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. Meagan says:

    I found a spider with long then not harry legs small black body with little white dots on the back and orange on it’s tummy. I have never seen it before. It was by our pool. It was kinda small. I can’t find any pictures of what it looks like.

  2. Nita says:

    I was sitting at my dinning room table when this spider came racing across it. It looked reddish-brown with a black tip on its abdomen and legs. I freaked out!! I grabbed a paper towel and killed it immediately! Can you identify it for me? I have encountered several different kinds of spiders around my house. Some are brown with oblong white circles on top of their upper bodies. I haven’t seen any webs except for outside of the house. Others are small and brownish-black in color. I encountered a very large one, about the size of a quarter in our garage. He was black with funny markings on his abdomen and very stubborn/aggressive!! I am very concerned because I have a 10-year-old and a 3-year-old. Should I be concerned? Should I have a pest control company come and spray my house? Please respond. I live in southern Alabama>

  3. Heather says:

    Hi I’m Heather, i live in Las Vegas Nevada, i have on 2 occasions come across these tiny clusters of spiders between my kitchen and dining room. they are about the size of lead of a pencil. they are in a cluster of 20-30. they have very thin webs. the little ones look to be solid black. but not sure they are really small. they tonight i was on the phone and looked not a foot away from my head and there was a bigger spider next to me climbing the wall. it had thin black legs, with a solid red body, and a black head. it was no bigger than a dime. of course i killed it before thinking of getting a picture. have pest control coming tomorrow but figured i would post to see if anyone else knows or have had this problem.

  4. Jeanne says:


    Very hairy front legs. Body is mostly black. Legs connected by small brown area that is connected to black body but has a wide white stripe on left and right sides. Spider is about the size of a nickel. I live in Ohio.

    Any ideas?

  5. Kelly E. says:

    My dad was cleaning out our garage the other day and in one of are storage things out there he found 2, about a size of a quarter, dark black spiders. We have never seen ‘house spiders’ or any other ones like it before. We live in the Tri-City area in Michigan. I looked online and the only to venomous ones were the Black Widow and the Brown Recluse. Any ideas of what it might be? My dad ended up killing them and putting them in a jar and on one of the them you can clearly see fangs.

    Thanks!

  6. Aignier Danzy says:

    I found a spider in my basement and i have never seen one like it before and i can’t find any pictures of it. it was big. it had short legs and it was tan and it had a brown stripe on its back. It was also fat. i didn’t take a picture of it. I was just wondering what kind of spider it was? It is late spring.

  7. Michellew says:

    I live in south central Oklahoma, and today my boyfriend saw a black fuzzy spider with one white spot on it’s back and a light blue dot on each of its front legs…Then I saw another one and it swivels and jumps really good. Could you please tell us what kind of spider that is, neither one of us have ever seen one with blue dots like that before.

    Thank You!
    Michelle W

  8. Kevin Bowman says:

    I just got bit by a spider that was mostly black ad red body with red legs and beige markings on its abdomen, is it poisonous?? I live in Bella vista Arkansas and squished the spider when it bit me so there’s nothing left to take a pic of >.< I guess I’ll probably find out probably before this gets answered!!

  9. jen says:

    Okay, so we were at my memorial day family picnic today and we were asked to put the flag out for my grandmother. Although she was not really sure where the pole was installed. She could only remember the near about location in the front lawn. So any hole I saw I gently went to unburry it in search of the pole. When I located this one I screamed and suddenly was unable to breath due to fear and asthma…..as I had moved the small ball of grass away from the hole this big black spider ran out and jumped at and on my hand. It had like a yellowish or like Orange clinging down its head to it back and huge news like eyes staring at me. As well as also can shoot liquid from behind him. I do have a few pictures of him that I took as I began to catch my breath again. Just tell me how to load them into the sight. I am trying to correctly identify the species as well as learn if you can feel a spider bite if you were or are bitten. Could anyone let me know? Thanks.

