Help Identify a Spider

Two fanged spider shown up-close.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.

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  1. Andrea K says:

    I found a red and white-ish spider on a web on my car this morning. It had a normal looking web. I would have just killed it but it really shocked me first thing in the morning, so i just got into my car from the passenger side. Luckily he blew away while driving, but if it comes back I want to know what to do. I have never seen this kind of color on a spider before. I live in Southern Ontario, just outside Toronto.

  2. Jessica says:

    This critter was crawling on our wall when I noticed it. I was too chicken to get close to it to kill it, and it got away. In the middle of the night last night, I woke up to something crawling across my face, so instinctively I swatted at it, heard a crunch and got bit by this creeper. I couldn’t find the assailant, but I have a picture of this spider. I live in Baltimore, Maryland, and I know we have a few common ones, like the recluse and black widow, but it wasn’t either of them. This was a reddish color, which I’ve never seen in this area, moved slowly and calmly, tiny hairs on the abdomen, about 1/2 inch or a little bigger.

  3. Jerry Shenk says:

    I live in southeastern PA. I’m wondering what kind of spider this is. Looks similar to a St. Andrews Cross spider but I’m not in Australia.

  4. Biella says:

    I know the name of the spider that #70(Karen) found in her yard it is a jewel spider…. most people say they are harmless because their fangs are small and weak but their spikes are sometimes pointy and feel like a bit

  5. Terry Gulliford says:

    Saw this spider while geocaching in the Traverse City, Mi area. That’s about as close as we wanted to get to it.

  6. Jen says:

    Glenda,

    The spider you found is not a Wolf Spider but an Orb Weaver, you can tell by it’s markings, colors and of course by the web that it spins. An Orb Weaver is a type of Garden Spider and it is harmless!

    Hope this helps,
    Jen

  7. Dennis says:

    I live in Cleveland Ohio and I found this spider in my basement I have never seen before, can you tell me what kind it is. I’m feeding him flys for now and will set him free soon.

    Dennis Leonetti

    small reddish spider

  8. Ashely says:

    I found this spider near the light on the outside of my house. It’s only out at night, catching moths that fly into its huge web when they’re circling the light. I live near Fresno, California- across the street from an orchard, if that’s relevant.
    The spider has a huge butt, thick legs that seem striped and is insanely fast moving across its web. The web started out large and intricate, but has frayed over the week… If you can name it, that’d be great. I’m so curious, and refuse to kill the beautiful spider. Thanks!

    Orb Weaver

  9. Jen says:

    Ken, Terry and Jami,

    The spiders you guys have found are definitely a type of garden spider or orb weaver. Not to worry, these spiders are harmless and actually do lots of good things for us like eat bugs! Feel free to look up more about these spiders at BadSpiderBites.com

    Thanks!
    Jen

  10. David G. says:

    Hello,

    This fellow has spun a web several times in July, and last night. He takes it all down before sunrise and apparently spins sometime shortly after sunrise.

    His about 1″ at the body and 3″ extended

    Very rambunctious…I have not molested him at all and he appears to pose. He does shake his web and shows incredible strength.

    Very impressive. I am giving him a wide berth, (I go no where near him)

    He likes to lay traps, I almost walked into him and was very grateful that the moon showed me his position before I ended up with him on my face.

    Thanks

    Dave G of Hollywood FL

    light brown spider

  11. Jami says:

    Hey could you please tell us what type of spider this is? We live in Paducah Kentucky and my hubby does installs at peoples homes. He is always running into spiders and critters- but this one is NASTY looking. We are from Michigan so we have no idea what this bad boy is but it is UGLY! Thanks! Some have said maybe a banana spider- or an Australian banded something.. or maybe even a widow. I would appreciate you taking a look! Thanks so much!

    Jami T.

    Yellow banded garden spider

  12. Terry says:

    We say this spider in the Traverse City, Michigan area in early August. We have no idea what it is and have never seen one like it. Thanks for the help.

    Terry G.

    Yellow and Black Garden Spider or Orb Weaver

  13. Ken says:

    Hi,

    I found the spider, in the attached picture, on my property. Can you please identify?

    Thank you so much.

    Orb Weaver/Garden Spider

  14. sydney says:

    Okay so my sister is freaking out about this little black spider that she found in her room. I went in to check and I found 2 more under her bed. She “thinks” (but i’m not sure) that she has 2 spider bites but they just look like mosquito bites. The spiders scurries away to fast so I can’t get a picture. We live in Washington.

