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.
it looks a lot like a recluse spider
TRY VINEGAR … To break down the venom of spider bites. The insect bites are enzymes that are a base protein, counter act the bite with a mild acid such as VINEGAR … My family has been using vinegar for decades as a defense against insect bites, but please seek medical help if its already become serious. Best if used ASAP when bitten to slow the cellular damage. Hope this helps some, I know how scary it is when your bitten or worst your small child.
We found a medium size spider that is fluorescent yellow and has striped legs (yellow and black) don’t know if it is a bad spider found in Minnesota.
This spider is currently hanging upside down from a corner of my bedroom. It has a black/gray abdomen which seems to have a pattern on it. It’s head is clear brown. Legs are multicolored. It is rather large – perhaps an inch total (including legs). It looks like it has fangs. It has traveled across the room on a web system rather than an orb web….. I will send a photo….
A friend of mine who lives in Pennsylvania found a -very- large spider in his house. It is black with white stripes -across- its abdomen, with long legs and an elongated abdomen. It was very large, he said and could easily have fit into his hand but still was large. He said smaller than the palm of his hand but not by much. I’ve searched for it in Entomology reports for commonly found spiders in NE USA and Pennsylvania but upon looking at the spiders he said it was none of those. He caught it in a cup and put it outside but now -I’m- worried… because it could be venomous and if it isn’t indigenous to PA I think someone should be told.
Please help, thanks…
hey #70 – that looks like a spiny orb weaver – yes to florida area
Well, obviously this is coming about three years too late for #22’s post, but I wanted to let everyone know that it’s not a brown recluse. I live in SoCal and I caught a similar spider the other night; we actually do get the desert variety of brown recluse down here (I’ve personally never seen one. You might say they are…reclusive), so I was curious about what I’d found. Anyway, based on its size, markings, and locale, I identified it tentatively as a wolf spider. Common? Yes. Brown? Yes. Super venomous and likes to bite children? Not particularly. Humongous and OMG WHAT IS THAT GIANT THING DOING UNDER MY BED?!? Definitely. Hope this helps everyone sleep a little better. :)
Found a small black spider @ work.On the top part of abdomen.He has white markings. 2 lines at end of abdomen and a 5 polka dots above that.the abdomen is outlined.He almost reminds me of a wolf spider. But I’m not sure that’s what it is. He’s a fast spider. Hangs down by 1 string. Does not make webs. Seems to use the 2 front legs first when walking.
Hello,
Please help! I found this spider on my kitchen floor trying to crawl under the cabinets. I have a 2 year old and a newborn and I am concerned that they may get bitten. We live in Arizona
I will email the pictures. Thanks!!!
Hi, I live in PA and I found this spider while I was swishing my net around in grass in the hopes of catching interesting insects.
Please help me identify it, thank you! :)
I sent a picture, the spider is predominantly yellow with long whitish appendages. Its abdomen is rather round and it moves somewhat slowly.
The spider we found is kept safely in a jar.we believe it is a girl because she has just formed a sack of eggs.I live in Ventura, California and we found her in our backyard hiding in our old BBQ grill.she must live in groups because on the other side of the grill there are two others just like her, they do vary in size so I think they may be old and young ones.she is brown with white markings on her back.I can see very fine black hairs on her semi looking transparent legs. Hair on her butt as well, just not on the body that her legs are attached to.she has feelers near her mouth,but fangs are undetermined-can’t see them when she eats-The web is fanned out and messy like.Since the eggs came into place she hasn’t moved from the general area, almost like she’s keeping an eye on it. I’m sorry if this isn’t much help…I had sent a picture from my cell phone (805) area code…just don’t know how to attach that to this. any help is appreciated.
#72 Michelle, and #22 Rachel, those DO NOT look like brown recluse spiders to me. I live in Dexter, NY and your spiders look just like a type of wolf spider I find throughout my yard and basement. They seem to shy away from activity and I do not find them in the main part of my house after a few weeks of living here. I have been told by a neighbor they can leave a pretty nasty bite, though no one I know has personally been bitten.
I live in PA.I saw a green legged spider with yellow marking on his back.
Numbers 28, 143, 177, and however many else were lost in this jumble, are Eastern Parson Spiders.
Note the unique markings on the abdomen, I don’t think it could be anything else.
The ones in my house have a bit less hair (or maybe I just can’t see it).
OK, so I am always finding spiders in my house that look exactly like the one in #22. My whole family is concerned that they may be poisonous. Please Help!!!
