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.

The last comment and 607 other comment(s) need to be approved.
2470 replies
« Older CommentsNewer Comments »
  1. Diane Andal says:

    My kids were outside playing on their wood playset when my son found this really creepy spider! It was huge! The body appeared to be very round and looked white & “webby” (perhaps an egg sac on its back?) Its legs were red and black striped and it moved around somewhat like a crab. I found a picture of the Dolomedes tenebrosus spider online but the red on the spider we found was much more vibrant and the body was much rounder.

    I didn’t think to take a picture of it because I just wanted it gone!!! (These are my kids we’re talking about!) I sprayed it with “Home Defense” bug spray and when it stopped moving long enough, I got it with my husband’s shoe (I wasn’t going to use mine! :0)

    Found this website and thought it was neat to see that Selena had posted just the day before. We are big fans! (My 4-year old daughter will not let your song “Who Says” finish playing. She wants me to keep starting it over and over because she says “it is my favorite, favorite, favorite song. And I never want it to end!)

  2. Kyle says:


    Hello,
    I live about 10 miles south of Indianapolis, IN. I saw this spider just chilling on my wall, so I caught it and put it in a mason jar. Spider seems to be missing two right middle legs. Noticed this while it was sitting on the wall. Caught another spider the next day while my cats were playing with it. Placed spider #2 into same mason jar as spider #1. I then placed paper towel where mason jar lid would be placed for maximum oxygen without escape. Spider #1 had killed and eaten spider #2 within 8 hours of being joined into the same habitat. I still have spider #2 in mason jar. Does not use web to capture prey. Seems fast and is able to grin and climb the inside of the mason jar. Could you please identify this spider? I have pictures

  3. Elysia says:

    Hi Selena,

    Send your picture of the spider to badspiderbites+jen@gmail.com and I’ll take a look and let you know what it is and if you could have more in the area!

    Thanks for sharing!

    Elysia

    P.S. Huge fan of yours :)

  4. selena gomez says:

    hey everyone..its me, selena gomez. i was working on set yesterday and david henrie and i found this enormus spider. he killed it after we took the picture, but i got really freaked out. so when i got home i found this website and decided to post a commet and a picture about this spider. i would like to know what it is.
    and by the way, whoever is a fan of me…leave a comment and we can start chatting. i love fanss!.
    byeee <3SELENA

  5. Amy says:

    Im with april… i have found a couple of these spiders in my house over the past week. A baby in my bed and a huge one on the wall. They are black with a white stripe down the back. could someone please tell me what this is. i have searched the web with no luck and im scared to death of spiders. is it harmful for me or my pets? anyone have any ideas?

  6. Jenni says:

    I live in British Columbia, Canada. This morning, my house got too hot so I try opening the window. But a spider was there.. it didn’t look normal. I would take a picture, but no camera. Its around the shape of a penny. And its red and white. The colors aren’t dull but anyone want to tell me if its safe or not? I don’t want un-safe spiders in my house.

  7. Eemin says:

    err … I’ve found this spider yesterday at night i don’t know if it is poisonous or not and they are recently every where in my room or my house (i live in Iran) , i will be grateful if someone help me identify this fellow, thank you

  8. Sherri Jones says:

    Hi, My husband was under the trailer fixing some pipes when he ran into some large webs and large spiders. Ive never seen these spiders and cant find them in pictures. They have thumb sized snow white bodies and very long white legs. The knuckles on their legs are snow white balls. I would really like to know what species i am facing and know if they are poisonous.
    Thank You, Sherri

  9. Tess says:

    My dad got bit by something we are not sure what it is we think it might be. A spider bite or a bat or a centipede but we are not sure also his pain has started to move down at his cheek. I hope you can help.

  10. Jarebear :) says:

    I Found this huge spider by looking in the bushes below .. it was just sitting on top of a leaf but it was sooo big and detailed I got interested .. so I caught one of “its” babys lurking around not too long after and grabbed that for a pet .. but I would like to know what I’m dealing with before my wife gets home and kicks my butt for having a poisonous spider as a pet :) let me know asap I have pictures of it but I don’t know how to post them so my email is jared.kelly [at]ymail.com get at me so I can email the pictures

  11. Aaron says:

    My advice to everyone, that lives in the USA that is, Is to find pictures of the truly venomous spiders that reside in America, the Hobo, the Brown Recluse, Black widow, and some tarantulas, and the mouse spider that has moves up from south America into central America at the extreme southern us states an wooded areas (so not much of a concern). The Spiders on this list are not something you want to be bitten by, and you should see a doctor of you are bit by one, but all the other spiders that you see in the corner on the ceiling of your house or here and there are nothing to be worried about and pose no danger to most people. Another good piece of advice is, if you have severe allergies to bee stings. carry your epipen everywhere, I’m not a doctor but an Epipen should take care of any adverse reaction you might have just like it does for a bee sting or peanut allergy THEN GO TO THE ER.

