Costa Rica. about the size of my palm with legs stretched out

san jose, Costa Rica

Hi... I've been finding a few of these friends around my house, but have no idea what type of spider this is. I obviously don't harm them, just take them outside, regardless they keep popping up every week at different places (garage, laundry room, kitchen). I certainly don't mind them because my roaches population is nonexistent and I think it might be due to these allies, just want to make sure that I am not in as much danger as those roaches!! I live in Costa Rica, and the region where I live in is not very hot, its actually a bit chilly. They usually show up at night (although not always), I assume that because they come out to hunt?? Anyways, identifying them would be awesome.

Thank you!

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Minot, ND

Possibly a huntsman spider (family Sparassidae), but would like to be able to see its eye pattern...

san jose, Costa Rica

Thank you. I did release this one shortly after I took the pics so I guess I'll have to wait until I spot another one. At another forum I was told it could also be a Tropical Wolf Spider (http://www.wandering-spiders.net/uploads/pics/Ctenus_amphora_female_DSC_2294.jpg), how does that sound?

Minot, ND

A Ctenid like that also is a possibility, see http://www.flickr.com/photos/artour_a/1276696991/ for another example. Again, being able to see the eye pattern would help greatly in sorting this out...

san jose, Costa Rica

Hi... sorry it took so long to upload new pics... hadn't found another spider since my last post. I did my best to take better pictures, hopefully you can see the eyes, I took them with my phone. If it can be identified with these pics I have a couple of questions.
1-On one of the pictures you can see some sort of "debris" (not sure how else to describe it) on a corner, could this confirm that this type of spider hunts for roaches and similar insects?
2- I usually take them out and release them like 30 feet away from my house on a green area. What are the chances they can find their way back to their previous home? Sorry if it's a dumb question, but I've always wondered.

Thank you!!

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san jose, Costa Rica

one more....

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Minot, ND

I cannot see the eyes clearly enough to be certain, but there appears to be at least a superficial resemblance to the eye pattern typical of the family Ctenidae (wandering spiders) - see http://www.alanmommerency.be/temp/Rara%20Avis%20spin%201.jpg for an specimen from Costa Rica. As their name implies, these spiders are active hunters, and thus it would not be surprising for some you release to return, but this likely would not be a deliberate act of 'homing.'

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