any idea what spider this is?

http://www.pbase.com/image/34688297/medium.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/34688297

http://www.pbase.com/image/34688296/medium.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/34688296

http://www.pbase.com/image/34688295/medium.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/34688295

I found this in the backyard the other day, but it was on its web and the camera kept focusing on the background. Then tonight on my way into the workshop I found it above the door so I used a pepsi box to bring it down and get some pictures of it.

I think this is the biggest spider ive seen in canada. With the legs spread out, I think its 2.5 inches wide.

A huge and scary lookin one

Hehe, I had to walk under it a few times. Ive seen to many "worlds deadliest creatures" shows. :0)

Yuck... that's pretty big - I don't really like bugs, and I'm not afriad to admit it :shock:

Only spider I like is the daddy long legs, which technically isnt a spider, I forget what class it falls under. They like to eat mosquitoes and cant bite humans, so that works for me.

I also hear thier the most poisonus "spider" there is, for its volumn or something, but thier mouths are not able to bite humans.

That's a myth!

Eweee! I have arachnaphobia....what a scary, hairy looking thing that is...Don't have a clue what kind of spider though...eeek!

arghhhhhh arghhhhh arghhhh.....

A huge and scary lookin one

That was pretty much what I was gonna say, but Kara beat me to it!

good thing I don't have my pet tarantula anymore

Someone on another forum says it may be an orb weaver spider. Didnt mention if its poisonus or not. :0).

It looks like some sort of orb weaving garden spider. I'd google for you, but I don't even know where to start. You might try googling "Arachnids of Canada" or something though. You'll probably have to page through a zillion photos of various spiders though.