What are the Top 5 Biggest Spiders in Arkansas? Dangerous or Not
I will be the first to admit, I don't like spiders, never have never will. First of all, there just creepy, and the bigger they are the more ominous they look.
I was in my backyard and saw one up toward the eaves of my roof, this sucker was huge which got me thinking since I live on the Arkansas side, What are the biggest spiders in Arkansas? And yes, most of these spiders can be found in Texas too!
Let's take a look.
Texas Brown Tarantula
They say everything from Texas is bigger so this goes without saying the Texas Brown Tarantula measures 2 inches in body size with its legs spanning up to 4 inches. This is the largest spider in Arkansas and it also has one of the longest lifespans, especially the females which can live up to 30 years. The good news these spiders are not dangerous but they sure can scare the heck out of you if you see one. Tarantulas normally live under rocks or logs and stay burrowed until some likely prey comes along like snakes or lizards.
Carolina Wolf Spider
This is considered the largest species out of more than 2,300 different species of the wolf spider that is known. The Carolina wolf spider gets their name because of their wolf-like hunting abilities, these spiders measure up to 1.5 inches and their legs can span up to 4 inches in length. They live in urban areas and forests and usually hide underneath leaves and debris and their main meal is frogs, lizards, and other spiders. If only these wolf spiders could howl, that would be a whole different story.
Dark Fishing Spider
If you fish a lot in the state then chances are you've seen one of the largest fishing spiders in Arkansas. Their body size ranges from 0.5 to 1 inch and a leg span of about 3 inches and sometimes gets mistaken as a wolf spider. These spiders live mainly in wetlands near lakes, ponds, or other freshwater locations. Dark Fishing spiders are known to dive for fish or to escape predators and here's something really creepy they can actually walk across the water due to their hydrophobic hairs. These spiders are night hunters and love insects.
Southern House Spider
These spiders are the most common you will find around homes, garages, and barns. The female is bigger than the male and can measure 0.47 to 0.7 inches and their legs can span around 2 inches. Nothing like a long-legged spider woman! The Southern House spiders are known to spin a bunch of webs and usually be found in crevices and dark corners of your home. These spiders often get confused with a brown recluse because of their coloring but they don't have the hourglass marking on their body.
Black and Yellow Garden Spider
These spiders are known as Orb-weavers because of the orb-shaped webs they produce, they are considered the largest orb-weaver species in Arkansas. The garden spider can build webs up to 2 feet in diameter some with a zig-zag pattern in the middle of the web. They shouldn't be hard to identify because they are black and yellow and their body size can range up to 1 inch depending on whether they are female or male. I'm pretty sure this is what I saw at my house the other day because they normally sit in the center of their web. They love living in gardens, vegetation, parks, and near wooded areas.
With over 45,000 species of spiders in the world just because they are larger spiders doesn't always make them dangerous but it's always a good idea to be aware of your surroundings when outdoors or inside your home.