  10. jeffery says:

    brown spider with long legs

    Not sure if this guy is harmless or not, but it was found on my shirt. Don’t know if it came in from my garden or not. It looks like a over weight daddy long leg. I live in Philadelphia, Pa. Thanks for ur help .

  11. Grant .G says:

    I was walking to my fishing spot in Edison NJ. When i was walking with my friends i saw a spider on my arm. I Blew it off then i felt something on my hand i looked at it and a as completely white and had brown or black eyes. It bite my hand. My hand is swollen, is hot red, burns, ad my skin is really hard from the bite it itches a lot too.

    Please tell me what this spider could be. And its name and effects it has on people.

  12. terryslater says:

    i live in UK . i have these little yellow spiders they form themselves into a ball when you probe them then disperse on little threads before reforming.

  13. shayna says:

    so i live in new york upstate area a few days ago we opened our pool days go by spiders and bugs of all sorts were drowned needless to say a spider caught my attention it was shaped like a common wood or wolf spider but was a whitish tan about the size including legs a half dollar it had little hairs and a diamond like shape on its butt the diamond was brownish black it sat on top of the water and seemed like it could move around easy on it i eventually kept hitting it with the net crying like a little girl and killed it id really like to know what kind of spider this is thanks so much if any one can help i hate spiders eww!

    thanks again,
    shayna

  14. ni says:

    Caisii M, the name of your spider is a saint Andrews spider, it is a low risk non toxic spiders to humans.

  15. amber says:

    Hey, I live in the upstate NY area and my mom found a small, skinny black spider in our house and I was wondering what type of spider it is because we’ve seen many common spider except this one and I looked it up and its NOT common……I guess.

  16. Emily says:

    Help! I have a 5 year old daughter who wont go outside on the back porch. We live in central Kentucky and one night we were on the back porch watching lightening bugs. My daughter starts to scream and as I turn around, there was a funny looking spider on the wall. It had the body built like a black widow, but it’s butt was white and it had a row of black squares on its back. I’d never seen anything like it! I’ve spent the last hour on the internet trying to figure out what kind it is, but nothing has turned up. If anyone has ever seen a spider like this one and knows what it is, please, PLEASE, let me know.

  17. jesse f. says:

    I have found a spider outside my pool about a inch and a half to two inches and it has peach fuzz on it but not to hairy and it has black and a little brown In areas …it was in Cleveland Ohio ….can you help??

  18. Angel says:

    OK so I found this spider on my wall and it was black fury and had yellow dot looking thing on back… What is this?

  19. aide villa says:

    btw i live in california Tulare Ca, im the one that asked bout two different kinds of spiders i get in my home

  20. aide villa says:

    i actually have a question i seem to get two different types of spiders and i don’t know what kind they are one is a reddish orange with long skinny legs and two looking like pinchers in the front of head crawls really fast i’m scared should i be..the other one are dark brown a little hairy kinda look like tarantulas but i don’t think they are these are to small please someone help me to identify these spiders i’ve looked at lots of pics but can not find…than you

  21. Shannon A says:

    Hi all, I live in North Dakota and have never had a spider problem before. tonight a spider ran across my hand while I was sitting in bed watching TV. It was a fairly small spider maybe about a centimeter long. I could really get a picture of it because once we managed to find it again my sister killed it. it looks to be black with brown. it was a speedy little thing. I know we don’t have many types of spiders here. I was wondering if anyone might have any idea what kind of spider I might be looking at because I want to know if I should worry about it being harmful to my pets or myself. any advice on what it might be or where to look would be greatly appreciated. thanks a bunch.

  22. Ben says:

    I found this spider living in the corner of my basement next to a sliding glass door. There are 3 of them in the same corner. They are a grayish color with a black marking that is not quite a violin shape (and even if it is it is on the abdomen not the thorax and its “stem” faces the thorax which should rule out brown recluse).

    I live In Pittsburgh PA.

