Help Identify a Spider
Need help identifying a spider? If so, then take a look at our collection of spider pictures to see if it looks like yours.
You can also look through the comments below to see if any of the images match your spider.
Don’t see your spider? feel free to upload your photo here and we’ll attempt to id it, and if we can’t, then perhaps one of the visitors can after we post it.
I found this spider on the ceiling just above my bathtub. I smacked it with a fly swatter and was able to take these few pics of it. It has a small orange/red spot on the top tail end of it’s belly, but when flipped over, you cannot see anything but black. I moved its legs just to be sure that there was no orange or red markings on its underbelly. In pics 02 & 03, I put a standard size staple in for scale. It’s slightly less than a 1/4 inch in length (the way it is in the picture). Is this an ant mimic? Please tell me it’s not a redback. From the pics I saw on other sites, it doesn’t look like a red back to me, but I want to be sure. The spider I killed is not at all shiny. Also, pics 01 & 02 are the top of the spider and 03 is the bottom.
Melanie
I hope you can help me, a lady friend of mine found this spider in her shop and she brought this photo,
unfortunately its not very clear, but i was wondering if you could please help he and let me know what type of
spider this is.
I have attached the photo so hopefully you can assist me in this matter
Kind regards
Dwayne
i just found a spider that looks just like number 62 on this site. What type of spider is it and is it dangerous? i have a baby crawling around on the floor.
we live in northern Illinois but pic looks very similar
thanks,
ashley
Please email me answer. Maybe850 [at] gmail.com. I saw a spider that was a light tan body and a white abdomen with red speckles in lines running to the tip of the abdomen. Please tell me what it was.
There’s a spider hanging out on our balcony that I’d like to know more about. It’s about 2-3 inches long, with spindly red and black legs that have black hairy patches on them.
Its body is nearly an inch long, red and black with white markings.
I’m very spider-shy, but since it’s technically outside I’m willing to live with it as long as it’s not poisonous.
And it’s probably important to know that I live in South Africa.
Has anyone seen anything like this?? I live in Alabama and have NEVER seen anything like this in my house before!!
HELP!! Erika
Please help me identify this spider found in Redondo Beach, CA
i found a 1/4 in. spider under my R.V. it was a shiny brownin north western Georgia can some one tell me what it is?
I was recently having a shower and was half way through washing my hair when i looked up at the vent and found a spider!It was brown in color with white banded legs.Its now crawled into the vent but i can still see it.Sorry,i dont have a camera right now but ill hopefully post one soon.
Im mainly interested in what type it is.If you know,please tell me!I was scared out of my mind i tripped out of the shower!
Thanks,
Selisa
Hello we live in Nevada.In Oct.2009 We found this spider crawling around in the backyard.He was so different & his colors so bright.We took pics. of him they did not turn out so good.We caught a fly and put him in the jar with the spider he ate it!Thnks
.
#70, #82, #91–That spider is called a Spinybacked Orbweaver. #82 wasn’t completely wrong… they are nicknamed Crab Spiders because their “shells” make them look like they’re tiny crabs. However, the real Crab Spider looks nothing like them.
#70, #82, #91–That cute little spider is called a “Spinybacked Orbweaver”. #82 wasn’t completely wrong… they have been nicknamed Crab Spiders because they resemble a crab with their spiny, crablike “shell”. However, that is not what they really are. Crab Spiders look totally different.
#20, #44, #77–#86 is correct. It is a Banded Garden Spider. I was looking to ID the spider I killed in my house.
several years ago I went outside to fill my cats water dish and found in it a spider sitting in the water. It looked like a small tarantula small body with very thick legs I I cant remember if there was any coloring on the legs for certain but I’m fairly sure there was. the back had stripes of red yellow and white, I do remember that for sure red, yellow, white and, black was the colors on the spider. I went inside to look it up when I couldn’t find it I went back outside to get it and it was gone. never seen it since that day, nor have I met anyone who has ever seen one like it. I lived in Everett Washington then. I hope some one comes across this site soon and can give me insight as to the kind it was since it has bothered me ever since.
#1533 Karen
Looks like a Jumping Spider. The bite but it’s nothing to worry about. They are very common and have several different varieties.
This spider was found in central Michigan in a lab. It is in a mason/canning jar.
I live in southern Idaho, and found this little guy outside on the top of a door. The first picture is the underside.
We recently bought a house in Yucca Valley Ca that was uninhabited for about a year. We’ve found several of these in the inside window sill in one of the bathrooms and kitchen, and this photo was taken on an outside wall. It’s about the size of a small tarantula. Did not seem agressive. Sadly, not knowing whether or not it’s poisonous, we had to kill it. I hope you can help us figure out what it is.
Thanks,
Ziva Sahl
Yucca Valley Ca.
Could you please identify this spider?
Dave,
You found a Banded Garden Spider. These guys are very active during the summer and live in grassy/shrubby areas. Very cool looking, but harmless!