    But to save a lot of time Just learn what the dangerous spiders look like there are 4 in the USA and I think at most 2 of them could be in your region,I have only the black widow to “worry about” and ive only ever seen 1 and it took off as soon as it saw me. So don’t worry about this funny lookin spider or that one, Learn what the dangerous spiders look like and where they hide and there behavior and just be careful.

    To the guy who was asking about the Big spider in the middle East, that is a Camel Spider or at least thats what it looks like to me If its about 4″ wide and maybe 6″ long thats what it is, they are carnivores I wouldnt worry about them attacking you, But if that thing was on my porch id stomp on it, I dont like killing things for no reason, i leave spiders in my house, But THAT THING HAS GOT TO GO

  12. Mandy says:

    Anyone know what this spider is? I’ve seen three outside my house and almost grabbed this one when I went to turn on the fan! I live in South Florida.

    Thanks!
    – M

  13. Carrie says:

    Dwight, the spider in your pool looks a lot like a Trapdoor Spider, due to the design on the rear of the abdomen. Check them out on youtube! Pretty creepy!

    Ben Allen, what you have there is a Slater Eating Spider. They have enormous fangs and are thought to be aggressive, but the bite is not considered dangerous to humans, though it will cause itch and inflammation.

  14. Madi says:

    I noticed a a spider wasp making a nest in the corner of our door. My dad knocked it down and more than a dozen spider fell out. I didn’t get a chance to take a pic but the spiders were completely red with a pink spot on the bottom of them. Any one have suggestions to what they were???

  15. Sean says:

    I live in Salem, OR and have these spiders all over my yard from late spring to early fall. Any help you have identifying them would be appreciated.

    Thanks!
    Sean

  16. Maddisen Lamb says:

    I was sitting in my living room and a spider, about the size of a brown recluse but gray with a little bit of black or brown, ran across the floor, I got scared so killed it immediately & didn’t take a picture. I live in western Washington state. Can you tell me what kind of spider it was?

  17. Jen says:

    leonard amideo,

    If you send your photos to me at badspiderbites+jen@gmail.com I will make sure to edit them and post them under your comment for you.

    Thanks!

  18. Mike Pesta says:

    hello…i should have taken a picture but got freaked out and wiped him out. Sorry. half an inch in length, bulbous shiny body with a checkerboard pattern that is black and silver looking. Curious as to what this could have been.

    thanks

  19. Kat says:

    I have found an unknown spider in my backyard. It’s pretty small, but I’d still like to know what it is. It is small, black, and has a white stripe down it’s back. It’s body is almost arrow-like. I can’t get a clear picture of it.

    Thanks,
    Kat :)

  20. Samantha says:

    Tonight, I found the biggest spider I have ever seen in any house I have ever lived in. I live in Ohio, close to downtown Columbus, so not a whole lot of nature around or anything. I have no idea what this spider was. If I hadn’t been so terrified in the moment, I would’ve taken a picture, but I ended up killing it because my cat was messing with it and I didn’t want her getting bitten if it was poisonous… It was black, about 1.5″ and it was kinda long and skinny.

    I didn’t take a really long look at it, but it appeared to have two vertical yellow stripes down its body. I could be mistaken on the number of stripes, and it was a bit dark so it could’ve been white stripes but I’m pretty sure they were yellow. I did a bit of research and couldn’t find anything that matched this description. Can anyone help? (I really don’t think it is a black and yellow garden spider)

  21. Tiffany says:

    what kind of spider is black and has a red diamond on its back or tummy forgot where the red diamond was but i found it in my apt killed it and flushed it? thanks!

  22. Aaron Layes says:

    To: David M what you have is a Camel spider as it is called, they are much more harmless than they sound, they are not generally aggressive to humans, they are common in your area, much more so than you would think, they are listed as a not sure if I spell this right Safuget they are more closely linked to Scorpions than spiders, they are some what toxic, at the worst you may end up with flu like symptoms nothing serious should ever come from a bite, and a bite is really rare.

    I hope this helps they are fun to observe but are pretty harmless.