We have 2 HUGE spiders outside our Dunlap, Tn cabin.
I got close enough to get an estimate of length and width. From the end of his abdomen to the tip of its head it is about 1.5 to 2 inches long. The abdomen is HUGE. On its own it is about an inch long and about 3/4 to a whole inch wide. The abdomen is tall as well. There is a pattern along the back of the abdomen. The base color looks as if it were brown and rolled around in pollen. Then there is a brown design going vertically along its back that has 2 brown outer stripes with some brown and tan splotches between the two stripes.
It’s legs are long with the front ones having the most length and the back ones being the shortest. The legs are a dark brown and yellowish striped pattern.
The spiders have taken over the whole front deck with webs. Each one has one large (4 to 5 ft) orb web. Then surrounding in smaller areas are thick dense white webs that have no orb features (Im not sure if those are just coincidental or if those are theirs). When a bug enters it’s web it waits a few seconds then runs to the bug. It quickly wraps the bug up in a THICK coat of it’s silk. I will also send a picture with this description attached again.
PLEASE respond we have kids and animals here and would like to know if allowing those spiders to continue living here could put anyone in danger.
Thanks,
Rebecca Schlanger
I started to dust the ceiling over my bathroom sink and saw a bright red spider, it has black rings around it’s front legs and black fangs. Couldn’t see any other markings and I am in no way brave enough to capture it alive to study it closer. I figured if it’s red that it’s a warning to leave it alone. I am in East Texas in Rains County about 1 mile from Lake Fork. I will email a photo of the spider and hopefully someone can identify it, never seen one like it before.
I just saw this spider outside between my screen and glass door. Where I am there is an increase in spider population and they are swarming my house. My concern is that this spider is dangerous, can anyone help? The spider is hairy, huge, and awfully fat. The spider has two white lines on its lower body. It also had fangs and scary looking.
The location where the spider is very hot and in the Sacramento valley in California, if that helps any.
Thank you so much.
I saw a spider with a red and white butt, and with red legs. And I cannot find anything about it on the internet. Has anybody else seen a spider like this and who can help me identify it?? Thanks in advance!
I found this spider in my home and was just wondering if anyone knew what it was.
I am extremely fearful of spiders but the big ones don’t scare me quite as much.
I have a picture…same picture just zoomed in.
Please id this spider for me.
It was brown and had a continuous white line on the perimeter, from the head to the end, rather like a racing stripe on each side of the upper side.
When it was squashed, it was full of a lot of goo.
Thank you.
Tina F.
I have found a spider in my bathroom, I live in Oregon and would like to know what kind of spider it is. I do not have a picture, but the spider was black except for the end which was black and white striped. The striped part almost looked like a small feather. It was also about an inch long with long legs.
I found my cat trying to eat a type of spider,which I’ve never seen before.It was black,furry,had a big abdomen which had 3 white dots that resembled a face also its legs were striped black and gray.I took a picture of it but I’m unable to post it. I want to know if its poisonous and what it is.
Eastern Virginia. Cleaning garage last night. Using hand broom and dustpan when this spider literally jumped on my forearm and bit me immediately. The most aggressive spider I have ever encountered. Burned immediately after bite followed by cramping in the palm of my hand, ring and little finger. Pain abated within four hours. This morning no sign of bite, however, area still very tender to touch (small lump present) and feels like I have a burn on my arm when touched.
The spider: Small: appx. 3/8″ long and 1/4″ wide. Head, legs and belly: a very pale brown (each leg has an alternating light and dark brown pattern). Back and sides: alternating black and white stripes extending from tail to head. (4 black, 3 white: the white is a florescent white). Fangs: very long and black on the ends. Did I mention it is very aggressive? Continuing to attempt to bite me through the jar.
So i was out taking random pictures of flowers one day and this big spider just under the size of a Canadian quarter crawled out of a flower, it was mainly white had a yellow back and a bit of orangish/brownish stripes. i live in northern Alberta and I’m wondering what sort of spider this is.
Moriah #1438:
That is a jumping spider, they are very cute and also fun to play with if you aren’t afraid of them jumping on you. See my response to Karen.
Chelsey #1519:
That’s a Wolf Spider, they are very common, in fact if you crouch down and walk slowly through your yard and move your hands through the grass during summertime you can probably find hundreds of them. They are very fast (they hunt, they don’t make webs) and I’ve seen them jump short distances, but they are not dangerous to humans. They are terrified of humans and will make every effort to avoid contact with you and run away when confronted. Only likely to bite you if you make it feel trapped or put pressure on its body or grab at it. Even if you do get bit you don’t need to worry, it’ll be no worse than an ant bite or bee sting.