Jen
Kim,
The spider you found is definitely is a Comb-Clawed Spider in the Family Theridiidae. It could be a House Spider, or even a False Black Widow.
Jen
Sabrina,
It looks as if you found a type of Orb Weaver, they are usually very bright in color and have very interesting designs on them. Orb Weavers are typically harmless so you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. They build new webs daily to trap insects.
Jen
Chelsey,
The spider you found is definitely a Funnel Web/Grass Spider. The bite of these spiders is of low risk to humans, they are also non-aggressive. They are called Grass Spiders because you will rarely see one inside… usually they are outside in the grass.
Jen
Elizabeth,
From the picture, although a bit hard to tell, this spider looks like it is a Black House Spider. Be careful, the bite of the Black House Spider is poisonous but not lethal. First aid and medical attention should be sought as soon as possible.
Thanks for sending in your image,
Jen
Jodie,
It looks like you found a Selenopid Crab Spider…typically you see them more active in the summertime as with a lot of spiders. They prefer desert climates. At night they are active and are found sitting on walls and rocks – very still. They are distinctively flat spiders.
Jen
Naida,
The spider you found is definitely a Funnel Web/Grass Spider. The bite of these spiders is of low risk to humans, they are also non-aggressive. They are called “Grass Spiders” because you will rarely see one inside… usually they are outside in the grass.
Hope this helps!
Jen
Russell,
The spider you found looks like it is a type of Wolf Spider. Wolf Spiders come in different shapes, sizes and colors. You can read more about them here: https://www.badspiderbites.com/wolf-spider/
Hope this helps,
Jen
TC,
The spider you found looks to be a (Common/American) House Spider. Typically you find them in dry, sheltered places like the wood pile, barns, other buildings… It preys mainly on insects. Their bite isn’t lethal, but can be dangerous.
Hope this helps,
Jen
I found this spider crawling in our front lawn and was amazed how brightly colored it is. I was thinking is was a marbled orb spider but not really sure. I would be pleased to hear from you if you could let me know what kind it is. I live in Central Mississippi and I have never seen a spider like this one.
Thanks,
Sabrina
#1519 — That looks like a wolf spider which are very common. They are poisonous but its venom is not lethal.
Randee,
The spiders you found are Black Widow Spiders, check out the section on Black Widows here: https://www.badspiderbites.com/black-widow-spider/
Hope this helps,
Jen
What kind of spider is this?
I live in Michigan and I have found two of these spiders in my room, and I was wondering if you could identify it and if its poisonous? This is the picture of the first one I found. Hopefully the picture shows up. If not, let me know.
thank you so much.
hi-
the spider we found this morning is someone new to us.
we live in north Georgia- about 45 miles north of Atlanta.
we caught him in a Halloween pumpkin treat basket. we threw in a standard lego for sizing. he looks to have a tan stripe running from his mouth along his back- but only half way. it stops at his midsection- waist area and his bottom is all black.
peace,
elizabeth
I attached a picture I took last summer of a spider near lake Ontario. Any help would be great. Thanks.
I found this big guy on our house in November. Which is quite shocking because I live in Nova Scotia Canada and it gets quite cold in November here. This is definitely the biggest spider I’ve EVER seen. I would like to know what it is and if it is poisonous. I think that this spider is foreign because we don’t have spiders this big that I know of in Nova Scotia.
I found this ugly spider in my house, do you have any idea what it is?
I took it w/my phone. I was walking and got
sharp pain on my leg. I thought a wasp was stuck in my pants. I shook my
pants and this red bug about 1/8″ long fell out. I killed and and kept it.
It bit me a total of 8 times on my thigh. It made a red welt and hurt for
about 15 minutes. I treated w/a antiseptic.
I live in southern California ,,, san juan Capistrano. We have had rain
recently and live near a creek. Any ideas. First time in 10 years I have
been bitten or seen this type of bug.
Thx.
Tami
This nice little gal or guy has lived in my office for about two weeks and friends and neighbors are worried that I might wish I’d killed it.
She ( he ) is about and Inch and a quarter long in the body and I think the photos answer anything else that you might ask.
Thanks for your help.
Russ Beach
Hello,
We live in Connecticut and found this guy in our wood pile in late June. He was pretty big and scared us to the other side of the yard at first! Can you tell what kind of spider he is?
I grew up in Northern AZ and I always remember seeing a rather large web building spider with 2 horns on its back abdomen. I was never worried about it because they never came in the house but it was always fascinating to see an insect get stuck in its web and how fast the big spider would wind it up and save it for later. It seems like it was a redish brown color but it’s been years since I’ve seen one so I might be remembering wrong. I do remember that they always made the most perfect webs I’ve ever seen.
As kids we would always throw small bugs into the web and watch them do their thing. Once time we threw a rather large moth to one of them and it was apparently too large and the spider immediately went to work releasing it and then went to work rebuilding the web. They are the most interesting spiders I’ve ever seen. We always called them bull spider because they had those 2 horns on their back ends. But looking up a bull spider I see those are not them.
Any ideas what this spider is?
I’ve found a spider just like the one in #89 twice here in Florida, and I’d really like to know what it is. The first time we found it, it was already dead and we scooped it out of our pool. It was about the size of a female hand, minus the fingers and thumb, when we stretched out its legs. The second one we found ran out from a door frame when we went to unlock the door, ran out of the porch, lost a leg to a lizard (the lizard was a large anole), and quickly ran back over to us for safety with the lizard in hot pursuit. My boyfriend grabbed a machete and hacked it in half, but before he cut it we made sure to take a good look at its markings. BOTH of these spiders look exactly like a brown recluse to me, and the pool one had very clear markings with the violin on the back, but they’re so large… the second was about 4.5″ – 5″ with its legs out! We also found two other smaller ones, same markings, inside our home, and though they were much smaller they were still bigger than two quarters combined. My old dog was bitten by one of these spiders and developed a gaping, tumor-like sore and had to be put down. What is this thing we’re dealing with?
Last week in the bathroom closet I picked up a towel and on it was a small light brown/reddish colored spider. IT had a perfect red/orange hourglass on its back, not on its underside but on its back. I killed it right away.
We live in the Georgian bay area of Onatrio, an hour West of Barrie Ontario.
Then a few days later I saw a small black spider on my bed. I flipped and now I cant find it. I didn’t see its back.
But are there ANY other types of spiders that have hourglass shapes on thier back, not on thier stomache?
to april #28 I also have these spiders, I know alot of people think they are wolf or brown recluse spiders but they are not. they are called funnel web spiders(same family as brown recluse but not so dangerous) most spiders are poisonus but are not very harmful. I don’t think you have much to worry abot. just look up funnel web spiders
I mentioned I didn’t take a picture. I am so terrified of them, for no real reason that I know of, I have to smash and kill before they get away. Sorry. But truly how many purple butt, red leg spiders could there be. The spider, body and legs was between the size of a nickle and a quarter. Thank you anyways for noting my question. lynn, michigan
I noticed itching on my left index finger mid-day on Tuesday December 15, 2009. That evening I felt a small welt. During the night my finger started hurting. In the morning I found a small 1/2″ reddish-purple welt that is very painful to the touch. I have no idea what or when something bit me. I am sending a photo taken 6:30am Wednesday December 16, 2009. I have not gone to see a doctor yet.
Hi,
Please help and identify this spider or at least its family? My neighbor has these in his house too, and he’s saying it’s the brown recluse. I searched and it doesn’t look really close to it, but I still want to get a definite confirmation on whether it’s deadly or a harmless spider.
It’s pretty big, about 2 inches with its legs (add or take a few centimeters).
Thanks for any useful information.
OK from what I can see 220 JEFF, and 222 STACEY have the same spider I do.
Shiny, brown, divets, not really markings and I’d say could span about the size of a US quarter.
WHAT IS THIS SPIDEY?
The one I have now is the smallest one I’ve seen of this type, I have caught another at my last house at least twice the size.
I live in Portland Oregon, I have seen 2 here and another HUGE same spider in Walnut Creek California.
They can run up glass and move like lightening, the one I have now was in my garage downstairs, cold dry and it was in my boot box.
YEAH my BOOT BOX…. YIKES!
I have had her for almost 2 months I feed her crickets and have a water container, a straw for her to climb and a section of egg carton for a hide. I pulled the egg carton today because I noticed what looked like some mold happened because of the water dish spill when I set it in there. I separated mom from sac in 2 jars, the EGG SAC looks like a tan cotton ball that she hung inside the egg crate along with the cricket.. poor guy. We’re close to snow right now so if I throw her and the sac out- I fear they’re dead quick, but I also don’t need an army of potential problems here.
Any ideas?
I’ll send pics
~Wendiwolf
>^:^<
I came on here trying to identify a spider I found and I noticed
424 MR SOUL, 458, and 462 LAURA, those are ALL BROWN WIDOWS.
That spiked sac is not food, it’s an EGG SAC- as much as I hate to say it- GET RID OF THOSE.
Not good.
Now back to trying to find an answer to my newly captured beauty and her little sac of goodies.
>^:^<
i just found this spider in my southern home and i don’t know what kind it is. it is just plain brown, with black where the legs bend and at the tip of all appendages. it is still alive but it doesn’t move much. it is a small bulb spider where the bulb is a slightly darker brown than the top. when it does move it kind of is trying to crawl out of the empty clear milk carton i have it in. but it’s not a gal. milk jug so the spider is quite small. it keeps falling on its back. and it looks like it is sitting down when it is trying to crawl out of the jug. i am wondering what kind of spider it is, if it is poisonous and if there may be more in my house.