Random Spider Generator
Get 1 to 10 real spider species by common name, from tarantulas to orbweavers, out of a list of 222.More Animal & Nature Generators
The Random Spider Generator picks one to ten spider species from a list of 222 real common names: Mexican redknee tarantula, golden silk orb-weaver, northern black widow, hammerjawed jumper, Tooth cave spider, false black widow. It is a list of names, not a field guide; each result is a card with the species name and nothing else. That makes it useful as a prompt generator for people who then go and look the spider up, and as a quick source of real species for quizzes, classroom activities and creature-of-the-day posts.
How it works
Enter a number from 1 to 10 and press Generate Spider. The list is shuffled and the first names are shown as cards. Run it again for a new batch. There are no filters for family, region or size.
What is in the list
The names are the English common names used by arachnologists and the pet trade, so almost every one can be typed into a search engine or Wikipedia and found. The list is weighted toward North America and toward species people keep or notice, roughly as follows:
- Tarantulas, 84 species. The pet-trade names dominate: Mexican redknee, Mexican fireleg, Mexican flameknee, Chaco white knee, Costa Rican zebra, Brazilian black, Brazilian salmon, Peruvian pinktoe, Texas brown, Rio Grande gold, Cameroon brown, Argentine rose, whitecollared tarantula.
- Orbweavers, 28. Golden silk orb-weaver, starbellied orbweaver, trashline orbweaver, silver longjawed orbweaver, orchard orbweaver, barn spider, white micrathena.
- Jumping spiders, 14 (hammerjawed jumper, translucent green jumper) and recluses, 14, including the medically significant brown recluse and its lesser-known relatives.
- Crab spiders, 11, plus small groups of widows (northern black widow, brown widow, false black widow), sac spiders, wolf spiders (pirate wolf spider), lynx spiders, cobweb spiders, funnel-web spiders and ant-mimics (twobanded antmimic, Gertsch antmimic).
- Cave spiders, 7. Government Canyon bat cave spider, Tooth cave spider and Robber Baron Cave meshweaver are tiny, eyeless or near-eyeless species from the limestone caves around San Antonio, Texas, all on the US endangered species list.
- House and garden spiders: southern house spider, domestic house spider, longbodied cellar spider, nursery web spider, hammock spider, dewdrop spider.
Reading a spider's common name
Common names carry more information than they seem to. Tarantula names in the hobby follow a pattern of origin plus a distinctive marking plus the body part it is on: Mexican redknee, Costa Rican zebra, Brazilian black and white, Mexican orangebeauty. The origin tells you climate (a Chaco species wants dry heat; a Peruvian pinktoe wants humidity), and the marking is usually visible from across the room. Orbweaver names describe either the web (trashline orbweavers stack debris in a vertical line through the hub, golden silk orb-weavers spin yellow silk) or the abdomen (starbellied, spotted, featherlegged). Antmimics are jumping and sac spiders that look and move like ants to avoid being eaten. "False black widow" is the name for Steatoda species that resemble widows but have a far milder bite.
Two words of caution. Common names are not unique: "banana spider" is used for at least three unrelated species, which is why the list here uses the more precise names. And a scary name does not mean a dangerous spider: of the 222 species, only the widows and the recluses have bites that regularly matter to people, and tarantulas, despite their size, are mild.
Uses
- Species-of-the-day posts and classroom research. Draw one, have students find its range, web type and diet.
- Quiz questions. Draw ten and ask "which of these is venomous enough to worry about" or "which is not a tarantula".
- Choosing a pet tarantula to read about. With 84 tarantulas in the list, a few spins gives you a shortlist of hobby species to compare.
- Creature names for games and fiction. Real common names make convincing monster or familiar names: a hammerjawed jumper or a pirate wolf spider needs no invention.
The Random Snake Generator and Random Reptile Generator do the same job for other animals people are wary of, and the Random Animal Generator covers the whole kingdom. See all animal & nature generators for the rest.
Frequently asked questions
- Are these real spiders?
Yes. All 222 names are established English common names for real species or species groups, mostly North American, plus the tarantulas kept in the pet trade worldwide. Each can be looked up by name.
- Does the generator show pictures or facts about the spider?
No. Each result is the species name only, on a card. Use the name to search for photos, range and care information.
- Which spiders in the list are dangerous?
The widows (northern black widow, brown widow) and the recluses are the ones with medically significant bites. False black widows, tarantulas, orbweavers, jumping spiders and the rest are harmless or cause only minor local reactions.
- Can I filter for tarantulas only?
Not with a setting. Tarantulas make up 84 of the 222 names, so a draw of ten will usually contain three or four of them; keep spinning if you need more.