Insect and Spider Identification: Northern California creepy red spider!, 1 by kyrstymoon

kyrstymoon wrote:
Hell, everybody!

I was out on a walk with my son today and ran across this exceedingly creepy spider on the sidewalk. I initially thought it was some sort of giant red ant, so walked toward it for a better look. Turns out it was a very creepy red spider. This thing is not a huge spider (not as large as the GIANT wolf spider is saw in the garage last year) but certainly bigger than the black widows I see around here. Any help identifying it would be appreciated! My husband said some sort of running spider, but after doing a google image search, I am left feeling that is less than helpful.

Specifically, I live in the Sacramento area of Northern California. I don't know how aggressive this spider is, but it wasn't pleased (reared up for me) when I got too close. As far as coloring goes, it is pretty much the exact same color as red ants I've seen. As I said, I thought, from a bit of a distance, it was some weird sort of giant red ant.

Thanks!