  23. Gina says:

    The other day I was in my backyard and my mother-in-law flipped over a very old garbage can. On the bottom of the garbage can were about 3 Black Widows and a spider we could not identify. It was brown, rather small but still noticeable, and had about 4-6 white spots on it’s abdomen. We weren’t sure if it was venomous or not but my mother-in-law killed it anyways since we have a 2 years old. We live in northern California. Any idea what this spider could be?

  24. Amanda says:

    Recently my family and I have noticed a bunch of furry spiders that are about the size of a penny/nickel. They’re all black and have a small white dot on the body. Someone had gotten bitten by a spider and we think it was this kind. I just wanted to know what kind of spider this is, in case its something dangerous. Thanks

    Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana area

  25. Rebecca says:

    Hi My neighbor found this spider in her home and we all have young kids does anyone know what kind of spider this is ? we live in Michigan! it has black and white striped legs and has a rounded diamond shape body that’s a whitish color with 4 black dots and the rest of the body is black i have a pix but don’t know how to post it Thank you for you time

  26. kendall says:

    i was throwing away my basketball hoop when i saw a bunch of little white sacks and then two medium size black spiders with 6 small white dots on their back all in alignment like on a dice it was really weird and i saw more around the house under the sinks and stuff and wanted to know if i need to call someone to get rid of them or if i don’t need to worry about anything. please help. thanks

  27. Stephanie says:


    Hi,

    I ran across this spider as I was washing my car. He was chillin’ on the side so I stopped to take his picture. I liked that he had a Lucha Libre mask on his backside, but I can’t find another spider like him. Can you help identify him?

    Thanks!

    Stephanie

  28. Kara says:


    This is my spider Boris. I can’t seem to find what species he is. A part of his back leg recently broke, and it is now growing back! :) anyways, I found him in an old blanket in my backyard and I’m very curious as to what species he is. If you can identify him it would be appreciated.
    Thank you!
    -Kara Jean.

    (by the way he likes to sit in his water bowl on hot days, which I find funny)

  29. Scott says:


    Hello,

    There are many of these spiders sitting in the cracks of the rock wall near my garage. I’m freaking out because my 3 year old is enamored with bugs, and if she finds one, she is compelled to mess with it…!

    Can you please identify?

  30. Ryan Wood says:

    I found a very interesting spider in my backyard today, unfortunately I didn’t manage to get a picture, but I can give a fairly accurate description of it.

    When I first spotted it i could only see the underside and legs, the legs being brown, with black around the joints. The abdomen made me think that it might be a brown widow, because it was brown with an hourglass shape on it, but the hourglass wasn’t any sort of red or orange, it was just a sort of black outline of one (so I figured it might just be young).

    The problem though, was when I saw the top of it’s abdomen. There were two large, orange spikes protruding from it. Overall it looked like some sort of weird cross between a brown widow and that, except the horns didn’t branch, they were just the two main protruding spikes, pretty much the same color as in the photograph, black at the top with a sharp transition to orange, and then fading from that orange into a brown to blend into the body. Spread out I would say it was roughly between the size of a nickel and a quarter.

    If anyone has any idea as to what this might be, please email me at woodrcory [at] gmail.com

  31. Mariah Hill says:

    I was throwing my trash out in the trash can outside when I noticed this huge spider sitting on the back wall. It has a shiny brown body with either red or orange spots on the underside of her belly. I also noticed that there was a mate with her. I know from know knowledge that the female is always larger than the male. But she had three large eggs sacks on her web. I have no idea what she is, but when I Googled it, the only results I got were that it could possibly be a black widow. I need help removing it. I have children here and I don’t want them to be in danger if she was to populate around my house.

  32. Cassidy says:

    My name is Cassidy and I was cleaning off my patio and I found a Black widow and I sprayed it and its egg sack next to it. I also found a Large spider, about the size of a half dollar. It had a long narrow snow white colored body. It also had long tan and black striped legs. It was not a daddy long legs does anybody know what it might be? Im afraid that it might have friends and they might be poisons.

  33. Amber Breault says:

    I was dropping off the garbage with my cousin in Saskatchewan. I looked beside me and there was a huge spider about 3cm. With a black body, yellow stripes, and red legs. I don’t know if this is a hybrid or a real breed.
    Please contact me If you know what kind of spider this is.

    I’m sorry I didn’t get a picture.

  34. bitten says:

    What is a half-dollar size black hairy spider.? Its legs was relatively thick. I believe this is the spider I was bitten by while sleeping. I live in south Georgia (USA).

