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.
i was playing my video game and i had a huge brown spider crawl up my back and i freaked out jumped up and saw it running down the side of my bed so i pulled my bed out and it almost bit my hand so screamed and killed it and saw ANOTHER one of the same spider but bigger and i had that one bite the dust at my hand as well. it was a some what dark brown with a darker brown design down its thorax area. it was about the size of a quarter. i believe it is either a garden spider or wolf spider. i grew up believing the spider i saw was a brown recluse but i looked it up after the account and found out that is was not.
Hi there,
I found this spider running across my carpet just now, and was hoping you can help me identify it. I live in Los Angeles, and found the same type of spider on my kitchen floor last week. The spider appeared to be brown with beige stripes across the lower back area. It was moving at a pretty good but I manged to get a cup over him. Sorry I couldn’t get a bit clear shot! The photos look clearer when they’re in a smaller, thumb nail size for some reason.
Thanks for your help!!
Liz
Hi,
I’m emailing in response to #782. I live in San Diego as well, and see this in and around the house frequently. I have identified it with good certainty (though i’m not a real expert) as the Western Grass Spider, Agelenopsis aperta. The large pedipalps and dark striping give it away. You can tell if you have them if you find funnel-type webs around your yard, typically in grass. These spiders can move very fast, but I have never been able to find out about how poisonous they are. (Though they are frequently in the house in autumn and I have never had a bad bite.) They can also be quite large. I once had to capture one in a cup to get it out of the house, and I actually felt it struggling very hard. If anyone has info on this spider and it’s bite, I am very curious…please let me know.
About ten minutes ago as I was walking to the kitchen I happened to look down and see the biggest spider I’ve ever seen in my life. My boyfriend and I trapped it so that we could identify it and we came across this site and we definately think that it is the same spider as the picture from number 22. We’re pretty sure thats the one because I’ve had a lot of spiders in my house and I’ve NEVER seen anything like this one, and my grandmother just got a package from Buffalo New York so we’re thinking it came in the box. My questions are 1. Is it poisoness? and 2. What kind of spider is it?
Please let me know asap
Thank you so much for your time
~Jenni and John~
Dear Threasa H.,
Concerning your #284 posting with the picture of the goofy looking spider, the spider is a crab spider. http://www.virginmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/pinkcrab-431×300.jpg
use this link to view a picture of it.
hope this helps.
WHAT TYPE OF SPIDER IS SHOWN IN #491
Chris C. It’s so strange you posted that picture on April 3. I saw one of these on my car on April 4 while parked under a tree. I pulled off thinking it would climb back up, but 2 hours of interstate speeds later and it was still hanging on. I put it on a fence and started looking for pictures to tell what it was. It wasn’t aggressive, but that may have been the 2 hour ride on the car-top.
I found this spider lurking near the outside electrical outlet of my house… right outside my sliding glass door. He ran inside the hole next to the outlet after I took it’s picture. The picture is located at:
Any ideas what it is?
I am concerned about the spiders I’ve found within a span of two days. I live in Laredo, Texas (right on the U.S./Mexican border) and the land is very dry and the weather is usually quite warm or hot.
The first picture is one I took outside my University Arts building by the entrance pavement. It was crawling out of the landscaped area, which is not too big. The size of the spider is about 3 inches long.
The second picture is of a similar if not the same exact spider found the next day in my apartment, except, its a younger spider and only about 1 inch long. I live in the second story and there is little greenery outside (a tree and some lawn in the back). The apartment is quite messy and I have 5 guinea pigs (in cages, of course).
My questions:
>Are these spiders dangerous? If they are, then what kind of damage can they cause on humans and on pets such as my guinea pigs?
>Should I notify somebody about this?
>How do I get rid of them?
>Lastly, is it a coincidence I found them one day apart or could my messy apartment be to blame? I should mention, though, that while my apartment may be messy it does not have many insects or bugs (such as roaches) crawling around, which would attract hungry spiders.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks and God Bless.
Valerie
To my own post 884. I contacted our local exterminator and this is a wolf spider. I did capture one and examined him very closely since they often seem to be mistaken for the brown recluse. He in fact had a typical wolf spider eye pattern and 8 eyes, not 6 like the recluse. I developed a rash under my arm after having found one crawling around under my shirt. YUCK! I am still certain I wasn’t bit, but the exterminator did tell me that the hairs these guys have can cause irritation to human skin. It’s getting better with some cortizone cream. Just wanted to let everyone know that also sees any of these things in their home.
Thanks!
Alisha
This spider makes a web each evening at my friend’s house. During the day, or when the weather is bad, the spider moves into a small nook underneath the eave of the house where we took this picture. We live in northeast Florida and haven’t seen a spider like this before. It looks similar to some photos of the European Cross Spider we found online, but none of them seem to have markings as intricate as this one. Any ideas?
