Spiders are the creature that belongs to the ‘Arachnids’ group of animals of the ecosystem. Arachnids are creatures that have two body segments (front and rear), Eight legs, No wings or antennae. Arachnids are unable to chew their food. Hence they always directly swallow it.
Many people think the spiders are insects, but they are mistaken. Since insects have six legs and have three main body parts, Spiders are not referred to or classified as insects.
There are various types of spiders across the world. These are good creatures as they can help in bug control around residing areas. But to have a use for the spiders, one must keep them near themselves and never be done if one is afraid of spiders and cannot bear to be close to them.
Also, Arachnophobia (fear of spiders and other arachnids) is the most common phobia that ordinary people generally suffer nowadays. A spider identification chart can be used as a tool to help you identify various spiders and know about their types.
But to tackle this fear of spiders, a person can at least educate themselves about these fascinating eight-legged creatures and gain as much knowledge as possible. Enlisting these various types of spiders and a spider identification chart below:
Types of Spiders
Tarantula
When we think of giant scary spiders, the first name that clicks in our mind has made a world’s reputation as one of the most giant and most feared Spiders. It is also famously known as the “Baboon Spider” in various parts of the world, mainly in central Africa, because of its gigantic size and hairy body, somewhat like that of a Baboon monkey.
It is believed that female Tarantula is more significant than their male counterparts. The research shows that a female Tarantula can grow up to 12 inches in length while the male can be as big as 8 inches. This large size proves to be scary for many people.
The Tarantula can be of dark colors like Gray, Brown, and Black. They have dark black striped legs. While some people find Tarantulas terrorizing, others are fascinated by its uniqueness and consider getting it as a pet.
An astonishing fact about Tarantula is that they do not create a web to seize their prey. Moreover, they even discovered that these types of spiders do not even know how to create webs. This rationale also sets the ground to justify Tarantula as a pet since it keeps the house clean.
Surprisingly, it is discovered that Tarantula is a timid and harmless creature, although it can sometimes show signs of malice when triggered. It is believed that Tarantula shows hostile behavior when they find other males mating with their females. They express their anger by putting their legs high up in the air or by hissing.
Brown Recluse Spider
As their name suggests, Brown Recluse Spider is mostly found in brown color but can also be seen in shades of cream, grey, and black. These spiders have only six sets of eyes, whereas spiders commonly have eight sets of eyes.
Since Brown Recluse Spider has a shape that resembles a violin, it is also famously called The Violin Spider. These spiders are smaller than the Tarantula, ranging from one to two inches only but have a similar hairy body.
Various research shows that these spiders’ different colors are due to the different locations where these spiders are found. That is, varying locations have Brown Recluse Spiders of varying colors. These different colors offer the Violin Spider the ability of camouflage to help them prevent predators.
These spiders mainly exist in areas that are deserted or rarely used/visited by humans. These places mainly include a backyard, sheds, storage areas, and attics. Therefore, it can be perceived that their natural habitat might be your household.
The Brown Recluse Spider’s web is comparatively more robust and used by these spiders to capture their food, mainly comprised of cockroaches and crickets. Although some people might not know that spiders are dangerous to humans as they inject venom into our body via a nasty bite.
Camel Spider
Camel Spiders are popularly known by the names like the “Wind Scorpion” or the “Sun Spider.” These spiders have specific characteristics common with that of a scorpion. Hence scientists are still debating whether these are spiders or another type of scorpion. These are mainly mistaken for scorpions because of their unusual long size, 3 inches to 6 inches, like the size of many reptiles.
These spiders have bigger eyes than their other counterparts. Hence these are also known by the name of “Big-eyed Spider.” Camel Spiders can be found in a wide range of hues of brown color. They range from Tanto Light Brown to Black color. The male Camel Spiders are comparatively very small than the female spiders. They are so small that they are mostly deluded to baby spiders by people.
Camel Spiders are the types of spiders classified as shy spiders as they conceal themselves mostly in darker areas. These areas include beneath the rocks, wooden boards, clothing piles, attics, sheds, basements, or predominantly in any area where they can hide or conceal themselves from predators.
The astonishing fact that helps us distinguish between a camel spider and other types of spiders is that they can run so fast that it seems that they travel at the speed of light. On research, it was found that Camel Spiders run with a speed of 10 miles per hour!
These spiders mainly acquire their nourishment from insects, both dead or alive, and can store fat in their bodies, which can be used as per their food requirement. They mainly consume rodents, lizards, termites, and beetles.
Black Widow Spider
The Black Widow Spider is the type of Spider known as one of the most dangerous spiders present in the wild. Their humongous venomous glands secrete fluid in the bloodstream that causes unbearable pain, especially when bitten by its female counterpart.
