Of the 40,000 species of spiders in the world, more than 3,000 find their habitat in the countries of North America. This article will help you identify the most common species you can find in Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and the United States. You can identify most spiders by the type of web they build. There are some spiders, such as hunters, that do not create cobwebs, and others that create them underground and are never seen by most people.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: The Most Common Spiders in the United States
Of the thousands of spider species that live in the United States, only two can be found in all states except Alaska: the common house spider and the black widow.
Step 1. You can easily identify a black widow by looking at her abdomen:
you will see a red hourglass on her sparkling black body.
Step 2. Find common house spiders thanks to their confusing and tangled webs
They build them in corners, often in attics and cellars.
- Observe the dimensions: most common house spiders can measure between 6 and 20 mm.
- Note the colors: all common household spiders are brown or brown-black and have no particular identifying markings, such as hourglass or violin. Their legs may be a faint yellow color with darker rings around the end of the legs and at the joints in between.
- Check if they "play dead". Common house spiders are shy, and in most cases they will pretend to be dead if they feel threatened.
Method 2 of 4: Canada's Most Common Spiders
Three of the most common spiders that live in Canada are the fisher spider, the cellar spider, and the wolf spider.
Step 1. Find fishing spiders, also called harbor spiders, near bodies of water:
ponds, swamps and rivers, and on plants near water. You will often see them along the coasts and in houses near the water.
- See if the spider appears to be skating on the water. The fisher spider can also dive underwater to catch prey.
- Note the hallmarks. Most fishing spiders are brown or gray and have white markings on their backs.
- Check the size of the spider. Fishing spiders, with extended legs, can measure up to 100 mm.
Step 2. Look for cellar spiders in cellars or in any cool, damp and dark places
- Find basement spiders by looking for their webs, which are usually found in corners close to the ceiling.
- Note the length of the spider's legs. Cellar spiders have very long legs and are often mistaken for opilionids, which in fact, aren't even spiders. (They do not have the two distinct parts of the body).
- Eliminate cellar spiders, which are harmless, by removing their webs. Their reappearance will be less likely if you reduce the humidity in your basement.
Step 3. Find the wolf spiders by looking on the ground, on the beach and in the garden
Wolf spiders are hunters and do not create webs to catch their prey.
- Look for these spiders as they walk the ground looking for insects to eat.
- Note the color: they are dark brown and never black.
- Identify a female wolf spider with a rather large ootheca on its body.
- Be careful - although wolf spiders prefer to live and hunt outdoors, they will seek out warmer places, such as your home, when the weather gets colder.
Method 3 of 4: The Most Common Spiders in the Caribbean
The 2 most common spiders in the Caribbean are araneid spiders and tarantulas.
Step 1. Look for araneids in many shapes, sizes and colors
Their habitats include house corners and grass lawns.
- Look for a round abdomen and bodies that measure between 6 and 20mm.
- Note the colors. Most araneids range from orange-brown to deep brown and black.
- Observe the spiders in their web. An araneid will remain upside down in the center of its web.
Step 2. Wait for the night to have a better chance of seeing a tarantula
They hide in ditches during the day and hunt when it gets dark.
Step 3. Note the dimensions
It is not difficult to identify a tarantula - they are among the largest spiders in the world. And you will also have a lot of time to observe it - they move very slowly.
Method 4 of 4: Mexico's Most Common Spiders
Two of the most common spiders in Mexico are the jumping spider and the Mexican red-knee tarantula.
Step 1. Look for jumping spiders outdoors and in homes
They prefer to hunt in the daytime and jump on their prey, hence their name.
- Look for sudden movements when you see this spider walking. Even though it is very small, this spider can jump several times its measure in length.
- Look at his eyes; the two central eyes are rather large when compared to the other 6.
Step 2. Find red-knee tarantulas at dusk or at night when they are hunting
Most of these spiders will remain underground during the daylight hours.
- Look for a very eye-catching design on the knees, which will be either deep orange or red. These obvious markings are a unique feature of this tarantula species.
- Note the carapace; it will be black with a brown-red color around the perimeter.
