How to Identify a Georgian Spider?

Many of the spiders that live in South America are native to Georgia. Majority of these spiders are harmless although some can excrete poisonous venom that can kill or immobilize small animals, insects and other spider species. Nonetheless, most of these poisonous spiders excrete very little amount of venom, an amount that is not enough to harm humans. If you are not particular with spiders, you might not be able to distinguish between spider species; this article will help you how.

1. To most spiders, their size can automatically reveal which spider specie they belong. Thus, the first thing that you have to take into account is their size. To be able to make the closest approximation to the spider's size, you have to individually assess the spider's body and legs. Some spiders may look really big because of their long legs while some may look small because they have shorter legs, but this information is not enough to say that the spider is indeed small or big.

2. Of course, there are tens of thousands of spiders in the world, but if you are in Georgia, spiders having a body length of about an inch or so can only be one of the following: (1) wolf spider, (2) fishing spider, (3) yellow or black garden spider or (4) orb-weaving spider. If the spider's body length is less than an inch, then steps 3, 4, 5 and 6 will become irrelevant and you would have to proceed to step 7 immediately.

3. Now that you have figured out that the spider is one of the four possible spider species given in step 2, your next step is to measure the spider's leg span. If the span of the spider's leg measures between 2 and 2.5 inches, then the spider should be a garden spider; whether it is a yellow or black gardens spider depends on the markings found close to its head. If the markings are yellow, then the spider is a yellow garden spider; if the markings are black, then the spider is a black garden spider. Be careful with such kinds of spiders because although these spiders are not deadly to humans, they can still excrete neurotoxin venom that can cause minor itching and other skin irritations.

4. If the spider's leg span is more than 2.5 inches but not more than 3 inches then the spider is most likely a fishing spider. Fishing spiders are brown in color with grey markings throughout its body. The grey markings can range from light to dark depending on the habitat of the spider. These spiders do not weave traps or houses; instead, they hunt for their food. They like to hunt somewhere dark and moist. For this reason, many of these spiders are found near swamps and other bodies of waters. Their bites can cause necrosis around the skin surface where the bite is located. Furthermore, the bitten area will develop minor redness and itching.

5. If the spider's leg span is less than 2 inches but not below 1.5 inches, then the spider is an orb-weaving spider. Such spiders have very rounded bodies and are usually bright colored. They do not have the same colors but all of them come in a variety of bright colors which are often attractive to the eye. They can weave huge silk traps that can range up to 6 feet in diameter or almost 70 times larger than their own bodies. These spiders fee on insects that get trap on their silk traps and are entirely non-toxic to humans.

6. When the spider is brown colored with a black or grey colored cross design on its back and a leg span that measures about 2 inches in length, then the spider is definitely a wolf spider. These spiders still weave webs but they are not really associated with webs because they are hunting spiders. These spiders can excrete weak venom that is enough to paralyze or kill their prey. They do not really intend to bite humans, but in the event that they did, their bites cannot cause any serious health problems. Their bites can simply cause itching and redness.

7. For a spider having a body length of less than an inch, you wouldn't have to measure its leg span anymore. These spiders are much easier to identify than the larger spiders because small spiders in Georgia have unique physical appearances. The spider could be a trapdoor spider, a black widow spider, a cellar spider, a brown recluse spider or a jumping spider. Each of these spiders can be identified by their color and shape.

8. For example, if the spider has really long legs relative to its body size, almost immediately, you can identify that the spider is a cellar spider. Cellar spiders are usually found in damp and dark areas like the Fishing spider. These spiders are too small to cause harm to humans. In fact, they can't even pierce the human skin to cause at least the slightest wound.

9. Brown recluse spiders can be identified through the violin-shaped design on its back. These spiders are usually brown colored and are aggressive. They have very poisonous venom that can cause quite a sting to humans. Unfortunately, these spiders prefer to hide in soft places, so if ever they happen to lost their way home and go straight to your house instead, they will most likely hide in places where you keep your beddings, pillows and clothes. These spiders are not lethal to humans, but it is still better if we avoid them.

10. Trapdoor spiders reveal their identities through the V-shape marking found on its back. These spiders are black colored and are usually found in a burrow. These spiders are very safe to humans.

11. Jumping spiders got their name from their ability to jump around. If the spider you have spotted is black colored having white markings visible on its back and if the spider jumps around, then that spider is definitely a Bold Jumping spider. The bites of such spiders can hurt but are not dangerous enough to be considered harmful.