Karen #1533:
That’s a jumping spider (search Phidippus Audax), they are completely harmless to humans and very rarely ever bite, even if you did get bit it would not be something to worry about. In spite of looking very aggressive they are just very alert and hyper and keeping an eye on you, they actually get along very well with humans. They hunt on the move too and do not make big webs, they just string out a quick safety-line when they jump (in case they miss their mark). If you aren’t afraid of it jumping on you, you can even put your hand out and let it jump on and play with it for a bit (let it climb on you though, NEVER try to pick up a spider by grabbing it or putting pressure on its body, this can cause it bite in self-defense). They’re more fun to play with than they are to kill, they are the most interesting spiders in my opinion.
Jean Dearstyne #1553:
That’s an Argiope Aurantia (a.k.a. Black and Yellow Garden Spider). They are quite beautiful and they are very good at keeping other pests out of your garden. They will not attack you and prefer to mind their own business, but they are harmless to humans in any case. Just watch out for their webs when walking around, they make pretty huge ones and it can be easy to walk into them by accident. =)
Found this dude hanging out on the screen door to the house, he was curled up on the door at about eye-level on a piece of web and looked dead (I thought he was), but I came back later and he started moving around. Managed to catch him and take a couple of pictures. Very spiky, have no idea what it is, pretty gnarly though. Found in Northeast Arkansas.
After I was done looking at him I took him out into the yard (away from the door, hehe) and let him go free. Not worried about bites, I know most spiders in the US are not dangerous to humans and I’m not afraid of them anymore. I used to be terrified of spiders but I’ve gotten over it by reading about them some, finding out how harmless most are, and toying around with them in the yard on a regular basis. I was just curious what it was because I’ve never seen one that spiky looking and I couldn’t find anything on it online. Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to give.
First picture:
Second picture: (he’s not dead, just pretending)
(I’ll send you the pictures in an e-mail, feel free to delete this sentence after you get them in)
Also, if you think your spider has 10 legs… it doesnt. Those are called pedi-palps. They are used for many different things… feeling around, latching into prey, and even take a part in baby makin’. ;)
Just a little note to everyone for future reference :) spiders aren’t poisonous, they are venomous.
So far there has been no tarantula found that has venom potent enough to be towards humans unless the person bit has an allergy towards venom, a good way to know if you have an allergy to venom is if you are allergic to bee stings. Bee stinger venom along with many other venoms would effect you similarly depending on the subject that it is distributed from, the potency and the type of venom. Keep in mind however that there are still thousands of species that have not been studied thoroughly OR even discovered yet.
Most spider bites are NOT but can be, most are just uncomfortable. The reason a spider bite is more “dangerous” is very logical when you think about it. A tarantula is large and can kill its prey with strength and force, whereas a spider is smaller and must use its venom for defense and food.
re has given us warning signs in many different species and the smartest thing to do is listen to them. Bright colors mean stay away! Many frogs, snakes, and spiders are brightly colored because they are dangerous. Some however, do just have bright colors to fool predators.
My advice is, better safe then sorry. Dont kill these animals they all help our ecosystem. I would much rather have a few spiders and snakes around then a large infestation or rodents and insects.
:) I hope that helps a little
I live in central New York. I was out in my garden the other day and spooked a spider I have never seen before. It was rather small (about 1/4 the size of a dime) it was kind of gray but it butt was a metallic blue. I have searched for pics to no avail. What is this spider?
Thanks so much.
I live in Illinois and in my garage I have seen 2 of the same spider. It is a shiny black round bodied spider and when you look at it’s back it has white marking which almost look like a spiders web. I was thinking it was a widow but those have red markings correct? Has anyone seen or know of such a spider?
i found this odd looking spider crawling on my clothes it was a little over an inch big, is this something i should be worried about?
Hi, I live in Canada. I have this weird spider in my office. I have not seen a web, only seen it crawling on the wall. It is very small, smaller than a dime probably. It has very short legs. I thought at first it was a small wasp because it has similar coloring, yellow and black. Left it alone the first time but since this is the second time seeing it, kinda got me worried since I don’t really want to share my desk with it. Any help would be appreciated.
Can anyone id this:
Body 10 mm, upper right corner, the day before small ones emerged and spread into net. The day before there was also no net. Male and female are hanging near by and if you get close enough one of them gets on net as on image.
