What Are Spiders?

All spiders have two body regions (cephalothorax and abdomen), eight legs, and fangs (chelicerae). Spiders do not have wings or antennae. Most, but not all spiders have eight eyes. Spiders are arachnids and are closely related to mites, ticks, and scorpions. They typically live and feed outside, but do commonly find their way into Raleigh homes, garages, sheds, barns, and other outbuildings.

Types of Spiders Found in North Carolina

Some of the common spider species found in North Carolina are daddy longlegs spiders, wolf spiders, cellar spiders, and black widow spiders.

Daddy Longlegs

Daddy longlegs are reddish-brown, or gray in color. They have small bodies and eight long and skinny legs. Daddy longlegs only have one body segment and therefore, are not a "true" spider.

Wolf spiders

Wolf spiders are large, fast-moving spiders. Instead of using a web to catch their prey, they chase and "hunt" their prey. Wolf spiders are dark brown in color, and they typically have two dark stripes on their back. Wolf spiders have great vision. They have stout bodies, long legs, and are covered in hair.

Cellar spiders

Cellar spiders are pale yellow to light brown or gray in color. They have small oval-shaped bodies and eight long, thin legs. These spiders are often confused with daddy longlegs, but are a "true" species of spider.

Black Widow Spiders

Black widow spiders have an orange-red "hourglass" mark on the underside of their abdomen. These spiders also have light red or white markings on their abdomen and backs. Their round bodies are shiny-black in color.