  15. Emily Anderson says:

    to #’s 22 & #89. Do you think these 2 spiders are the same spider? I have these also all over my back yard. I have been bit 3 times by these nasty things and it’s not fun! I have done a lot of research and I think these Spiders are called HOBO spiders. After I got bit, about 2 days later the bite got a gnarly blister on top of my skin. I went to the Hospital and they gave me a Shot of antibiotics and then very strong antibiotics for 7 days. Then the other day, I got bit again but on my other leg. I think I get bit when i’m outside watering. So, look into the HOBO spider and see what you think.

  16. Carrie says:

    Sorry, no photo. This is a spider that was on my child’s play cottage. It was very large, dark brown (not black!) w/ very little yellow spots/dots on it’s back. We live in northern Michigan and the cottage is in dune grass next to a red pine. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!

  17. AAB says:

    #1703-geneva

    I believe it is a harmless garden spider. Most female garden spiders are very colorful and elaborate and make a new and precise web each evening.

  18. Dee Jones says:

    Found this behind a bookcase in Saudi Arabia, I have been getting bitten by something in my sleep, this may not be the culprit as I killed something much smaller scurrying on the bed, but didn’t get a good look at it. Was wondering what this spider is?

    Reddish Brown Spider with Long Legs

  19. julie says:

    just found a small spider in my house it had black and white striped legs and body w/ a red butt any info

  20. Catherine says:

    This spider was living in the corner of our (outdoor) window which it had spun a web across on our back deck. It is quite large with large black fangs which are hard to see in my photos. It also has a white, almost figure 8 shape on its back. Its legs are red in the sections closest to its body. I live in NY and have never seen anything like it. Does anyone have any idea what type of spider it is? Dangerous? It sure looks like a bite from this spider would definitely hurt! Any help appreciated! Thank you.

    Dark SpiderDark Spider

  21. Dakota says:

    hello, I live in Wisconsin by greenbay oshkosh area and i found a spider in the door way of my shed in my back yard. it is brown with black oval shaped stripes on the back and white spots in the middle of each black stripe the legs seem see through with black stripes. it was in a sheet web too. could you help me identify it?

  22. cassie says:

    hey my cousin whom is deathly afraid of spiders found one one my front porch that looks a lot like #7. it has two bumps on the top portion of it’s body and is green with a brown design. this is the second one we have seen and are very curious as to what kind they are if you could tell us that would be fantastic.

  23. Sherry says:

    I have seen this spider outside on my covered back porch for a couple weeks now. I live in central Alabama. I don’t see a web for this spider, and today I caught it hanging out on my window. Can anyone identify it? Also, those are 2″ blinds in the pic…so the spider is between 5″ to 6″.

    Picture of a brown spider with long legs

  24. mindy hamilton says:

    Hi my name is Mindy and i found a spider that has a gold body with dots on it and black and yellow stripes on the legs. i was just wondering if it is poisonous. i live in Minnesota and i have small children. thank you for your help. it is about the size of the two knuckles on my pointer finger.

  25. Emily says:

    I found this spider in the basement Ive been seeing them for weeks. You rarely see any of them upstairs. I’m living in Louisville Kentucky, the spider has a bright red upper body and a kinda clear/brown lower body and is about 1/2 inch long. I would like to know what kinda spider this is, if they are dangerous, and how to get rid of them. Thanks!!

    Reddish Brown Spider

  26. Kelly says:

    We found this spider out by our garage. I’ve never seen a spider like this and after about 2 hours on the internet trying to figure out what it is I’ve given up.

    About 1-1.5″ big, huge white abdomen with black connected diamonds I guess?

    Round Spider

  27. sawyer says:

    I’m talking to Cindy #69 i just found a spider crawling on me when I was sitting on my couch but it freaked me out and I want to know what kind of spider it is because in up in Montana.

  28. GLENDA says:

    I have been watching this spider grow bigger and bigger at my kitchen window…..My husband says it is a wolf spider and I say now it is time to kill it as it has got neighbors moving in with it.

    It has caught and ate two grasshoppers about 3″ long in the last 2 days.

    Is this a wolf spider and how is the best way to keep more from coming into my house? My husband keeps telling me to beware of brown recluse spiders but I have no clue what they look like.