For #1 You have a wolf spider.
the bite of the Wolf Spider is poisonous but not lethal. Although non-aggressive, they bite freely if provoked and should be considered dangerous to humans. The bite may be very painful. First aid and medical attention should be sought as soon as possible, particularly as to children or the elderly.
an adult is 1/2 inch to more than 1 inch in body length – mottled gray to brown in color, with a distinct Union Jack impression on its back. The female carries it’s young on its back.
this spider is a ground dweller, with a burrow retreat. It has a roving nocturnal lifestyle to hunt their prey and can move very rapidly when disturbed. Commonly found around the home, in garden areas with a silk lined burrow, sometimes with a lid or covered by leaf litter or grass woven with silk as a little fence around the rim of the burrow.
Hi. We are in Central Virginia. This was dead when we took the picture. Know what it is??
Thanks!
Jessi
WE found this today and I can’t figure out what it is. It reminds me of a black window and a red back from Austraila. anything know?
hello there :) i found this Spider in my room and i put it in a Box and it Died ! “OPS” and i wanna know if its poisonous or not !
Hi
I’m trying to ID this spider
Any help would be great.
I live on the south coast of NSW Australia
Thanks Steve
Hi. I am hoping someone can tell me what type of spider this is. I’ve seen 4 of these in the house over a period of 2 weeks and last night I arrived home to find another dead one bringing the count to 5. I can’t seem to identify it. The closest thing I’ve found in appearance was a Barn Funnel Weaver. One of my dogs has killed 2 of these, but hasn’t bitten into them. I am concerned since I have kids and I certainly do not want my dog becoming ill if he accidentally punctures one. We live in Berks County in Pennsylvania and 3 of these were found in our newly remodeled basement. We had to actually dig a couple of feet down for head room purposes so we exposed previously covered rock walls. I have looked for webs and haven’t found any. 2 of these spiders were found in our living room, possibly from the heat ducts since they were both found around that area. They are extremely fast. The one pictured was not that quick, but he is missing a leg. Obviously I have some sort of infestation. I am not usually into killing spiders, but I’ve been emailing anyone and everyone who may be able to positively identify this thing and I’m getting no where. Please, Please tell me what this is if you can.
Thanks,
Alisha
This was in my house could help me identify
thanks
Bill
#38 – I don’t know the name of that type of spider, but my mother found a few on her back porch last summer. When she collected one and showed it to the exterminator, she was STERNLY warned to stay away from them! They were imported on building materials nearby and can be extremely poisonous. Please be careful and have your house/yard sprayed!
#89 – Though they don’t look like the “typical” brown recluse spider, I have always been taught to kill those right away and be careful. I spent multiple summers interning at a youth camp in southern Oklahoma, and the two specimens we were shown and told to stay away from were two different-looking species of brown recluse–one of which looks just like your photo. Be careful!!
#739 looks like a daring jumping spider
In the past month we have had these spiders in and around our house. I have had the house sprayed by SOS, but it doesn’t seem to kill them. We live in Tucson, AZ and have my nasty spiders. I have a 14 month old son and dog that tries to eat them!!! I would like to know what I am dealing with in case they are poisonous! Thanks for your time. I hope you will know what type of spider this is!
Any word on what spider #816 is? I just killed one exactly like it in my son’s room (my daughter was getting ready to play with it). Is it a brown widow? Help!
Hi there, keep finding these guys around my house… one on the wall next to my bed. Found three of them hiding in the shower curtain.
I live on the south shore of Lake Tahoe, we have snow on the ground, it’s cold and somewhat wet. Didn’t think the spiders would be an issue already.
They are about 2-3 inches large (pretty big in my book!). Orange/brown/maroon legs; darker body & abdomen.
The two little balls look like antenna, although my girlfriend is convinced these are venomous balls of impending doom. As a result, I have to find out what this spider is.
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!
Numbers 32 and 48 look like spiders in Florida that I see all the time called bananna spiders. I think they give you one heck of a bite but don’t do much harm atleast that is what I have been told. I try to avoid them if I see them. They are just huge and make enormous webs.
Number 70 I have seen while camping in osceola national forest in florida too. I was wondering the same thing what the heck it was. It was pretty but still had no clue what it was. I may have a pic if I do I will attach it.
I have a new encounter with a spider making itself at home at my house in Middleburg, Florida right now have found two in the past couple of weeks. He is about the size of a quarter fuzzy black with blue eyes and almost a smile/3 dots that resemble a smile on his body very strange. I don’t know if he is dangerous but I sprayed him with bug killer and it just stunned him for a few minutes. Any help would be great. Thanks Manda
Hi, I am in California. I caught several spiders and bred them, and i have egg sacs and spiderlings now. However, I do not know what kind they are. They are quite small, brown, and use their spinnerets in a figure eight pattern to weave webs and sacs.
