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. Leslie says:


    Hello, I am needing help identifying a spider that we are having problems with. These just started showing up in our house earlier this week. Just wanted to make sure they aren’t poisonous. I live in central Texas.

    Thanks

  2. Chris says:


    Hi There,

    I have found several of these spiders in my Arizona home. I would love to know what they are and if I should be worried.

    Thank You,

    Chris

  3. Jon says:


    We have seen many of these lately in Florida. They are a light almost silver color. Do you know what they are?

  4. Rosanne Reddin says:

    I haven’t found my spider amongst these, but I am ‘creepy, crawly’ right now. WHILE I was DRIVING back home today, I live in Eastern Virginia, a spider started crawling along my drivers wheel shaft and was rapidly approaching my hands ON THE WHEEL. I freaked out, and immediately pulled over to the next side street! NO PHOTO was gotten, but I got a pretty good look of ‘it’….. it was a tad smaller than a dime, was fuzzy, black with white stripes on its legs-which were all about the same size– and appeared to have a turquoise blue spot on its belly. I have NEVER seen that spider before and tried to never see it again, but I missed ‘getting him’ and he is abiding somewhere in my car at this very moment. I used some Raid bug killer in the openings around the wheel, and he did not appear.

    I MUST USE MY CAR IN A FEW HOURS and I am hoping, no…praying, that he does not reappear, but it will be DARK when I have to return home from my choir rehearsal…..so a reply as soon as possible is requested. IS THIS spider dangerous??? poisonous? WE do have lots of spiders here but since I’m fairly new to the area I don’t know which are good spiders and which are not so good. WE DO HAVE RECLUSE and BLACK WIDOWS, I know that for a fact.

    THANKS
    Rosanne from Williamsburg, Va.

  5. Danielle says:


    My cousin found some insects on her porch. I’m not sure if they are even spiders, but I will be grateful if you could identify what they are for me. They’re small and black. They have many legs and they have bright red bulb butts. It sorta seems like they have light reddish orange tipped legs. Please help. :(

  6. Hanna O. says:

    I have a problem with spiders. There has been 2 or 3 so far that I have seen. They are kinda small but not tiny. they are fury with brown and dark brown. they haven’t made webs. they just crawl around and not to fast or slow just in between. I found them in two different rooms in the house and there was also one at school. I thought they were the brown recluse but have changed my mind after doing research. Please help.

  7. Sharon says:


    Hi Share here.

    Just found this curious looking spider and wondered if you or anyone could help identify. Especially if it’s poisonous.

    Thanks a lot and for your time.

  8. Barrie says:


    Hi there, I saw your page with the different spiders…

    today and a few days ago i found in my house this….

    I was wondering if you could tell me what type of spider it is, I live near Jerusalem in Israel, if that helps at all, and i keep finding them here.

    Thanks.

  9. Kathleen C. says:


    We found this in our bedroom under the dresser and a pile of clothes. We are also not entirely sure what it is. Can you help us identify it?

  10. Dan says:


    Hi my name is Dan. I have these spiders (dozens) in the spring/summer. They ONLY come out after sunset, and hang around the walls outside our condo. I haven’t really seen a tangible web so to speak. We live in Western Connecticut BTW.

    I’m afraid that they’ll bite one of us based on the abundance of them.

    Thanks for the help!

    Dan

  11. Blanca says:

    I reside in Southern California, and a few days ago I walked into my home early afternoon and found a spider, I believe it was some kind of tarantula. I don´t like spiders at all. But even with my dislike of spiders I actually thought this one was quite pretty. It had a blood red back, I am guessing it was the stomach, and the rest was all black. It looked like a miniature tarantula and I cant seem to find any pictures anywhere to identify it. Is it poisonous? Please help I have children and pets!!!

  12. brock says:

    Hello I’m from western PA and i saw 2 brownish spiders with a large middle section and tiny brown legs i know its spring and they’re coming out of the walls but could anyone help me identify it? it was about one inch in diameter it was hunched up from the ground about .75 inches and it was very fast it traveled about 7-8 feet in less than one second as i was scurrying away from the little weirdo…any help would be appreciated…

    thank you!

