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I saw a spider walking on the bottom of our pool today (underwater). It looked big and we used a net to pick it up. It was definately alive and started to run away, so I stepped on it.

I looked on the web at pictures and I can't tell whether it was a wolf spider or a brown recluse. Is there anyway to tell the difference? Sorry, I don't have any pictures because I squished it!

The brown recluse has longer legs...they're both ugly & sometimes the wolf spider looks a bit fuzzy. Bleah.

Thought I saw a wolf spider when I was down in South Carolina...big, black, hairy (!!) about the size of my hand! Hope that isn't whats in your pool! Yikes!

Since he was wet from the pool, it was hard to tell if he was fuzzy or not. It definataely wasn't very big, like a tarantula or something. The body was about 1/2 to 3/4" long, plus the long legs.

I searched the web but the pictures look similar.

The best spider is a dead spider! Ya done good by squishin it!!

Brown Recluse spiders are brown and reclusive, you seldom see them, especially outside. Did that spider look like those in yhis link?

http://www.brownreclusespider....er-picture-photo.htm

i usually don't hurt spiders; always considered the majority of them to be helpful in the garden. but since learning about the brown recluse, i'm a wreck everytime i see one the faintly resembles it!

Kimm - Yes, it did look like that but it also looked like this picture I found of the wolf spider. It was hard to tell 100% because it was under water and walking on the bottom of the pool. It was a pretty big spider but certainly not like someone suggested that wolf spiders are huge and almost the size of a golf ball or something.

Ewwwwwwwww! Supersized at that.... Goodness if they were that large I would never ever venture outdoors....virtual gardening would have to suffice!

The brown recluse spider is only 1/4 to 1/2 inches. Whereas, the wolf spider is 1/2 to 2-inches long. Ohio State Univ. website has a map of where brown recluse spiders are common. http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2061.html

Do you have any fisher spiders in your area? Wolf spiders and fisher spiders can be confused. Fisher spiders can go underwater.

Stilltryin - You are AMAZING. That's exactly what it looked like. Thanks so much. I am so happy to know that it was NOT poisonous.

I just found a few more of these spiders in the pool and they have baby spiders all over their back. It's gross.