    Unfortunately for him, I am terrified or spiders and snakes.

    yellow orb weaver

  29. Melissa Henke says:

    Hello, I am trying to figure out what kind of spider this is, as we have never seen one before. I live in Minnesota. This was hanging in a web outside my back door. Looked big when I saw it in the web, but it was scrunched up. My friend killed it and she noticed it was bigger than we thought….what is this? is it poisonous? I have three small children!!!! Please help! Thanks!!!

    gray spider

  30. Bresch says:

    I’d like a name for this spider I found on my vacation in the northern part of Greece, thanks!

    yellow stripped spider

  31. Chris says:

    Hello I was wondering what kind of spider this was. It was found on a wayside going towards Marquette, Michigan on 28.

  32. Shannon Grace says:

    This little guy (or girl) has set up house on my porch in Austin, TX. The web is of really good size, easily 2-3 feet in diameter. I don’t mind him being there so long as he isn’t poisonous (which from what I’ve read he doesn’t seem to match the descriptions of any that are dangerous). I would like to know what kind of spider it is though…

    I would say his carapace and abdomen are about a 1/2 inch, and his legs don’t seem long enough to be a recluse. I was thinking wolf spider, but from what I gather they don’t web??

    Thanks so much!

    Tan and black spider

  33. Kevin an Joel says:

    Hi we saw a spider about 3 inches across with it’s legs stretched on our wall. We ran to get help, but then it scurried away. We can no longer find it, please help us with the identification process so that we can get the help we need. Thank you.

    God Bless.

  34. Jon says:

    At my work i tend to see many of these small about 1 inch (including legs) spiders that are either white or a very white cream colour, they have two red lines on their back and do not seem to be aggressive in anyway. They are seen most outside crawling around some of the old broken down equipment. Any ideas of what they are called?

  35. Barbara Johanne says:

    I found this spider on my arm in the middle of the night. i sleep in the freezing cold air conditioned basement in lower Denver, Colorado. we had an addition to the house and i believe they are coming from the new unfinished basement. this one that i’m sending a picture of is 3/4 inch to a full inch in length. he is in a jar right now and not too happy!

  36. Jr says:

    I found this spider while cleaning up some brush. Everyone I’ve asked says they’ve never seen anything like it. I live in north Alabama near the Tennessee state line.

  37. Michelle says:

    It is not a Recluse spider if it does not have the tell tale fiddle design on its body. The fiddle design starts at its eyes and extends down its back. The base of the fiddle design starts at the eyes; the long neck of the fiddle design is extending down the spiders back towards its body. Many innocent spiders are killed by people thinking they are poisonous when they are not. Most spiders are not poisonous and mean us no harm. So please look up pictures of a brown recluse and know its markings by heart. There are many on the internet. The brown Recluse also has six eyes. Three sets of two if that helps with any identifications.

    The spiders in #97 look similar to sand dune spiders which are a pretty harmless species. #22 looks like a wolf spider which is commonly mistaken for a Recluse

  38. Nicole says:

    Rachel #22.
    I don’t know if i agree with the others when they say that your spider might be a recluse. I think it might be a wolf spider which are very common in New York. We used to live 20 min from Rochester and saw them almost everyday. All the same I would look more into because i could be wrong :) hope you find your answer!

  39. janet says:

    I have a spider with yellow body, four black spots on top,brown and white long legs. What is it!?

  40. Emily says:

    I live in Wexford County in the lower part of Michigan. I was watering the garden when I found this spider in the flowers. It was about 1 inch in length. I don’t know what it is, can anyone help me???

  41. Amanda Luptak says:

    I killed a spider today in my house. It was quite small, but I could see features plainly enough. It was black, but the top of it had a white stripe. And it’s butt was a red color. Almost orange. I need to know what to do. If there is more than one. Do you think it is poisonous? I live in the mountainous part of Arizona, if that will help at all. Thank you so much.

  42. Sky says:

    Okay so I was just curious. I live in Alaska and we have these little orange spider about the size of a chigger. but they can be chiggers cause its too cold up here for them. any help would be awesome thanks.
    PS it hurts really bad when they bite you and they are all over neon orange.

  43. Roni says:

    This is a spider that we found on the side of my house! I have small children and don’t relish the thought of them getting bit by some spider that is poisonous! We killed this one but would appreciate knowing if it might have little friends or babies out there somewhere! Could you please let me know what I am looking at and what eggs look like?

    Scared and concerned Mom,
    in western new york!

  44. sara .f. says:

    if you find a spider that has no hair on it and its is brown with a Chevron its is called a hobo spider and they are poisonous but not deadly so far.

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