  13. rachel says:

    my dad was sleeping and he found a spider that is all brown.on the head it a tan streak and it has a tan dot on its butt. it looks like the one in Jorge’s description.

  14. Hanna says:

    For Mariana I think you have a found a brown recluse spider. They are highly poisonous and need treatment right away. If you want you can look them up but otherwise I think that if it isn’t one then she is allergic to a spider of some sort that may be poisonous. If not then its the brown recluse, or the banana spider of south America. if it helps great.

  15. Hanna says:

    I have found a small hairy spider. It is mostly brown with some dark brown on it and it was in our family room which is downstairs and also on the dining room on my computer desk. I found the first on awhile ago and the latest one was early spring. I think it might be a brown recluse but after some research have changed my mind and now I think it is the fishing spider. I found them somewhere down south near Tennessee. They didn’t have a web and the crawled semi fast but not speedy quick and were around a centimeter to two centimeters long. Please give me an answer soon. I am worried about it and if it is dangerous or not. Thanks if this helps. Remember it is hairy and brown with some dark brown too. it matches perfectly to the fishing spider only not the size. I need help.

  16. William C. from Philadelphia says:

    OK I was napping in my bed, I felt a tickling sensation on my front right shin.. closer to the ankle… It was enough to wake me up and look, as I got up to sit Indian style, the spider slid off my leg and on to my bed.. it was tight in front of me…. I immediately emptied my med bottle, so I can catch… well. Without a fight I got em….. It was a size of a quarter. Its black mostly. On the abdomen it has one big white spot and 2 little ones just underneath, there is little linear and specs of white as well the legs are black and white. Plus it has neon green fangs.

  17. Randy says:

    While all spiders have some degree of toxin in their bite, the 2 types of spider bites to cause a real alarm within the United States are the Brown Recluse and Black Widow. Remember, the Brown Recluse has the distinct violin shape symbol on the abdomen while the Widow has the distinct red hour glass figure.

    The female of the Widow species is toxic. They do not chase or run after you but if you step or lay on one then they are prone to bite in defense. Remember, spiders are beneficial and there is no reason to fear them. I came in from the garage earlier to find a beautiful 4 inch long tarantula in the next room on the floor. It’s always good finding a new creature living in the house.

  18. Melissa E says:

    A couple month ago I was out walking my dog. While walking I notice this spider which I have never seen before. It was around the size of a quarter, or bit smaller. It had black and white stripes. Not knowing if it was poisonous or not I tried to keep my dog away from it, so I did not have a chance to take a picture. Although I did not take a picture it looks a lot like the spider from the movie James and the Giant Peach.

    I have been trying to identify it for a long time, I would appreciate to anyone who can identify it and tell me if it’s poisonous or not. Than You

  19. Jen B. says:

    jen-spider-longlegs

    Hi,

    We found this spider on the bathroom wall of the rental house we stayed at in Orlando, Florida. It scared us out of our wits! Luckily we discovered it on our last morning there, rather than our first lol! Its body was approximately 1 – 1.5 inches long and its length, including legs, was about 5 inches! Way too big for our comfort level! We’d love to know what it is. Thanks so much!

  20. Paul says:

    paul-black-red-spider

    Hello,

    I am usually good about identifying the spiders out here in Arizona but this one has me stumped. I t looks like a black widow but it is red or maroon with a white hourglass on the bottom and some stripping on the back. So far I have not found any that are very large, most have only had an abdomen about the size of a green pea. I now have one that I am going to keep for a while to see if it changes to more of a black widow or not. All of the black widows I have ever seen around this size are brown/tan and white until they get larger. Any info will be of great help.

    Thanks

    Paul

  21. crystal says:

    hello i live in Florida i found this light brown spider outside webbed from the side of our house to the fence I’ve looked on a bunch of sites and i couldn’t find a pic anywhere to help me find out what kind it was. Then i came here and i found a pic that Stacey put on here it looks almost identical to the one i found but i couldn’t find any answers to her questions. So I’m still wondering what kind it is and if its venomous. I have three children if anyone could help me i’d appreciate. it

    thank you.