    It eats stink bugs interestingly enough and encases its prey in a wrap of webbing before eating it.

    I cannot find an ID for it anywhere. Any help would be appreciated.

  23. Doug matt says:

    Hey, I was outside yesterday and when I went to bed I found round, black and yellow colored spiders all over me, I have spider bites all over me to, and now I think they are making me sick, what should I do, and what kind do u think they are? I live in new York and those stupid spiders are crawling all over my room.

  24. Casey says:

    I found a large spider in my basement. It was just in the middle of the floor. It was furry and what white on its back. My husband killed it three days ago and it sat there on the floor. Than a day or two later it was gone. Now today its back and alive and kicking. I live in lower Michigan and have never seen a spider like this.

  25. Maggie says:

    I found a spider last night that really freaked me out and I cannot figure out what it is. It has a purple body and red, skinny legs. Can anyone help? I have a picture but I do not know how to post it!

  26. Meghan says:

    I keep finding these spiders around my house. Each of them are larger than almost any other spider i have seen. The smaller ones are a darker brown that the big one I found, either way, they have long thin bodies with a white stripe that follows the curve of their abdomens. The smaller ones I have found were a little smaller than a dime, while the larger one was about as big as my palm. I did kill it. It has been about two years since then, and with a little bit of research these sound like grass spiders or garden spiders on steroids. It had a thinner body than a brown recluse and was a lot hairier. The legs were shorter and the fovea, i think that’s what it’s called, was longer and much thinner. It also had larger palps than a brown recluse. The small ones look exactly like the big ones only a lot darker and I see those about twice a month.

  27. Genevieve says:

    Hi, I’m sorry I don’t have a picture, but today I found a spider hiding under a towel I left on my floor.
    My room is in the basement and I live in central New York.

    The spider was about a 1 and 1/2 inches long I believe. It was dark brown, almost black, and was a bit furry and on the beefy side.

    What kind of spider could it have been?

  28. Noelle says:

    black and white spider
    Hi, earlier today (late May in Maryland, a warmish-hot day after a week of rain) I was outside on the porch and saw this nickel sized (with legs) spider.

    It was black with yellow stripes or markings on the legs and body, and its head was about twice the size of its abdomen and body, sort of comical looking, like a cartoon dinosaur, with eyebrow-bone-looking bulges above its bigger eyes. It had two huge eyes on the front of the head and a bunch of tiny ones on the sides. Also, it was fuzzy, like a tarantula.

    It moved kind of comically too, sometimes forward like I would expect from a spider, sometimes side to side like a crab. When I moved it swiveled to face the movement, then after a few minutes jumped a few inches down onto the table and started climbing the umbrella quickly, then pausing, then climbing again.

    Later I saw it (or one like it) a few feet away climbing down from the porch to the ground.
    I don’t have pictures, but what could it be? I’m not really concerned about bites, I have two tarantulas as well, I’m just curious as to its funny head.

    Google wasn’t very helpful.
    Thanks,
    Noelle

  29. lauren says:

    About the spider being called a hobo spider, if it is bigger than an inch long then it is more than likely a giant house spider, and they aren’t lethal. If you were to get bit, no worse than a bee sting.

  30. Brooke says:

    Black Widow Spider
    Just wanted to share this incredible shot I got of a huge black widow spider I found in my garage in South Georgia the other day.

  31. Joyce says:

    We were on holiday in Spain and arrived back home to wash our underwear and go on another holiday the next day for 2 weeks. We left our suitcases and bags in our lounge and suddenly there was this massive (more than 20 cm) spider with a short body and long legs. He was dark and had a friendly face :-) We do not like to kill spiders but he kept hiding behind our warm gas fire (always on) but when he came out of his hiding place I had to kill him since we did not want hundreds babies of that massive spider when we came back from holiday. It had green blood. What kind of spider do you think it was?