The female black widow spiders are easy to spot as they have a pitch-black body with small red color spots on them. On the other hand, the male spiders endure a white or white-colored body. The female spiders are approximately double the size of the male ones.
The black widow spiders are mainly found in the hot or warmer regions of the world. These regions include parts of Mexico, the United States of America, and Canada. They find shelter and tend to remain in hiding as soon as the weather gets cold.
They wait for their prey while hanging in an upside-down position and infuse their venom into their prey as soon as it approaches their web. They mainly feed on cockroaches, insects, and beetles.
Wolf Spider
Wolf spiders got their name for resembling the face of the wolf. They have a breakneck pace and a highly muscular body. They are spotted in different shapes and sizes and have eight sets of eyes. The body color of these types of spiders varies depending on the region that they are found in.
This species is spread worldwide but is frequently spotted in North Carolina and its surrounding areas. They are mainly seen in grassy fields, suburban and coastal areas.
The wolf spiders have accomplished diggers. They spend most of their time digging burrows in the ground. They mostly use these burrows
This characteristic of these spiders shows that their smartness and intelligence cannot be questioned. Since these spiders are good at concealing themselves in woods and behind small rocks, they are not easily found. It is only in the cold weather that they come out of their hiding and turn to household and basements.
Another reason why these are known as “Wolf Spiders” is that they eat like a wolf. They have flexible abdomen and tend to feed even on crickets and flies. A lesser-known fact about male wolf spiders is that they are drawn to their female counterparts due to their fragrance.
They advance towards them with warmth and vigilance as females can get angry and turn hostile when approached. The males usually dance to soothe angry females.
Jumping Spiders
It is a surprising fact that there are approximately 5,000 species of the Jumping Spider. The number of these spiders is estimated to be approx. 13% of all the spiders present in the world. These types of spiders have four large eyes that are lined in a single row.
This species is believed to have better eyesight than others as three of the four eyes provide them with the virtue of sight. Contrary to its other arachnid counterparts, this species has lungs with a tracheal system like that of insects.
The Jumping Spider got its name for its distinctive ability to jump higher. It is found that they jump with the aid of their silk. During the daytime, they even jump from one site to another in search of food. They generally feed on common bugs and insects. They are found in mountainous, grassland, and forest regions. They require proper food and shelter to survive in these areas.
Goliath Bird-Eater Spider
The Goliath Bird-Eater Spiders are the types of spiders that hail from the Tarantula family of spiders and are known to be the world’s most giant spiders. They are known to have a leg span of colossal 12 inches!
They got their title of “Bird-Eater” when one researcher observed one Spider consuming a hummingbird. From that point, these were separately known as the fearsome bird-eater spiders. The “Goliath” refers to their gigantic size.
This species of spiders are native to the land of South America. The rainforests of South America offer them the perfect habitation. Like the wolf spiders, they also possess the ability to dig deep burrows and use them as shelter and trap doors to capture their prey.
These types of spiders are known to be aggressive and dominant and have a fighting streak. They tend to shoe combative behavior towards other spiders in matters of claiming their territory and proprietorship.
When they feel threatened by other spiders or animals, they make hissing noises by rubbing their legs together. When a Goliath spider is seen rubbing its legs, it is advised to stay safe from them as they are also believed to have one of the deadliest venoms.
Golden Silk Spider
The Golden Silk Spider got its name from the golden-colored web that it builds. These spiders are also widely known as the “Giant Wood Spider” or the “Banana Spider” because of their web’s unique color.
This eccentric hue of the Spider’s silk makes its web more enticing than any other spider’s web. Even so, the golden hue is not the only feature that distinguishes this Spider’s web. The webs of these spiders are created in a dramatic zig-zag style.
The Giant Wood Spider is found in several distinctive colors. They are spotted in shades of red, green, yellow, black, or brown. The standard body attribute is the white spots on their abdomen and legs. The female spiders grow up to 2-3 inches long, whereas the male counterparts are only 1-2 inches long. Yet, the size of these types of spiders highly varies with changes in their habitat.
This species of Spider is one the most common and can be found worldwide, especially in areas with warmer climatic conditions. A significant population of this Spider can be spotted in Madagascar, Australia, and the USA.
The Golden Silk Spider depends on their other senses rather than the virtue of sight as they are unable to see correctly. They detect danger through vibrations and run or jump to defend themselves.
They mainly feed on small or medium-sized creatures. Their primary food sources comprise flies, moths, grasshoppers, butterflies, mosquitoes, and tiny snakes. Although these spiders are venomous, yet they do not bite humans unless threatened.
