Alabama has various spider species, including common and rare spiders.
Although many people are terrified of spiders, the truth is that most spider bites aren’t dangerous, especially with immediate medical attention.
On the other hand, it’s still important to know how to identify the different types of spiders in Alabama.
This is so that you can correctly identify your spider bite as non-dangerous or seek necessary treatment.
These 23 types of spiders in Alabama can be found almost anywhere in the state – can you identify all of them?
1. Wolf Spider
Wolf spiders are a common type of spider in Alabama. Though they are not closely related, they are often mistaken for the brown recluse.
The wolf spider is typically brown and has a pattern of stripes on its back that resembles a wolf’s fur coat.
These spiders have large, hairy abdomens and long legs with hair at their tips. Females can grow up to 10mm, while males grow up to 4mm in size.
2. Black Widow
Black Widow is a common type of spider in Alabama and worldwide. They are typically black with an hourglass on their abdomen but can also be brown or tan.
The female is much larger than the male, often eating him when mating. Black Widows are very aggressive spiders that will not hesitate to bite if provoked.
3. Trapdoor Spider
Trapdoor spiders are among the most common types of spiders in Alabama. These spiders typically live in caves and holes, hence their name.
A small slit can identify trapdoor spider homes on their tunnel covered with dirt or leaves. Trapdoor spiders typically stay inside these homes during the day and come out to hunt for food at night.
4. Brown Recluse
The Brown Recluse Spiders (Loxosceles reclusa) is recluse types of spiders in Alabama. They are brown or tan with a violin-shaped marking on the top of their cephalothorax. They live in dark corners, closets, outhouses, sheds, and barns.
A bite from this spider causes necrosis, leading to death if not treated with an antibiotic. Therefore, it is essential to identify these spiders correctly.
5. Giant Lichen Orb Weaver Spider
The Giant Lichen Orb Weaver Spider is a large spider with a leg span of up to four inches. They are one of the most prominent types of spiders in Alabama.
The head and thorax are black with white stripes, while the abdomen is yellow-brown with orange stripes.
These spiders weave giant orb webs, which they often hide under when not feeding or laying eggs. They will also use these webs to catch prey, although they do not spin sticky webs like other orb weavers.
6. European Garden Spider
The European Garden Spider is one of the most common spiders in Alabama. They can be found throughout the state, in foliage, and on the ground.
This spider has a shiny head and abdomen with dark, chevron-shaped markings on its back. Males are usually smaller than females, but both genders have long front legs to capture prey.
When threatened or agitated, this spider will rear up on its legs and display a showy dewlap. The dewlap (a flap of skin under the chin) is typically used as a warning to deter predators.
This spider spins a large web with an orb-shaped snare that hangs from branches or other objects to catch flying insects. It also builds funnel webs near the ground to trap any prey that walks by.
7. Spinybacked Orb Weaver Spider
The spiny-backed orb weaver spider is Alabama’s most common type of spider. It has a leg span of about three inches.
The reddish brown color can identify it on its abdomen and web, which are about two inches wide. The female usually hangs upside down from her web while the male sits on the side of it, waiting for a mate.
Spinybacked orb weaver spiders build webs near lights, windows, and doorways to catch insects attracted to these light sources. If you see one of these webs outside your home or office, then you should be able to find the spider.
8. Daring Jumping Spider
The Daring Jumping Spider can be found worldwide but is only present in Alabama during summer. They are prevalent types of spiders in Alabama. The female is up to 8mm long, while the males are about 5mm.
They can be found on flowers and plants such as milkweed and blackberry bushes or inside homes during the summer months.
This spider will not bite unless provoked by a human, and then it will jump backward. It is most often seen at night because it prefers to hunt when there are more insects to eat.
9. Common House Spider
These spiders are the most common types of spiders in Alabama and worldwide. The violin-shaped marking can be identified on its abdomen. They are also one of the more giant spiders, with a body length of around 2cm.
House spiders have been known to feed on smaller insects like flies and usually climb up walls to find prey. When it comes time for mating, males will let loose a strand of silk to invite females to mate with them.
Females will lay their eggs under furniture or floorboards or near cracks in the wall before dying shortly after.
10. Woodlouse Spider
The woodlouse spider is a little less than 1/2 inch long and has hair on the top of its body. It doesn’t have hair on its abdomen. The spider hides under objects such as rocks, boards, or logs during the day and hunts at night.
It spins a small web near its hiding spot to catch prey. If you see one in your home, it likely came in through open windows or doors while you were sleeping.
This spider is often confused with the daddy-longlegs, about 1 inch long, and doesn’t have hair on its abdomen.
Daddy-longlegs hunt from low vegetation like grass during the day and are rarely found indoors. However, they will bite if provoked.
11 Red Spotted Ant Mimic Spider
The Red Spotted Ant Mimic Spiders are really common in Alabama and throughout the southeastern United States.
A moderately sized spider prefers to build its webs near ground level, where it can prey on insects. These spiders are most often found near houses and other human dwellings.
Her glossy black coloring may quickly identify the female Red Spotted Ant Mimic Spider with red stripes on her abdomen. The male has similar markings, but he is usually brownish or grayish and lacks the glossy finish of the female.
12. Black and Yellow Garden Spider
The black and yellow garden spider is among Alabama’s most common spiders. It has a yellow-and-black pattern on its abdomen, with a dark band at the end. The web is usually built at ground level, often near water or where it can catch flying insects.
