Spider identification help?

[crowdog66]

We have a HUGE spider that's spun a web just outside our living room window. Here are a couple of pictures of her (I'm assuming it's female because of its largeness):





Her body, not including the legs, is about an inch long.

Any help that anyone can give in identifying her species would be appreciated.

EDITED TO ADD: The word from Yahoo!Answers is that she's an orb weaver:

http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/okwild/misc/orbwea.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orb-weaver_spider

More specifically, she's likely a Neoscona crucifera.

EDITED TO ADD 2: Or, she might be an Araneus cavaticus -- also called the Barn Spider.

Hee. Good to know. I always like to know more about the animals that share my living space, and even though she's on the other side of a screen from me, I still count her as being close enough.

(And sorry about that, dark_puck... I suppose I should have put a stronger warning on my link...)

Comments

[dark-puck.livejournal.com]

OH SWEET JESUS FUCK WHY DID I CLICK THAT?

*crawls into a corner and cries*

I'll put it to the White War crew, see if they know.

Can't sleep, spider will eat me. Can't sleep, spider will eat me...

[eastpath.livejournal.com]

holy god that thing is huge! glad it is not outside of *my* window!! O_O!!

[elaryn.livejournal.com]

Spiders... I really don't like spiders. But she IS a very...erm...well-made specimen, isn't she? Spawn of Ungoliant that she is.

[silverjackal.livejournal.com]

Given your location, my vote would be that she's likely a cat-faced spider, particularly given how fuzzy she is (note: large photos in both links):

http://www.cirrusimage.com/spider_cat_face.htm

http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dmg/Pests/catspid.htm

They're completely harmless to humans.

[sammelsadvocate.livejournal.com]

I'd say that's a Winnipeg Stompin' Spider. They're best viewed on the bottom of a size 13 boot. I can arrange a showing if you like...

[cockatiel-art.livejournal.com]

We used to get those bastards at the whiteshell. Is she Nocturnal? They used to spin webs every night and in the window, on the balcony. During the day you never saw them. You'd take down the web and by midnight you'd think the resort was a scene from 8 Legged Freaks...

Bizzare, ugly yet disturbingly beautiful :-)