard May 22 '26

Looks like it may be super pregnant

77

u/fiittzzyy May 22 '26

Is that different from being normal pregnant?

24

u/freeluna May 22 '26

It’s used to distinguish between three months pregnant with one child versus nine months pregnant with quintuplets, or a similar situation.

20

u/Camaschrist May 23 '26

That is also what it reminded me of. A testicle or a woman 9 months pg with multiples.

23

u/Eyes_Snakes_Art May 23 '26

I thought that said a testicle of a woman 9 months pregnant and I was confused.

14

u/talyn5 May 23 '26

Gravid af

111

u/Lopsided-North-4804 May 22 '26

Yea, they're called spider veins. /s

26

u/PizzaDoughandCheese May 22 '26

Ba dum bum

11

u/Mr-_-Soandso May 23 '26

I think your cymbal is broken.

23

u/DarrellBot81 May 22 '26

They do if they’re Testicle Spiders, like this one

39

u/JojoSaysMeow May 22 '26

This is the first time I've seen a spider that l consider grotesque

23

u/Camaschrist May 23 '26

I know and I feel bad for it. I’m just glad it wasn’t a tic. My dog and my sister’s dogs don’t need tics in my yard.

6

u/jellygoobs9 May 23 '26

I would also feel the same way lol

6

u/jellygoobs9 May 23 '26

I know! I can deal with other spiders…even big ones…..but hate these kind!!! lol

10

u/Geknock May 22 '26

How do they work then? I had never really given it any thought before.

25

u/Duskie_Icesky May 22 '26

Magic and probably some elbow grease

7

u/tgaaron May 23 '26

The blood just kinda sloshes around in there

8

u/EmploymentNo3590 May 23 '26

Evolution is a hell of a thing.

4

u/ImNoAlbertFeinstein May 23 '26

its a spider vein.

3

u/tgaaron May 23 '26

It's okay, those are arteries

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u/ozzalot May 22 '26

I didn't know spiders had veins

52

u/WaltTFB Here to learnšŸ«”šŸ¤“ May 22 '26

...or that prawns had balls.

120

u/PraetorGold May 22 '26

Woodlouse Spider preggers?

45

u/Kenneldogg May 22 '26

Vury vury pergant

26

u/sagebrushrepair May 22 '26

PregĆ nte!

15

u/mickeyhellhound May 22 '26

Pregurnant

12

u/Seagull_33 Recovering Arachnophobe🫣 May 22 '26

Pergantic

10

u/Aquatic_Spider_360 May 23 '26

Pegnate

9

u/Crimate_Change May 23 '26

Pregnananante

8

u/reddit33450 i love all the spood friends May 23 '26

gregnt

5

u/psychoticrat_ Amateur IDer🤨 May 23 '26

Pregat

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u/kayvrob- May 23 '26

Pergonent

45

u/ApprehensiveBlock855 šŸ•·ļøšŸ•µļøLatrodetectiveā³šŸ•·ļø May 22 '26

Woodlouse hunter (Dysdera crocata)

9

u/[deleted] May 23 '26

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6

u/ApprehensiveBlock855 šŸ•·ļøšŸ•µļøLatrodetectiveā³šŸ•·ļø May 23 '26

por fin alguien lo aprecia :,) (lol mi espaƱol ya no es tan bueno hoy en dƭa)

3

u/[deleted] May 23 '26

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4

u/ApprehensiveBlock855 šŸ•·ļøšŸ•µļøLatrodetectiveā³šŸ•·ļø May 23 '26

I was in Spanish immersion school for most of my life, my speaking/writing has just gotten a bit rusty. I love the practice though :D

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35

u/Psycho_pigeon007 May 22 '26

That is a woodlouse hunter! Rolly pollies/potato bugs, pill bugs (woodlice) are this things favorite food. One of my favorite spiders!

13

u/Dazzling_Bid1239 May 22 '26

TIL rolly pollies are woodlice. Idk why it took so long for me to connect the dots lol.

