We had one that (if memory serves) looked like this female which was spanning an alcove next to the board-walk walk way to an apartment I lived at in Florida.
It was missing a leg or two, my friend and I affectionately referred to it as our "disabled war hero" after we'd speculated a bit on the scenario in which it received it's injuries.


Alas, we invited some other friends over for dinner and much alcohol was consumed. One of our guests did not have the same reverence for our hero spider which kept the thumb-sized cockroaches at bay and snatched it out of it's web and ate it.
The young man in question was never invited for dinner again... I'd have thought my delicious spiced apricot glazed ham would have been quite satisfying enough without the spider snack.