Brazilian Wandering Spider
The Brazilian Wandering Spider is claimed to be in a constant battle with the Black Widow Spider to wear the crown of the “deadliest spider in the world.” Its venom is highly lethal. These spiders can grow up to 6 inches in length and about 2 inches wide around their abdomen.
This species is mainly found wandering in jungles, peculiarly in the dark and damp grounds. The significant regions where these can be spotted include the forests of Columbia, Peru, Costa Rica, Paraguay, and Brazil.
The most unusual places of hiding of the Brazilian Wandering Spider include bananas. They conceal themselves in crates full of bananas that are about to be exported. This is the main reason how they are spread in other parts of the world. They expose their vehement side when in combat or held captive. They tend to be very aggressive when they fight for territory and mate.
Hobo Spider
The Hobo Spider is combative and a fearsome creature. Contrary to other spiders, this type of Spider does not come in various colors. Their body is brown spots on it. They contain V-marks on their central abdomen along with two striking spinnerets popping out of their abdomen.
The native place of this species of spiders can be considered as Europe. These creatures are now believed to have moved to various other places, especially Seattle in the United States of America. The main reason for this spread of Hobo spiders is the agricultural shipments sent to the United States, which might have contained Hobo eggs.
The Hobo spiders are excellent hiders as the chances of a person encountering one are very rare. They usually hide during the summer season or warm climate. This is the time when they can be found inside your houses.
They are distinctively recognized around the world for the special funnel-web that they build. The major constituents of their diet include silverfish, flies, beetles, and cockroaches. Another fact about Hobo spiders is that, like their sister species Golden Silk Spider, they are known to have low vision, due to which they are unable to climb and hence prefer to live on the surface properly.
Spider Identification Chart
|
Sr No. |
Name |
Identification |
|||||
|
Picture |
Colour |
Body |
Area |
Diet |
Feature |
||
|
01. |
Tarantula |
 |
Grey, Brown, Black
Dark Lines on Legs |
8-12 inches long Big size & hairy body |
Various parts of Africa |
Small insects and bugs |
Unable to make webs |
|
02. |
Brown Recluse |
 |
Brown, Cream, Grey, Black |
Six sets of eyes |
Backyards, Sheds, Attics, and other dark areas |
Pests like crickets and roaches |
Violin like shape |
|
03. |
Camel Spider |
 |
Range of brown color from tan to dark hues |
3-6 inches long
Big-eyed |
Under the rocks, wooden boards sheds |
Rodents, lizards, termites, beetles |
Fast speed
Store food in the form of fat |
|
04. |
Black Widow |
 |
Dark body with red spots
White color |
Have venomous glands.
Female double size of male |
Warm area of United States, Mexico, Canada |
Roaches, Insects, and Beetles |
Most dangerous Spider in the world with lethal venom |
|
05. |
Wolf Spider |
 |
Color depends on varying areas |
Eight eyes are varying in size & shape.
Muscular
|
Coastal, Suburban areas of North Carolina |
Crickets and Flies
Eats like a wolf |
Face Resembling a Wolf
Dig Burrows deep in the earth |
|
06. |
Jumping Spider |
 |
Variety of Colours |
Four large Eyes lined in a single row |
Forests, woodlands, Grasslands, Mountainous areas |
Bugs and other small insects |
Have lungs and tracheal system.
Jump with the help of silk |
|
07. |
Golden Silk Spider |
 |
Red, Green, Yellow or Black |
Grows up to 2 inches long.
White spots on abdomen and legs |
Madagascar, Australia, USA (Texas and Carolina) |
Flies, Moths, Grasshoppers, Tiny Snakes |
Unable to see appropriately.
Golden colored silk
Webs are zig zag style |
|
08. |
Goliath Bird-Eater |
 |
Dark shades of Brown and Black |
Leg Span of about 12 inches |
Rainforests of South America |
Small Birds and Insects |
World’s Biggest Spider
Show anger by hissing and rubbing legs |
|
09. |
Brazilian Wandering Spider |
 |
Variety of Colours
|
Can reach up to 6 inches |
Forests in Peru, Columbia, Costa Rica, Brazil, and Paraguay |
Small Bugs and insects |
Claimed as deadliest Spider.
Hiding places include banana crates |
|
10. |
Hobo Spider |
 |
Brown shade with black spots on bodies |
The central region of the abdomen has V marks with two spinnerets |
Europe and some parts of the United States, mainly Seattle |
Silverfish, Flies, Beetles, Roaches |
Excellent Hider
Have Poor Vision |
Conclusion
The above facts conclude that it is understandable why the spiders are regarded as fearsome creatures but still, there is a lot of information to be gained about them.