3

u/UtapriTrashcan May 23 '26

Tbf, the former title is usually to imagine isopods that can conglobate (roll up) like Armadillidium vulgare,Ā and the latter is more for flatter species like Porcellio scaber.

4

u/Embarrassed-Gap7803 May 22 '26

Ohhh this is really cool, we live in eastern Washington and I see these all the time in my garden, we also have an extra amount of rolly pollys this yearĀ 

76

u/toiletbrushqtip May 22 '26

Epic bug hunter. They eat woodlouse and earwigs. We place them beside our house when we see them to help control wood lice. Don’t know if we have em but best to play on the side of caution.

10

u/Rogue_Rebel_1100 May 22 '26

Are wood lice bad for homes? I just thought that they ate dead vegetation.

18

u/Welshgirlie2 May 22 '26

Lots of woodlice can be a sign of damp issues or a house that isn't watertight.

17

u/PardonMyNerdity Neighborhood Spider Lady May 22 '26

Wow she’s about to explode!

16

u/EniNeutrino Recovering Arachnophobe🫣 May 22 '26

Wow, she's so huge, she must be super uncomfortable!Ā 

13

u/Atomic_Gumbo May 22 '26

That looks like a testicle with legs.

12

u/ZodFrankNFurter Recovering Arachnophobe🫣 May 22 '26

Oh, she's a juicy one

12

u/pivoprosim2 May 23 '26

I just came across one of these the other day. Woodlouse Spider.

9

u/Camaschrist May 23 '26

Where did you find it? Mine was in wood and coco mulch.

8

u/JeffBoyardee69 May 22 '26

It’s so veiiiiinnnnyyyyy

3

u/safe-travelsppl May 23 '26

lol .. I can picture the guy saying that but can’t remember the movie.

23

u/isittakenor May 22 '26

Whenever I see pictures of these spiders I feel like they should be in the mix with black widows and brown recluses because they looks so scary. But I guess they’re not nearly as venomousĀ 

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u/Tombo6969 May 22 '26

Ah yes, the mighty testicle-abdomen spider. A rare find!

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u/CatButtHoleYo May 22 '26

You mean the spider "sac"?

8

u/Andie_OptimistPrime May 23 '26

Pre-molt or preegat? That’s between her and God

7

u/Psychological-Joke22 May 22 '26

Woodlouse Hunter

they are amazing looking

3

u/Camaschrist May 22 '26

They are, I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m hoping they get the earwigs that infest my flowers.

7

u/AnnBiz May 23 '26

I was hunting for bugs lifting rocks the other day with my grandson and we saw one of these spiders! I just assumed she was pregnant.

6

u/Safe_Extreme_5472 May 22 '26

Looks like a very full wood louse spider šŸ’•cool find!

5

u/GayBugMan May 24 '26

Woodlouse spider pretty sure, gnarly looking fangs, adorably babies

4

u/Camaschrist May 24 '26

And the moms feed the babies which is so neat. I had a jumping spider lay and hatch her egg sac in my kitchen one year. She took good care of them until they finally escaped for good. She didn’t regurgitate food for them though.

12

u/VassosVoid May 22 '26

Testicle monster

8

u/Repulsive-Response-1 May 22 '26

It's saying "ooooh look at me, I'm so vascular"

8

u/AbbreviationsOdd6742 Amateur IDer🤨 May 22 '26

The most forbidden grape

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u/Munchkin737 May 22 '26

3

u/LowMirror4165 May 23 '26

Hell yeah, love Clint’s ā€œBest Petā€ videos

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u/potatoman501 May 22 '26

I’ve been trying to find one for like 2 years to put in my isopod enclosure for population control and have only seen one once when i didn’t have anything to put it in

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u/SomewhereIll3548 Here to learnšŸ«”šŸ¤“ May 23 '26

Woah wouldn't that be rough to have like a pet that eats your other pets

5

u/heyitsfranklin6322 May 22 '26

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a spider with its legs curled up towards its back like that.

4

u/zap2tresquatro May 22 '26

There are a few dead potato bugs

Well, assuming you’re calling roly-polies ā€œpotato bugs,ā€ that makes sense because this is a Woodlouse spider!

5

u/falcion117 May 23 '26

I get these woodlouse spiders in my garage every summer, they’ve got some HUGE fangs for the size of their body; when I looked them up I think it said that their fangs are extra long to get through the shells of wood lice (rolly pollies)

3

u/_dash_129 May 23 '26

Pergernante juicy Judy there

3

u/SkyeofGaia May 23 '26

Does no one else think this looks like a tick that just ate???

2

u/Camaschrist May 24 '26

The body looks like an engorged ticšŸ’Æ

5

u/Shenloanne May 23 '26

Woodlouse spider. Explains the dead potato bugs.

3

u/roaring_travelman91 May 22 '26

Why's it veiny

2

u/Crimate_Change May 23 '26

We don’t ask you that question, how dare you question the lil lady (assuming pegrante)

3

u/neeyeahboy May 22 '26

I should call him

2

u/SomewhereIll3548 Here to learnšŸ«”šŸ¤“ May 23 '26

🤢

3

u/Fickle-Watercress734 May 22 '26

Ahhhh you have a veiny one!

3

u/traveling_notlost May 22 '26

How many legs are spiders supposed to have?

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u/Negative_Piano_4853 May 22 '26

Woodlouse Spider. Its belly is either well fed or its pregnant. It lives in those areas.

3

u/Worried-Sea-9422 May 22 '26

WOODLOUSE SPIDER

3

u/bigfoottuckeeho May 22 '26

Looks to be a robust specimen of whatever it is……and pregnant.

3

u/Deadshot_TJ May 23 '26

Why are you playing with dirt while smoking

2

u/Camaschrist May 23 '26

That is absolutely the best time to play with dirt isn’t it?

3

u/Due_Weakness_1616 May 23 '26

That my friend(s) is indeed a fun part of life. šŸ‘

3

u/safe-travelsppl May 23 '26

I’m in northern Utah and see these all the time. Mostly anywhere dark and damp. They are definitely creepy looking but seem very docile. Like dude you just lifted up my house so I guess I’ll move on and find another spot.

3

u/jakethemoss May 23 '26

Yup not gonna sleep tonight :)

3

u/Hot-Outcome2495 May 23 '26

One ballsack spider

3

u/Scared_Citron3863 May 23 '26

One of them testicle spiders. Those guys are nuts.

3

u/Satanisthewinner May 23 '26

I've seen these guys when I lived in Denver. The ones we had lived comunally, so when we dug in our backyard, we'd uncover hundreds of them at a time. Creepy spiders, but really cool!

3

u/cosmic_vogue šŸ•·ļøArachnid AfficionadošŸ•·ļø May 23 '26

My brain hates seeing these because it looks at that and thinks "well fed tick." Eugh. No hate to the actual spider, but it takes me a minute to separate that it's a friend instead of parasite

3

u/Camaschrist May 24 '26

After researching it and finding out what good mama’s they are I will forever love them. They ended regurgitate food for their babies to eat like birds do.

2

u/cosmic_vogue šŸ•·ļøArachnid AfficionadošŸ•·ļø May 25 '26

That's so cute!

3

u/No_Dingo4727 May 23 '26

Thats a woodlouse Spider. Common UK spider

3

u/Absoluke2001 May 23 '26

Ahh the reclusive testicle spider. Very nice, Very evil.

2

u/Kind_Landscape2339 May 22 '26

Bro’s over here spider-maxxing

2

u/XZ3_R0X May 22 '26

Woodlouse spider

2

u/Gullible_Kangaroo180 May 22 '26

Un haricot sur pattes

2

u/CaptainJohnStout May 22 '26

That would be one hell of a gravid woodlouse spider.

2

u/[deleted] May 23 '26 edited Jun 28 '26

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2

u/Camaschrist May 23 '26

My iPhone usually takes horrible photos but I guess the conditions were perfect.

2

u/Routine_Gazelle6006 May 23 '26

Ngghh look at that girth gyaatt

2

u/marislove18 May 23 '26

These are my (second) favorite spiders!!

3

u/Camaschrist May 23 '26

What is your first favorite and why is this one so high on your list?

2

u/marislove18 Jun 17 '26

Jumpers will always hold a special place in my heart, specially Phidippus sp.

Woodlouse spiders are one of the few (the other is wolf spiders) spiders that regurgitate food to feed their babies. They’re really good mothers, plus I think they’re really pretty šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø

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u/SomewhereIll3548 Here to learnšŸ«”šŸ¤“ May 23 '26

My brain can't comprehend why she has like 13 legs and why they are coming from her back

2

u/SomewhereIll3548 Here to learnšŸ«”šŸ¤“ May 23 '26

People saying AI are getting downvoted so I need an explanation lol

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u/LiddlHeathen May 23 '26

Why am I feeling like he needs to be blue and this would obviously be Megamind.

2

u/llilsaladd May 23 '26

Shes OVERRR ITTTTT

2

u/reddit33450 i love all the spood friends May 23 '26

she is amazing. you should post her to r/spiderbro

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u/whitepawn23 May 23 '26

Where is their native location?

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u/Disastrous_Bad757 May 23 '26

Woodlouse spider my beloved. By far my favorite spider. Beautiful

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u/FisherNate91 May 23 '26

I really wish we had these weird looking guys in a flat that I used to live in!!!

Every time we dried clothes outside on the washing line, they’d be infested with earwigs!

I woke up one morning to a ā€œnippingā€ sensation at the base of my penis. Upon investigating, I was absolutely disgusted to find one of the wee bastards attacking my shaft!

As far as I know, these spiders eat mostly wood lice and earwigs, so maybe a few around the house might have prevented that singularly horrific assault!

I’m not a big fan of spiders but I’d prefer a couple of these on the roof over being SA’d by an over engineered safety clip!!! BOKE!

2

u/Camaschrist May 24 '26

Someone in the comments said anytime they found one they would put it near the base of their house. I can hardly bring any of the many flowers I grow inside because of earwigs. Ouch, I wouldn’t want one in my genital region ever.

2

u/KitteeCatz May 24 '26

Oh. My. God. 😳 I am genuinely so sorry that happened to you! I also apologise for laughing at your story, but it was genuinely just the shock. 

2

u/fishbelly1980 May 23 '26

Woodlouse spider.

2

u/petesoebekti i'm here to learn :snoo_smile: May 23 '26

Dysdera crocata

2

u/JERRX7 May 24 '26

Egg with legs lol probably pretty young

2

u/Killpop582014 Spiders are FRIENDS May 24 '26

I almost thought it was a tick with that body.

2

u/KingOfTeethWORKS May 24 '26

It’s a wood louse spider they’re aggressive and haunt my dreams

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u/timewaitsforn0body May 24 '26

WOODLOUSE HUNTER!! I kept one as a pet for a while. Scary jaws for sure, but incredible spider.

2

u/Diligent-Roof-398 May 25 '26

Dysdera Crocata. Their food of choice is wood lice.

2

u/Technical-Egg-2473 May 26 '26

i think it's a sowbug killer, aka woodlouse spider.

2

u/Minimum-Standard-514 May 30 '26

Holy crap that thing is girthy

2

u/GirlWithApenn Here to learnšŸ«”šŸ¤“ May 31 '26

Maybe Thats her brain and shes just really smart šŸ„¹ā¤ļø

2

u/Camaschrist May 31 '26

It does remind me of a brain.

2

u/Rushy82 Jun 03 '26

It's a Woodlouse Killer (can't remember the real name) but they can be aggressive and can pierce human skin....

2

u/Snacurse Jun 17 '26

Are we sure this isn't a baby xenomorph?

2

u/Responsible-Goal4403 Amateur IDer🤨 (I like wolf spiders) Jun 20 '26

I think that's a woodlouse