Thanks!
Rachel #22
My daughter was bit on her arm by a spider that is identical to the one pictured in 22. Can you please help identify it. Im very nervous because everyone keeps thinking its a recluse. The spider was about the size of a quarter with a small body and longer legs. Id show you apicture but its squished as all spiders should be. Thanks. Dean
i was bitten by this the other night and it is really starting to hurt. i feel nauseous and am dizzy all the time when im standing. the bite is now reddish purple and 4 inches in diameter. what should i do? what is it?
I saw a spider crawl out of my blanket before sitting on my bed. I caught a pretty good glance at it, but couldn’t get a picture.
It was about 2 inches long, and looked like a brown recluse, without the violin shape body.
It was brown,
no fuzz,
no stripes,
and pretty angular.
It’s still alive in my room somewhere, so I wanted to know what it was, and if its poison was dangerous.
I haven’t been bitten that I know of, but I am being cautious.
Can you ID this spider?
Found in San Diego, CA.
On ceiling, in house, 5 miles from ocean.
Thank you.
Best wishes,
Arnie
I didn’t get a picture of the spider because it was running in my kitchen and my two year old was around so I just got rid of it. I can’t find a match online and just want to know if it could be poisonous. It was black with a black stripe on it’s back. a little stockier of a spider than the black widdows. almost looked like a black wolf spider but with no hair and a red strip on it’s back. Thanks for any help!
We live in the bay area in California (silicon valley) and found this spider behind our bed. we have an infant in the house and so are worried as it looked menacing. Its about a half inch long from leg to leg.
Thanks!
Tom
I need help ID-ing this spider or at least “maybe” its family’s roots. Every three or four months, there would be one appearing in my restroom (rarely anywhere else, except for perhaps twice). Several are as big as a half-dollar (with legs apart) or a lil bigger, while some are as small as a quarter. It runs pretty fast, too.. And instinct makes me hit it.. This time though, it just curls up after an attack of RAID. >.< It looks like a Brown Recluse but I’m having a hard time finding a violin-shape on it or my eyes are just bad at it.. Any ideas? Thanks..
I do not have a picture… but when I lived in Georgia, there was this beige colored spider hanging up in the corner, outside of my apartment door…. It looked like a black widow… only thing is that its whole body was a light beige color and it had a orange red colored dot on its other side. It had its legs tucked in aorund its body during the day, and came to life during the night time. If anybody can help me identify that spider….
My grandson left his shoes by the sofa last night and this morning one of them was covered in a very thick sticky web and it looked like a round tunnal going down in to the shoe. when i hit the shoe on the ground a large brown looking spidar droped out and ran in to the brush very fast. I am worried that it could be harmful to the kids. can you give me any info on this type of web building spidar. We live in Oregon
We found a fuzzy little brown spider with tan marks on its back. One of the marks in the middle is shapped like a perfect heart. He looks like a very tiny tarantula, hes about an inch long. We live in southwest Florida and I, personally, have never seen one like this ever, and Ive seen lots of creepy crawlies. Any ideas? [we’re keeping him in a glass tank in the garage.]
I had a spider in my polebarn like number 539 and #810 its dead now but i almost got it on my head what kind is it and how venemous? i know its poisonous because of the brightly colored legs and abdomen. thank you i hope you can help me before i find another
HELP!!!!
Is this a brown recluse?
i found it over my daughters changing table and im really scared!!!!!
help
Danielle
I live in Upstate NY, just moved into a new apartment and the only critter I’ve come across (at least 1-4 times daily) is a spider, light in color like a light brown except for its abdomen which is a very light color, I would almost say white. In looking at some pictures, I might venture to say it’s reminiscent of a sac spider. These spiders are always on the wall or ceiling and there are no webs in the apartment.
I do, however, have a full basement and I would venture to say there are cobwebs down there for sure. I’m not afraid of spiders and have no problem putting them out of my misery when I do find them inside, but my one-year-old granddaughter gets bit on the face, neck or head ever single night she’s here. She sleeps in the same room as me and I haven’t been bitten once! How do I get rid of these buggers and should I be concerned that the baby is getting bitten? I’ve washed the bites and applied anti-itch cream because I did find her itching them once. They don’t rupture or blister or anything like that but I don’t want the poor baby having to deal with spider bites every time she’s visiting her grandma. The basement includes two hot water tanks, a fuel tank and a heater system, so not sure if bombing would be safe. Please advise. Many thanks! And I’ll try to get a pic soon.
today…about an hour ago…i found a big greenish yellow spider on my apartment floor, it was atleast 4 inches NOT including legs…i would really appriciate it if someone knew what it was. i have a 3 year old daughter that loves spiders and i need to know if it is dangerous.oh, and i live in Nashville TN.
thanks!