#70 your spider is a spiny backed orb weaver… I’m pretty sure.
I believe I answered my own question. As well as # 1643 Mirriah, MD & Sarah # 1650. It is called the bold jumper or phidippus audax. Perfectly harmless, although I must say a little frightening when they drop down in front of your face!
Hi, I live in south east Idaho. I just found a spider (well really it found me) and i want to know what it is. I was sitting in a chair in our ground level apartment and it dropped down on a string of web from a hanging light fixture above my head and landed on the arm rest. It walked very slowly until I went to kill it, then it ran very quickly. It is black with a few small white markings on the top of the abdomen and two thin white stripes on the bottom of the abdomen. It has fuzzy legs with some small white and brown markings and a fuzzy abdomen. The cephalothorax is more shiny and the chelicera look almost a shiny navy blue color with little brownish fangs. It is about the size of a penny. I would appreciate any help identifying! Thanks!
Hello I live in phila pa and I saw a spider In my store the other day that got me worried and was wondering if you could help :) it looked like a widow buy it was white or Maybe a bone white with a big butt and black streaks on it’s back anything?
I wish I had a photo, but I freak out every time I see them.
The fast food place i work at has a spider infestation that appears to be immune to whatever the exterminator brings in.
These guys are white with light brown markings.
Anyone have any clue what they might be? I’d love to know before a customer gets bit. D=
–TC
I just killed a very very unknown but beautiful spider! I can’t find photo of that spider. It looks small HALF BLACK and HALF RED!
The head and front legs were black and back and back legs were red! HALF/HALF !!!
On the back were four black dots !!! Very wonderful … I didn’t know what it is so I killed because I was fishing there! In Greece … by the Aksios river. The spider was like in cartoons. Can’t believe this … if someone know what kind of spider is that please tell me. If I see another one I’ll take a picture … for sure!
I am located in North West Georgia…In the Appalachian foothills.I have captured a spider about the size of a quarter. It has a 3 segmented black body. It’s abdomen or rear is shaped kind of arched like a pony tail with 2 stinger looking things at the rear. It’s back is wide and appears flat but right behind the head slopes up like a peak. It has large fat fangs. It’s legs are a distinctive orange.
I have captured a spider about the size of a quarter. It has a 3 segmented black body. It’s abdomen or rear is shaped kind of arched like a pony tail with 2 stinger looking things at the rear. It’s back is wide and appears flat but right behind the head slopes up like a peak. It has large fat fangs. It’s legs are a distinctive orange.
to Morgan #1632. The funnel web spider is very poisonous, but there are several types of funnel webs. The one you are referring to lives in Australia only.
I don’t have a picture but I fell in love with the tiny guy! He was completely black and smaller than a baby’s fingernail. I believe it may have been a lost spider baby. I found it outside my school in Whitehall, Ohio. Rosemore Middle School. Anyway, I’d really be thankful if any one could tell me what it was. His web was somewhat invisible per say. Please help me find my spider!
i was outside pruning trees and cutting down bushes and got bit by a spider i have no idea what it is and i don’t have pics but the bit is a black hole in the middle and has a light red circle around it can anyone help me identify it. i am 8 months pregnant and it worries me.
I live in WI and I have found a lot – way toooo many to count quarter sized brown spiders that carry a white egg sack on them. Recently my son got a bite on his foot, no he wasn’t wearing any shoes and its starting to fester with blisters. Could anyone tell me what this spider might be? I found them only in the mulch I was spreading out. (This mulch is also in their play area.)
I live in Victoria BC and I found this really strange looking spider on my sliding glass door. Its small; a little bigger than the butt end of a Bic pen, and all black except for the top of its butt which is a bright red. It has no markings; just solid black and red. Does anyone know what this spider is? Is it poisonous?
I live in So. Calif and found this guy in my garage. I turned on the light, reached for some screws on my workbench and this thing stood up on its hind legs and rushed my hand. It is very aggressive. Four claw like pincher protrude from his mouth and he has ten legs instead of eight. I’m told it may be a Camel spider, native to Iraq. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Craig Newton
I woke up at 1 in the morning to a yellow/light brown spider that does not have stripes. My brother keeps telling me that it is a garden spider, but since I’m around them a lot, I know what they look like, and this was not a garden spider. It was about the size of silver dollar. I live in Texas and would love to know if I’m going to be waking up to poisonous spiders in my face every night.
HEYYY Karen your spider is a spiny back orbweaver :)