  35. Brandon says:


    My name is Brandon Wilson and I live in Louisiana. I found this spider outside under my carport, not 2 feet from where I park my Harley. After some research I have decided that it is a Brown Widow. It is the first one I’ve ever seen with my own eyes. Thought you might like to have the picture.

  36. Melissa says:


    Hi,

    We saw this spider tonight and would like to know what kind it is. Never seen one of these before. It was on the side of our house.

    -Melissa B.

  37. james leff frome englewood colorado says:

    i have a photo of a black fuzzy spider with a white dot then a dash and then two more white dots next to each other can you tell me what it is and if it is dangerous?

  38. Shirley says:

    I saw a spider in my garden this morning…I don’t see a pic on here that looks like it. I wonder if anyone can help me identify it. It was a brownish black with 3 white/ivory diamonds (lined up) on it’s back. It’s belly was white.

  39. Jackie says:

    Hi there,

    I am from Massachusetts, and I was in my car today and saw this little neon green spider out of the corner of my eye on my seat belt. I’ve searched EVERYWHERE online and cannot seem to find a picture that even comes close to this one I saw. So, it’s neon green like I said, and it has a bright orange shape on it’s back. None of my friends could find it online either. It’s driving me crazy at this point. PLEASE HELP! I want to know what the hell was in my car, inches from my face!!

    p.s. it was not a cucumber spider, or a Florida orchard spider, or a lynx, or a green jumping spider. this one was small, short legs, round body, and the bright orange on its back.

  40. Jessica says:

    For Slava from February 16. The spiders you posted pictures of are Triangulate Cobweb spiders. They are beautiful and look almost as though someone has painted triangles right on their backs. They are very mild natured and aren’t known for having toxic venom, although if handled roughly they will bite. They are also known for hunting various other spiders, including brown recluse. These are good guys from the research I have done.

  41. Ayush says:

    Hey, I live in India

    I saw a lot of spiders in my toilet at about 12:30 in the night,there were many of them.
    Some of them were big and some were small.
    Their webs didn’t follow any pattern,they were in kind of an irregular shape.

    The big spiders are brown in colour and their body is not that thick and they hardly moved,

    The small spiders were brown and lighter in colour than the big spiders and their body was less thicker than the big spiders and they were moving around frequently,their brown colour was not that noticeable.

    I fear that one of the small spider bit me on my right foot’s toe,I’m not sure if he really bit me but when I saw he was very near to my foot,but when I check my toes,there is no bite mark.
    I’m feeling some kind of a faint pain all over my right foot.

    What spider is it?any idea?should I show my foot to the doctor?

  42. Alyssa Spears says:

    I don’t have a picture, but I have a spider in my garden in the front of my house. It seems to only come out at night and spin its web. Its web is about a foot/ foot and half and its a perfect circle. I would say its about the size of a nickle and it is light brown and dark brown, and it has little hairs all over its body. It had a large abdomen and on its underside it has a black rectangle and two white dots in it. I have no clue what it is, I have been looking for 2hrs now. I just want to know if its dangerous, for the fact that i have a son and I don’t want him to get bit.

    Please help and thank you,
    Alyssa Spears

  43. San says:

    Live in Ft. Pierce, Florida. My oak tree has a white blanket web that has covered a good portion of the trunk and branches. It seems like one continuous covering, but clearly a web spanning from branch to branch as well as blanketing the bark. Any ideas?

  44. San says:

    No photo yet, but I am trying to identify the spider/s that have invaded my Oak Tree. I have covered a good portion of the trunk and branches as in a white coating. Creepy. I live in Ft. Pierce, Florida. Any ideas. Thanks.

  45. Meghan Sanchez says:

    I don’t have a picture so bear with me. I saw an unusual spider in by backyard and was wondering what it was. I live in northern Illinois, Chicago south suburbs. The spider in question was not overly huge, it would have probably fit on a quarter or even a nickel. It was brown in color with a very large abdomen that had white spots. The most striking thing was it’s unusually short legs. They really looked as if they had been put on the wrong spider. All the legs seemed to be placed closely together toward the front of the body and it skittered around in an unusual way. It ran into the grass and I haven’t seen it since but it’s the most unusual spider i have ever seen. Any idea what it might be? Are they common? Dangerous?

  46. amber says:

    i took this pic from here because i finally found a pic of this spider i have these all over the outside of my house. mainly at night there in the windows the ones which don’t have screens if you can help me out and tell me what this thing is i would really appreciate it!!! are they poisonous?

« Older CommentsNewer Comments »

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *