Spider Identification Guide – Types of Spiders

Have you ever wondered, “What kind of spider is this?” Spiders may look similar to one another, but there are actually tens of thousands of different types of spiders. Regardless of what type they are, they are usually causing panic and hysteria in people that happen to come across them or their webs.

Spiders are made out to be more threatening than they usually are. Most of them are harmless and will actually eat other pests and insects. However, there are a few spiders that are venomous and could land you in the hospital.

The following is a spider identification chart and guide for the types of spiders you will usually come across. If you have been looking for a simple guide for identifying spiders, consider this your spider identifier.

Cobweb/Comb Footed Spiders

These spiders are your classic Halloween-style spiders. They design geometric circular webs and have a bulbous abdomen. Their jaws move sideways like scissors. They have eight tiny eyes all close together. Their legs are short and spindly.

Some of the most common spiders of this kind you will find are the American House Spider, Northern Cobweb Spider, and the False Black Widow. This type of spider likes to relax on its web upside-down in the very middle. The eggs that these spiders lay are kept within the web in sacs.

If this type of spider bites you, it will feel as if you got pricked by a pin. They are not harmful because their venom is weak.

Hourglass/Widow Spiders

These spiders also look similar to the classic spider made to look terrifying in movies. The difference between these and Cobweb and Comb Footed spiders is that these are harmful to humans. The Black Widow is the most famous of these spiders. Their jaws are scissor-like and can bite hard enough to feel as if you got pricked by a pin. They have a set of eight eyes.

Featuring a bulbous abdomen that has an hourglass pattern, these spiders are usually entirely black. Instead of the hourglass marking, some of them have a red spot on their abdomen. Taking cues from Cobweb and Comb Footed spiders, the hourglass and Widow spiders also prefer staying at the center of their webs upside-down. They deposit their eggs into sacs, which they keep on their webs.

When these spiders bite you, they inject a neurotoxin, which causes extreme cramping in your muscles. You can also get nauseous and have a fever. While death is possible, it rarely happens.

Cellar Spiders

These spiders are identifiable by their long spindly legs and tiny bodies. Their mouths also work like scissors. Also sporting a grouping of eight eyes, you will usually come across the oval-bodied Daddy Longlegs spiders within this type. They spin large messy webs that can be unsightly.

This is another type of spider that rests upside-down in its web. If they are disturbed, they tend to shake themselves.

The female spiders of this type will carry around the egg sacs within their jaws. When Cellar Spiders bite you, it is practically irrelevant. This is because the bite is neither painful nor harmful.

Brown/Violin Spiders

These spiders differ from the previous spiders in that they have six instead of eight eyes. Their jaws also move side-to-side like scissors as the other spiders we mentioned. Their unique marking is a violin-shaped pattern on their backs. They have long and slender legs and feature an oval abdomen.

The Brown Recluse is the most identifiable spider in this type. They feast on other insects once they get caught in their tiny mats of sticky silk. They also scavenge for recently-deceased insects.

Although their bite is not that painful, it does inject a cytotoxin that can lead to necrosis of the skin in the bitten area. You can also potentially get a bacterial infection if you do not address the bite wound with proper medical care.

Running Crab/Bark/Flower Spiders

These spiders look like flat ovals or appear as irregular discs with legs. Featuring jaws that move like scissors and eight eyes, they are similar in this regard to most of the other types of spiders. As the name suggests, they appear crab-like and can be occasionally mistaken as tiny crabs.

These spiders do not weave webs. Instead, they patiently wait until their next meal comes across them. Since they camouflage well, they sit in trees, flowers, and leaves. You will rarely get bitten by this type of spider. If you do manage to get a bite from one, it will feel like a pinprick or mild bee sting. However, its venom is not toxic enough to humans to pose you any risk.

Nursery Web Spiders

These spiders also move their jaws from side-to-side. However, they are only gifted with four eyes. They have long abdomens with long fuzzy legs that look spiny. They prefer to stay in one place for hours at a time, stretched out as if baking in the sun. They do occasionally move around and hunt for their prey, but they prefer the more comfortable way of staying in one place. Females will place their egg sacs in their jaws to carry them around.

If you get bitten by this type of spider, it will feel as if a bee stung you. However, they are not harmful to humans even though their large size of nearly an inch in length can be intimidating.

Tarantulas

Everyone knows how these spiders look. However, you may have only seen then in photos and movies. These hairy spiders usually get up to two inches in length, which makes them appear intimidating. Their jaws move up and down, which is different from all the previous types of spiders.

This type of spider creates a mat of silk and lines silk all around wherever it chooses to burrow. Tarantulas eat insects, other spiders, small reptiles, and even mice. The bite of a Tarantula can give you a good amount of pain, but it will not inject any venom. The only danger is getting a secondary bacterial infection.

Wrapping Up

These are some of the most common types of spiders you will come across, either inside or outside. While most of them are harmless, some of these will actually inject venom that will give you a bad day. Seeing spider types with pictures is a helpful way to be prepared for any spider you may potentially come across. Now that you have read this spider identification guide, you will know when you can be relaxed and when to be vigilant around spiders.