  32. April Aguilar says:

    So I found this spider today on the chair outside next to my cell phone which I had trouble getting! It was Grey with orange bits like on his legs and he had two huge orange antennas and his butt was curled upward like a scorpion….. please someone let me know what this is!!!!!!

    I live in Apopka, FL woodsy area
    ORLANDO basically

  33. ASHLEY says:

    I FOUND A SPIDER IN MY BATH ROOM COURSE I LIVE OUT IN THE COUNTRY SO THEES A LOT OF BUGS OUT HERE. THE SPIDER WAS ALREADY DEAD IT LOOK LIKE A WOOD SPIDER BUT NOT SURE IT WAS BLACK IN HAD BROWN ON HIM LITTLE SPECKS OF ORANGE SO I’M NOT SURE WHAT IT IT BUT ITS NASTY LOOKING. I ALREADY KILLED 4 SPIDERS IN THE LAST TWO DAYS IN LOOKS LIKE THERE LITTLE SPIDERS OF THE SAME ONE THAT WAS DEAD IN MY HOUSE.

    SO ANY CAN HELP THANKS.

  34. Amber says:

    OK seeing as I am petrified of spiders I didn’t close enough to take a picture before smashing this thing to pieces. I have seen two of these massive half of a dollar bill sized(maybe a little bigger) black, hairy spiders in my house today. I have a small child so I sprayed my house. I would like to know if these things are harmful, because they are kind of aggressive acting. I am dead serious- this thing is massive. Its the biggest spider I have ever seen (with the exception of a tarantula). I haven’t noticed any webs from these spiders. They are spindly, they are like mini tarantulas… I can’t find a picture that matches what I’m seeing nor can I find a reference for them. If I see another one I’ll try to take a picture before I just go on a smash spree, but I’d rather not get bit seeing if they are venomous.

    Any help would be great!
    Thanks,
    Amber

  35. Kerin says:

    black-spider-kerin

    This spider was found just hanging out on my wall in the laundry room, which is in a kind of semi-basement area. It did not move or run away – just waved a leg or two – when i got right up close to take a picture. It was about an inch span across, including the legs – not very big. I left it alone because i like spiders to eat the other bugs, but i’d like to make sure it isn’t the type to give me or my pets a painful bite. From what i can tell, it isn’t one of the very dangerous ones. I live in the North Bay Area of California (Vallejo, north of San Francisco) and there were no visible webs around. There are plenty of nooks and crannies to crawl away behind, however.

    When i went back later, it was gone. Sorry the photo is not more detailed, but all i had with me was my phone camera. I did the best i could to get a good focus and used the flash. Hope this is good enough to give me an idea!

    As mentioned before, i found this little guy in my laundry room, just sitting on the wall, not moving for a long time. When i went back, though, it was gone. Did not seem agressive, but it also was not particularly skittish, as i was able to get right up near it to take that photo. It didn’t react much even after i used the flash. Just waved one leg a little bit. It was about an inch long, maybe a tad more. I live in Vallejo, California.

    I don’t necessarily feel the need to remove spiders from the house, as they are natural pest control of other things that are less welcome, so it is still roaming about the house – but i would like to make sure whether it is a bad neighbor or not…

    Thanks!

  36. saibot_fan says:

    a spider fell on my neck its tiny black and the abdomen has a brown skull looking design on it or maybe an anchor design its really small and hard to really tell all i know is it looks like a face i live in Springfield, Missouri
    id really appreciate if someone could identify it thanks!

  37. Mili says:

    I was bitten by a spider last night. It has taken a white, almost pimple like, center and I was nauseous all morning. Its gotten a large pink circle around it and has gotten bigger as the day has passed. It hurts to touch, but I don’t feel nauseous anymore. I saw a spider in my room before I got bit, so I’m assuming that’s the culprit. It was small, black and had yellow stripes along its back. Should I be worried?

  38. Thomas says:

    I saw an inch and a half long brown spider today in my backyard while cutting the grass. It seemed to have a narrow vertical yellow or tan stripe on its back. Any ideas as to what it may be?

