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Hi, my family and have I found two of these big spiders on our house (this one on an outside wall, another in the garage). My mom is concerned it’s a brown recluse, but our research has been inconclusive. Any chance you guys can help? Much love!
Hi, my family and have I found two of these big spiders on our house (this one on an outside wall, another in the garage). My mom is concerned it’s a brown recluse, but our research has been inconclusive. Any chance you guys can help? Much love!
Hello! Thank you so much for your inquiry. I tried to zoom in on the photo, and from what I can see, I would say it is a Nursery Web Spider (Pisaurina mira). This is a pretty common spider sometimes found on or near houses, but not considered dangerous.
Many people have similar concerns as your mother did, that it is a spider that can be medically significant and cause concerns of safety, like the Brown Recluse. However, living in Northeast Ohio we don’t have any resident populations of spiders that pose a threat to humans.
More information on common spiders in this area, as well as information about spider bites, can be found in this amazing field guide put out by the Ohio Division of Wildlife. You may also be able to order a free hard copy by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE.
-Naturalist Nora Sindelar
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