The black and yellow garden spider is an orb weaver, meaning it creates large, irregular, flat webs. The female spider lays eggs inside the web and guards them until they hatch.
Males are territorial during mating season and aggressively defend their territory against other males who come too close. This spider has a body length of 1/2 to 3/4 inches and a broad abdomen across the back.
13. American Grass Spider
American Grass Spider or Agelenopsis Pennsylvania are widespread spiders in Alabama and throughout the United States.
It’s a member of the family Agelenidae and can be found on any vegetation as long as it has dense foliage. The female American Grass Spider can grow up to 1 inch long, and males can reach about 3⁄4 of an inch.
They are brown with several dark patches on their back and have a thin black stripe down their front. These spiders do not build webs to catch prey but will wait in vegetation for unsuspecting insects to fly by.
14. Banana Spider
Banana spiders are harmless types of spiders in Alabama. They are often found outdoors on plants and trees but can also be found indoors.
Banana spiders have a brown to yellow body with dark markings that resemble a banana. They are giant spiders, up to 2 inches long.
These spiders do not produce any venom, so they are harmless to humans. These spiders feed on other insects, such as crickets and flies.
15. Furrow Spider
Furrow spiders are a type of hunting spider that is often found near houses and gardens. Furrow spiders are also known as cobweb spiders because they construct their webs near the ground or corners.
They can be mistaken for a spider web because of how they construct their webs. These tiny, brownish-grey spiders usually measure about 6mm long and have a leg span of up to 20mm.
They are one of the most common types of spiders in Alabama. Furrow spiders are nocturnal hunters and do not spin webs to catch prey.
Instead, they use their speed to run after games such as crickets, flies, and other insects that come within reach.
16. Southern House Spider
This particular spider species is found throughout the United States and is also common in Central America. They are usually brown and have a furry abdomen.
These spiders will reside inside houses, sheds, barns, or anywhere with a shelter to build their web.
Unlike other spiders, these rarely venture outside during the day and are more active at night when they prey on insects. Southern House Spiders can be identified by their brown color, white abdomen, and black spot on their backside.
The Southern House Spiders are very common in Alabama and throughout the United States and Central America.
17. Bowl and Doily Spider
The bowl and doily spider is a tiny, delicate-looking spider that weaves a web with concentric circles at the center. These types of spiders in Alabama are usually found on windowsills but sometimes take up residence inside homes.
The common name comes from the web’s shape, often likened to a doily or upside-down bowl.
They are also called daddy longlegs because they are long and thin like daddy longlegs and have eight legs. Although, Daddy Long only has six legs!
Bowl and doily spiders are classified as members of the family Linyphiidae, which means tiny spiders. These little spiders can range from 1/4 inch to over an inch in length.
18. Harvestmen Spider (Daddy Longlegs)
Daddy Long Legs (also called Harvestmen spiders) are not spiders. Although they are commonly known as types of spiders in Alabama.
These arachnids are more closely related to scorpions and harvestmen than true spiders, which belong to a different arthropod order altogether.
They have eight legs like their spider cousins, but the similarities end there. Harvestmen do not spin webs, produce silk, or possess venom glands.
They can’t even bite because they don’t have fangs! They have long, skinny legs that help them move around quickly while hunting for tiny insects on the ground.
19. Broad-Faced Sac Spider
These spiders’ abdomens are types of spiders in Alabama, shaped like a sac, with apparent eyes. The Broad-Faced Sac Spider can be found in grassy areas and usually hides during the day.
It is not considered dangerous, but it will bite if provoked. If this spider bites you, you might experience swelling, pain, redness, or itching at the bite site.
This spider also has a neurotoxic venom that can cause neurological symptoms such as tingling or numbness of the mouth area.
20. Spitting Spider
Most people are unaware that they live with spiders, and most of these residents are non-poisonous. One such group of harmless spiders is the spitting spider. This spider can be identified by its dark body, beady black eyes, and characteristic web.
The spitting spider resides in houses and other artificial structures day and night, looking for prey to catch. It does not attack people but releases a thick white liquid from its mouth if disturbed.
In terms of size, these spiders grow up to an inch long (excluding their legs). The spitting spider is most active when temperatures are over 75 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Celsius).
21. American Nursery Web Spider
This spider, also known as the common nursery web spider, is one of the most common spiders in Alabama.
They are tiny brown spiders with white stripes on their abdomen and are mostly found weaving a vertical web near plants. The nursery web spider is active at night when they construct an egg sac attached to its web.
If you find an egg sac attached to a plant in your home, leave it alone, and don’t disturb it! The eggs inside will hatch after about two weeks, and the tiny spiderlings spin their webs elsewhere.
The American Nursery Web Spider has venom that may cause localized pain but usually does not cause more severe reactions.
22. Fishing Spider
The fishing spider is one of the different types of spiders in Alabama. It has a long, thin body with a large abdomen and six spinnerets.
They usually have brown or black stripes on the abdomen and don’t spin webs. Instead, they sit and wait for prey to come close.
When it does, it will quickly snatch the prey by gripping it with its front legs and biting it with fangs. Fishing spiders hunt primarily at night, so you’re unlikely to see one during the day unless it’s disturbed.
23. Running Crab Spider
The running crab spider is one of the most common spiders in Alabama. They are usually found under or near rocks and logs, where they can wait for prey to pass by. The first sign you might see is that this spider is running away from you – not toward you!
This spider has a flattened body shape, with large front legs and smaller back ones. The coloration of this spider ranges from tan to yellowish brown, with a dark stripe down its back.