  22. DOODAH says:

    Hello All, just a short note to say the following, 1. spiders DO NOT lay eggs in a bite. most either carry or guard there egg sacks, so again, SPIDERS DON’T LAY EGGS IN BITES. 2nd, in the U.S, there are only about 6 kinds of venomous spiders of medical importance to humans, there are 5 sub species of black widows, and the brown recluse is represented well, by the desert recluse, the brown recluse, the Arizona recluse, and in one very small area of los angeles, the Mediterranean recluse, or loxoceles reclusa laeta.. a few other spiders such as the hobo, or aggressive house spider, and to some extent the yellow sac spiders and their kin.. if you don’t live in the southeast or southwest U.S., you have nothing to fear really.

    I have been bitten, actually saw and felt the bites, of both a brown recluse, and a black widow. i went to the doctor for the widow bite, only after the abdominal cramping started, they only monitored me, there’s really no safe antivenin for widow bites, and none for recluse, my recluse bite only resulted in some localized itching , numbness, and eventually, a very small(less then 1/8 thick inch ulcer appearing about 5 days after the bite, it healed in two weeks,, rarely a spider can actually infect a person or being with bacteria from its fangs, and the right bite with the right bacteria and in the right place on the body could in very rare instances result in a serious infection, like staph, but this has never really been proven… spiders look scary and 1 or 2 can and probably happily kill you, but they don’t live in north America..

    sleep easy all you worried moms, your child is likely to eat more spiders in there sleep or mixed with food, than they are to be bitten by a venomous spider in the U.S….. oh and spiders aren’t poisonous, they are venomous, there’s a difference.

    have fun, all

  23. Jacob says:

    Hi,

    I have seen the most unusual spider. Never seen one like this before. I live in Northwest Ohio(Toledo area) and I seen it crawling on my garage floor slowly. It had a red head and a white creamy looking body. It reminded me kinda like a squid. I’m sorry I have no pic. I hate spiders so I didn’t want to mess with it also it looked ominous. If you could please help me out w/ id’ing it that would be awesome or if you could send me in the right direction. Also the whole spider itself looked kinda elongated. My intrigue is getting the best of me. Like I said I have never seen one like that before.

    Thanks,
    Jacob

  24. Nikki says:

    Late night i went to the bathroom and saw a spider that had a brown upper body and a beige lower body with red legs. I have never seen one like this in Chicago. I’m afraid of spiders but managed to kill it with the mop. ooh and its body was about ab eighth of an inch shorter than an inch. If you could tell me what kind of spider it was that’d be great.

    Thanks,
    Nikki

  25. michael scott says:

    i found a small spider in my basement in Kentucky. it has spots and what i thought looked like an hourglass on its body. when i caught it, he curled up into a ball like a potato bug. I’d say he’s tough because of all the dead spiders he had in his web and the area. he’s still curled up to the size of FDR’s ear on a dime. thanks in advance!

  26. Kelly says:

    stacy i found the same spider in my bathroom crawling across my wall did you ever find out what kind of spider this was and if it was or wasnt harmful?

  27. keegan says:

    to christy. your spider is a harmless garden spider
    To Duane: this is a wolf spider. most look alike in gerneral but come in a few different shades depending on where you are located but can be found in any shade anywhere.harmless
    To Leslie: youve got an orb weaver. i wouldnt worry about it. a buddy of mine had the same story and we used to throw bugs in his web. the coolest of which was a REALLY big roach we found.