My roommates and I live on campus at Cal Poly Pomona, Ca. We saw a large spider:
4 inches long (at least)
8 legs (4 on each side)
Black – shiny (like a black widow)
With one bright yellow stripe (almost neon yellow)
Fangs visibly large even from 5 feet away
I don’t have an picture but I live in Kansas and I’ve seen wolf spiders but this one day I saw a spider that just didn’t look right, it was about an inch body wise with long legs yellow and black I’m guessing it was a St. Andrew cross do they live in this state? My daughter was biten by some kind of spider that look like mosquito bite but when the white bump busted it left a hole in her leg about half an inch deep what kind of spider could that have been? I have black spider that move funny like slow mo but can jump what kind is that and are the posion. Thank you please give me your comment……
Found this one the wall in my backyard in a rural area outside of Phoenix, AZ. We have lots of spiders living in the gravel outside,but I’ve never seen one this big! She was out in the afternoon and moved pretty slow for a spider. I wonder about her leg, it looks discolored. Anway, never seen a spider like this and wondering if anyone could tell me if it is dangerous or not.
My wife took the attached pictures at our front door about 20 seconds before….splat. We looked up different spiders trying to identify the spider. Our consensus is that it is a Hobo Spider, what do you think?
Pat
i found this spider living on my porch it barely ever moves when I’m around and it always seems to be in the same spot. Thank you.
Hello, all. I live in Southern Georgia. I have black and brown widows living in the vinyl siding of my house and all in the nooks and crannies. I found this one in my living room inches away from where I was playing on the ground with my bird and chihuahua pup. My b/f killed it before I could take a pre-mortem photo. I wish I had a better camera. Is it at all possible to tell from a dead spider what it was? See photo. Thank you for any help!
I live about an hour and a half east of Portland OR, in high desert. I found these spiders in my house a couple months ago. I ignored it at first because it was keeping the flies at bay but it quickly grew to a (in my opinion) monstrous size, plus it had babies. Eventually I squished them, but I still would like to know what kind they are. They are brownish, furryish with kind of striped legs. The female had a yellow spot on her butt and the male(?)/baby had a red spot on his butt. The largest one was (including legs) about the size of a quarter or a fifty cent piece.
I will email pictures of the beasts.
I found a spider when I was small I was playing in my room and sudenly. It kinda well seemed like it flied trough the window. And came on the wall. I first thought it was fake. but it semed to be alive. MY dad killed it.
It was like pitch black but had a yellow cross on it’s back. It was big also.
IT was in the Netherlands. (Europe) I don’t have a pic of it though.
Hi, I’m from the east coast of Australia. I work in a school and when we walked into one of the classrooms today there was an enormous spider on the wall that no-one on staff could identify. It was furry, pure white with two big black eyes right on the top of its head. With its legs extended it was roughly the size of a mans hand, a little larger than a mouse spider. someone thought it might be a bird-eating spider but our climate is too cold for them. Does anyone have any ideas? If it’s poisonous we’ll have to get in the pest exterminators. Sorry, none of us were willing to get close enough to it to take a picture! Thanks.
Hi, I live in a sand forest in a wetlands in south africa. We have millions of bugs, spiders, scorpions, snakes, birds, mosquitoes, etc. But I have come across a weird scary spider/scorpion twice in one week.
It was at the entrance to my back door (mambas are also fond of this spot). There are ants that make sand living in the skirting, so I don’t know if it is attracted to the sand. Both times it’s been a hot morning.
It has a long black body with one or two white stripes running down the length of it. (About an an inch long minus the head).
The body ends in what looks like a scorpion sting, this actually lifted up and opened up to push out a black sting while I was spraying it with pesticide.
The two sets of back legs seem normal, with the front set as follows:
the front legs come up in front and are long, resembling scorpion pinchers.
the legs behind these (second from the front and third from the back) are short and silly looking, set close to the legs behind it.
I nearly fainted when I saw the sting come out. I am way too far from a hospital to get bitten by something deadly. At least with snakes you know a mamba’s a mamba and a cobra’s a cobra.
The body seemed smooth but the legs were hairy. I squashed the second one eventually, they are so fast! Quite aggressive too.
Any ideas on the venomous levels of this type? They seem to be living near my back door, and so are my dogs!
Thanks, Char
I Live in Massachusetts, I’ve seen a dark/Reddish brown spider in my wood
pile. The the body and legs resemble that of a black widow, but lack the
distinct black color with the red hourglass shape on its abdomen. They live
in an erratic web. For the first time found one in the house. I have a new
born baby and want to make sure this is not I should be concerned with. See
the attached photo. I’m sorry about the poor quality.
Thanks for all your help