  39. Rob says:

    Hi Rob here. I have a spider with a leg span of 6cm and a body length of 2-3 cm. it is brown/black in color with two bright electric blue blobs on its back any help would be appreciated thanks

  40. Anji says:

    I found a spider outside my house. I live in Anchorage, Alaska. It was about the size of a nickel (including its legs), brown, had hairy long legs, one white stripe on its back, and the back (butt) wasn’t very big. I would really like to know what it was since there are children and small pets living here. I tried searching for a picture but have yet to find any similar to what it looked like. Information would be greatly appreciated! :)

  41. maya says:

    I found this spider in our garden. It has a unusual greenish, shiny color pinchers, and white, black legs.
    Could you tell me what it is please? I’ve seen them multiple times, I live in Texas. Got any clue?

  42. Marisela says:

    OH NO!
    I was just in my basement and saw this creepy spider. It was not that big,had short legs,size of a dime,all black,kinda furry and had a white spot on the end of the abdomen.It might just of had eggs or spun a web.THAT’S EVEN WORSE!

    Geez Louise.All I’m saying is that this thing was really creepy.I killed it and got away WITHOUT getting bit.(LUCKY) Help please, I need it.I have children and elderly who goes down there often.

    Any help would be appreciated.=)

  43. Sara says:

    April
    Ellen S.
    and possibly Jenni

    This is an Eastern Parson Spider. I just found one in my house. Although they look scary, they are completely harmless! :)

  44. Alexis says:

    Hello,

    I recently moved to a new apartment in Western New York. I live in a tall apartment building, on the seventh floor. Recently, I have noticed there are spiders that appear each night out of almost all of my apartment windows. They have spun orb webs. They also only appear at night and are the size of a quarter, including their legs. I have no idea where they go during daytime hours.

    I am deathly afraid of spiders and when I was in college, I encountered similar guys in my dormitory (I was also on higher floors). I was once bit and reacted very badly to this bite. One bit my leg and I could barely fit my leg into pants, it was also very painful. I am really afraid that these spiders are going to get into my apartment as I fear being bit again and now I also have a little dog that I fear for too. I and would really love to know what they are, especially if they are dangerous. I can take a picture if needed, but I am afraid even to get that close (pathetic, I know).

    Thanks for all your help,
    Alexis

  45. Jessi says:

    I am hoping that someone can help me figure out what kind of spider I found in my car. It was smaller spider. It had a creamish colored body and a kind of narrow, very white butt. I was driving and looked up at the window and there was a spider hanging down from it. I live in spokane, WA. I hope this helps.

  46. Jake says:

    Earlier this week I encountered a very strange spider, maybe half the size of a quarter perhaps. It was light brown and, from a far distance seemed to have a wood-like texture. I suppose you’d say it was ‘flat’, no round abdomen or anything… But I had to squish it three or four times (With a tissue) before It died. It managed to scare the life from me by skittering very close to my hand.

    I wanted to know what kind of spider it was, unfortunately I was in school and could not take a picture.

    Thanks!
    -Jake

  47. Rebecca says:

    i live in south Louisiana and i keep finding small black spiders with a white line from head to bottom with light brown legs.I do not know what type of spider it is and i have an infant in my home.can you please help me.

  48. Tyler says:

    I don’t have a pic, i wish i did.

    I’m afraid (like 95% of people who see something that could be a brown recluse) that i’ve just killed a brown recluse. I’ve been researching for about 3 hours now, and i can’t figure it out. I can’t see all of the eyes, but the eye placement is inconclusive. Also, the ‘violin’ on the abdomen may or may not be present, as there is a darker brown middle line starting, but the abdomen is crushed where the violin neck would be.

    one thing i’ve yet to see explained: every picture of ‘southern house spiders’ has the two little appendages near the head very narrow, while all the pictures of brown recluse have them rather far apart, nearer the front legs than the midline. could this be my last clue? please let me know

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