  28. keegan says:

    hey fellas…. i got a bite on my neck of some sort. my girlfriends mom says it looks like a spider bit….im curious but not worried because it seems more like a really annoying pimple on the back of my neck and doesnt bother me unless i mess with it…..anyway upon searching for the culprit i found this site and so found this page…i dont see anything similar but i think i may be able to help some of you…..

    i see several pictures of what seem to be the same spider.. huge yellow black and gray with monstrus webs(generally 3′-6′ with the largest ive seen at 12′-20′) anyway i used to live in Pensacola Florida and we had these everywhere, locals called them banana spiders wich would imply they are venomous. this simply isnt true.as a child i would get a stick and wrap them uip in their own web wich became yellow. hence their real name, the yellow web spinning spider.once they made their way out of the web i would hold these spiders and play with them all day long….i know the ones in pensacola are harmless and even friendly albiet frightening looking. however i see pics and comments of this spider here on this site are anywhere from california to africa…so they may not be the same spider…hopefully i have helped you out and maybe you guys can shed some light on my own situation…….oh yeah…….anyone living in southern north america(south of kentucky i believe) there are ONLY 2 spiders harmful to humans…..the black widow and the brown recluse…..any and all other spiders are harmless to us(given that they are native and you arent illergic) p.s. all spiders are venomous but few are harmful to humans

  29. Courtney says:

    Hey Guys, yesterday I saw a spider and it was an unusual spider it was a greenish flourish colour and it had white on it I was wondering if it was poisonous as I have been bitten and it has been a stream of pain running through .. :/ please reply!

  30. Courtney says:

    My Mum might of been bitten by a spider unfortunately we don’t know yet but she felt a stream of pain run through her pinky! She was folding clothes that was hung that night and came across a spider and threw the shirt on the ground screaming for HELP! I didn’t get a photo but I shall write a description… The spider was fat And looked like it had a shell it spread it legs out as soon as we tried to squish it and it was probably the size of a 50c Coin, it was pale brown with a stripe of white on its Back! I really hope it’s not poisonous… We are all really worried for her!

    Please Reply!!
    Regards,
    Courtney

  31. anna says:

    We found a yellow spider and golden colored spider its small and spins a golden wed we live in Ohio could it be a juvenile banana spider?

  32. tay says:

    Tay-Black Small Spider
    Hello.
    I found this baby spider in my bathroom sink.
    I live in Orlando fl and I just wanted to know what kind of spider this was.

  33. Patrick M. says:

    Patrick M. Dark Brown Spider
    This little guy bit me and gave me a small infection on my back. Its not detailed but the abdomen is dark brown, the the cephalothorax is tan with two brown stripes on top, and the legs are tan with a few brown stripes around the leg. Also the abdomen is almost triangle shaped. Doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen on the internet yet. Thanks for your help!

  34. Angelica says:

    After looking through all these freaking disgusting pictures of spiders, no one had my spider!
    Anyway, I have little red bites all over my feet, and today I found a tiny red spider crawling across my bed. The bites itch like crazy, but I haven’t had any other reaction. But they definitely look like spider bites. I killed the spider, so I can’t put up a picture. It was a tiny red spider, with thin legs and a short, thin body. HELP?!

  35. Guinevere says:

    Hi,
    Please help me I have a spider bite it is red, has 4 dots, and is swollen….I’m tired of the kids calling me ”Spider Belly”!!!!! Please help me!!! :(

  36. Jessica says:

    Black spider with long legs
    Hi there!

    I live in Ontario, Canada. I found this guy on my basement wall. Do you know what he might be? We have a new baby and I don’t like the fact that he is lingering around somewhere!

  37. Amy B. says:

    ant spider
    Hello,

    My boyfriend and I just moved into a house the first of the year and have had serious pest issues. We found out we had bed bugs in the house pretty quickly but have had thermal treatment last week that we hope have taken care of that problem. While getting the house prepared for the thermal treatment we noticed many insects, tons of rolly pollys, and a few big earwigs and a small centipede. We have also seen a few of these spiders around. It is about the size of a dime and its legs have been hunched up since we caught it. Im not sure if this is how it normally is or if it is a defense mechanism. My boyfriend got bitten by something a few weeks ago, once on the leg and once on the back. They were big red welts, about the size of a nickle. We have also gotten bitten in the last few days, but these seem like another kind of bite because they itch and are smaller. We are hoping they are not bed bug bites. During the bed bug treatment, we also had an exterminator come out 3 times to spray pesticides, but I think these were specifically for the bed bugs. Don’t you think that the thermal treatment would have killed these spiders and other insects though? The whole house was heated up to 140 degrees for 4 hours. Anyway, any identification you could provide would be extremely helpful as we decide if we need to have yet another exterminator come out or just ride out the rest of the cooler months in hopes of them migrating back outside.

