Given the large expanses of desert terrain in the state, Arizona is home to a multitude of arachnid species. While many of the spiders found in Arizona are harmless, some of them pose significant dangers to human health and safety. Familiarizing yourself with the various types of spiders found in Arizona helps you be prepared for anything you might encounter during your time in the state.
One of the more frightening spider species found in the state, the so-called Arizona brown spider, is often found indoors and tends to seek out hiding places in clothing, bedding and other dark places. The legspan of a fully grown Arizona brown spider is about 1 inch. It has toxic venom that necrotizes flesh and can be fatal in extreme cases.
Found in many other states and regions, the black widow spider also thrives in Arizona. Female black widows, which can be identified by their hourglass figures and the reddish-orange markings around the midsection of their otherwise black bodies, are venomous. Though life-threatening side effects of black widow bites rarely occur, their venom is painful.
Flower spiders, which belong to a family of arachnids known as the "crab spiders," are most commonly found in gardens and grasslands. They come in a full range of colors and tend to preoccupy themselves preying on insects. While they do produce venom, they rarely bother humans and tend to prefer the outdoors.
The famed and feared tarantula spends most of its time in the dark and underground, but in Arizona, males will emerge nocturnally and prowl for females. Large and hairy, tarantulas have formidable fangs, and their bites can be very painful. Fortunately, the tarantula species native to Arizona have relatively mild venom, and their bites are rarely fatal.
One of the most common types of spider in Arizona is the wolf spider, noted for the patterns on its brown-to-gray exterior and the light stripes found on its head and its thorax. They typically have legspans of about 1 1/3 inches, but they aren't poisonous and try to avoid human contact.
Other spider species found in Arizona include the benign and reclusive funnel-web spider, the nocturnal and desert-dwelling giant crab spider, the colorful orb-weaver spider and the lynx spider, a predatory species that is harmless to humans.
