Articles By

Nathan Reed

focus on spider identification and educational nature content
content based on public scientific and educational references
updates for clarity and accuracy

Trichonephila plumipes: Humped Golden Orb-Weaver

A large spider hanging in a sunlit, gold-tinted web can be startling—especially when a second, much smaller spider is sharing ...

Lace Web Spider: Are They Dangerous?

It helps to separate a few terms: So the balanced answer is this: lace web spiders do have venom, but ...

Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi): Size, Bite Risk & Facts

The wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) is a black-, yellow- and white-banded orb weaver from Europe and temperate Asia. Adult females ...

Nursery Web Spiders: Identification, Behavior & Facts

Quick answer: Nursery web spiders are long-legged hunting spiders in the family Pisauridae. They do not build webs to catch ...

Raft Spider Size, Bites & Identification

Raft spiders are large, semi-aquatic hunters that can stand and run on the surface of freshwater. In Britain, the name ...

Zebra Spider (Salticus scenicus): Size, Habitat & Bite Facts

The zebra spider (Salticus scenicus) is a small black-and-white jumping spider, about 4–7 mm in body length, that hunts in ...

Black Widow vs. False Widow Spider: How to Tell Them Apart

A dark, glossy spider with a rounded abdomen can be alarming, especially when it resembles a black widow. But appearance ...

Cellar Spider Bites, Facts and Information

Are Cellar Spiders Harmful? Cellar spiders are not considered dangerous to humans in ordinary household situations. They are true spiders ...

Cucumber spider

Quick answer: “Cucumber spider” is the common name for small green orb weavers in the genus Araniella (family Araneidae), especially ...

Wolf spiders: Behavior, bites and other facts

Wolf spiders are ground-hunting spiders in the family Lycosidae. They don’t build webs to catch prey. Instead, they search for ...