    Oh, and we live in midwestern Indiana.

  38. Jesse says:

    white spider next to ruler
    I have a picture of a spider that I witnessed on the beach. The beach is located on the inner coastal water way off the Gulf of Mexico, Pensacola Fl. In the picture is a metric rule for scale. I have to identify this spider for a college, zoology project.

    Thank you if you can help.
    Jesse

  39. Jonathan G. says:

    large black spider1large black spider2

    I came across your website after finding a fairly large spider in my house. Could you please help me identify it? Let me know if the pictures aren’t good enough. I can try to put it somewhere else to take better shots. Thanks in advance!

  40. Sonya says:

    My daughter found the same spider as Vince D. , March 14, 2008. We live in Mobile, AL. Please tell me what kind it is and if it is dangerous. I am concerned for my grandchildren.

    The size is approximately a dollar coin.

    Thanks,
    Sonya

  41. tina says:

    small tan spider
    I found this critter crawling across my living room ceiling and also, I found 4 more mini ones just like it in the bathroom and 1 in the kitchen. usually I wouldn’t be that concerned but my 14 yr. old son woke up with a bite or something on his forearm and I’m not sure if its from the spider or what.

  42. cody says:

    today a friend of mine was bitten by a brown spider with black spots a fat body and medium length legs. We live in northern Ohio and its March. The bitten area is now red with a white cap on it and the limb feels inflamed. What kind of spider would it be and is this a life threatening bite? Its on her hand and her entire hand is swollen please let us know immediately.

  43. sophie annette holder says:

    hello i live in the united kingdom, wales, barry and i need some help my little sister found a spider whilst she was on the toilet it had a red upper body and red legs with a yellow lower body it kept running for her feet but when she lifted her feet of the floor the spider ran away so i was wondering if you would be able to let me know if the spider is dangerous as if there is one there may be others and i really really don’t want any of my younger siblings to get hurt it scares me i have never seen this type of spider any where before

    please get back to me asap
    thank you

  44. Sarah says:

    Hi I’m from SG and i found a small spider… about 1 cm long, black in color and has 2 white stripes. One of it is on the back of its head, the other on the front of its abdomen. When it moves it jumps pretty high.. like about 3 cm at most. Could you please tell me what type of spider this is? I am quite an insect lover and would like to know more.

  45. kandi lowney says:

    This is a spider I found in Virginia, it has six legs that look like knitting needles the colors were gray at the tip followed by a red stripe followed by the rest of the leg being blue. The body was the shape of a black widow and the color was also blue with white polka dots and it glowed in the dark. I found this spider close to a cotton field. I have been trying to find this particular spider for about ten years and am really curious as to what it was thank you in advance.

  46. sarah says:

    brown/black spider
    This spider was found in the house in southern South Carolina in late February. I think it could be a wolf spider but it didn’t seem very hairy and had a rather large abdomen. It wouldn’t back down or run away even when I hit hard right next to it. It’s leg span was probably half an inch.

  47. Lyrishia says:

    Hi my name is lyrishia i live in South Africa and last night i found a spider in my house, he was about 2 inches big and was hairy with black and yellow stripes, i would like to know what there names are so that i can go do a background check, i am really afraid of spiders and would like to know what to do in such a situation!

    kind regards
    Lyrishia

  48. Cam says:

    I’m trying to find out what type of spider this is and if it is poisonous or not. A post was made on the same spider before from a woman in Western Oregon; however, I live in Queens, NY and caught this spider last night.

  49. Catie says:

    I was walking around a nature trail in Southern Florida and found this crazy looking spider! I have NEVER seen a spider like this at all! I can’t seem to find anything that look exactly like this spider.
    The only thing i’ve found somewhat similar is something called a jewel spider. It was so small that in order for me to get a photo of I had to carefully place a piece of paper under it.

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