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What spider is this?
Free AI spider identifier

Upload a photo and get the species, how worried to actually be, and what to do next. Most house spiders are harmless and useful — the tool will tell you when yours is one of the two that are not.

2 That matter in N. America
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Spider Identifier

A top-down photo showing the body markings works best

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  2. 2Details
  3. 3Scan
  4. 4Result
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Analyzing with AI…

Our AI is examining visual features, patterns, and markings of the bug.

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Analyzing visual features
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    What spider is this?

    Upload a photo and the identifier reads body shape, leg proportion, eye arrangement, markings and web type, then names the most likely species with a plain safety rating for where you live.

    First, confirm it is a spider at all: eight legs, two body sections and no antennae. Six legs with antennae is an insect, and the general bug identifier handles that instead.

    Only two North American spiders are medically significant

    Out of roughly 3,000 spider species in North America, two are genuinely worth recognising. Nearly everything else is either harmless to people or unable to break skin.

    SpeciesHow to recognise itWhere
    Black widowLatrodectus mactansGlossy black, globular abdomen, red hourglass on the underside. Builds a messy, irregular web low down.Widespread; garages, woodpiles, sheds
    Brown recluseLoxosceles reclusaUniform tan, a darker violin shape behind the eyes, and six eyes in three pairs rather than the usual eight. Legs are plain, with no bands or spines.Central and southern US only — outside that range, it is almost certainly something else

    The range point matters more than people expect. Brown recluses are reported from all over the country and confirmed from a fairly narrow band of it; a plain brown spider in New York or California is overwhelmingly likely to be a harmless look-alike. Location is one of the strongest clues you can give the tool.

    The spiders you actually find indoors

    Cellar spider

    Tiny body, extremely long thin legs, tangled web in a ceiling corner. Harmless — and it hunts other spiders, black widows included.

    Jumping spider

    Small, compact, fuzzy, with two large forward-facing eyes. Hunts by stalking rather than webbing. Curious rather than aggressive, and harmless.

    Wolf spider

    Large, hairy, fast, often mistaken for something dangerous. Carries its egg sac attached to the body, and its young on its back. A bite stings but is not medically serious.

    Common house spider

    Small, drab, brown or grey, tangled web in corners and window frames. The one most people are actually looking at when they reach for a shoe.

    The web is a clue in its own right

    WebPoints to
    Classic wheel shape, verticalOrb weavers — garden spiders, harmless
    Messy, irregular tangle, low to the groundCobweb spiders, including black widows
    Flat sheet with a funnel retreat at one edgeFunnel weavers — fast, and almost always harmless
    No web at allHunting spiders — wolf and jumping spiders

    Should I kill it?

    Usually not. House spiders eat the insects you actually mind — flies, mosquitoes, moths, and other spiders. Cellar spiders will take on black widows, which makes them worth more alive than dead.

    To move one out: trap it under a glass, slide a piece of paper underneath, and release it outside. If you have confirmed a black widow or a brown recluse indoors — not suspected, confirmed — that is a reasonable time to call a licensed pest professional rather than handle it yourself.

    Answers

    Frequently asked questions

    What spider is this?

    Upload a clear photo and the identifier names the most likely species from body shape, leg proportion, markings, eye arrangement and web type, with a safety rating for your location. Adding your city matters here — range rules out a lot of look-alikes.

    Is this spider dangerous?

    Almost certainly not. Only two North American spiders are medically significant: the black widow, which is glossy black with a red hourglass underneath, and the brown recluse, which is uniform tan with a violin mark and six eyes, and only within the central and southern US.

    How do I identify a brown recluse?

    Uniform tan colour with no banding or spines on the legs, a darker violin shape behind the head, and six eyes arranged in three pairs instead of the usual eight. Range is the strongest filter: outside the central and southern US, a plain brown spider is very unlikely to be one.

    What is the difference between a spider and an insect?

    Spiders have eight legs, two body sections and no antennae. Insects have six legs, three body sections and usually antennae. Spiders are arachnids, in the same group as ticks, mites and scorpions.

    What are the spiders with really long legs in my ceiling?

    Cellar spiders — tiny body, very long thin legs, tangled web in a corner. Harmless to people, and useful: they prey on other spiders, including black widows.

    Should I kill house spiders?

    There is rarely a reason to. House spiders eat flies, mosquitoes, moths and other spiders. Trap one under a glass, slide paper underneath and release it outdoors. Call a professional only for a confirmed black widow or brown recluse indoors.

    Do spiders bite people while they sleep?

    Very rarely. Spiders have no reason to bite a person and mostly bite only when pressed against skin. Most marks blamed on sleeping spider bites turn out to be insect bites or skin conditions. If you are looking at a mark rather than a spider, use the bug bite identifier instead.

    Can you identify a spider from its web?

    The web narrows it considerably. A vertical wheel means an orb weaver, a messy low tangle means a cobweb spider such as a widow, a flat sheet with a funnel means a funnel weaver, and no web at all means a hunting spider like a wolf or jumping spider.

    This page is for general information and identification help. It is not a pest-control or medical diagnosis. For an infestation, or a venomous spider indoors, contact a licensed pest professional.