Snakes and spiders in Travis County, Texas
Travis County, home of Austin, has 31 snake and 121 spider species on record, from 2,003 licensed snake and 2,427 spider records. Venomous species here: the western diamondback rattlesnake, the Texas coral snake, the northern cottonmouth, the eastern copperhead, the broad-banded copperhead, the southern black widow, the brown recluse, the western black widow and the brown widow.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in Travis County?
Yes. The western diamondback rattlesnake: 74 licensed records, 3% of all Texas records of it. The Texas coral snake: 61 licensed records, 11% of all Texas records of it. The northern cottonmouth: 28 licensed records, 3% of all Texas records of it. The eastern copperhead: 26 licensed records, 2% of all Texas records of it. The broad-banded copperhead: 22 licensed records, 6% of all Texas records of it. The southern black widow: 13 licensed records, 6% of all Texas records of it. The brown recluse: 4 licensed records, 4% of all Texas records of it. The western black widow: 2 licensed records, 1% of all Texas records of it. The brown widow: on record, no openly licensed records to count.
What snakes are in Travis County?
In all, 31 snake species are on the Travis County list. The most recorded are the plain-bellied watersnake (276), the rough earthsnake (249) and the western ribbon snake (196).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Texas records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | 276 | 12% |
| 2 | Rough earthsnake Haldea striatula | 249 | 17% |
| 3 | Western ribbon snake Thamnophis proximus | 196 | 8% |
| 4 | Western rat snake Pantherophis obsoletus | 170 | 10% |
| 5 | Flathead snake Tantilla gracilis | 143 | 15% |
| 6 | Texas blind snake Rena dulcis | 111 | 11% |
| 7 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | 86 | 10% |
| 8 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | 79 | 8% |
| 9 | Diamondback water snake Nerodia rhombifer | 78 | 5% |
| 10 | Western diamondback rattlesnake venomous Crotalus atrox | 74 | 3% |
| 11 | Blackneck garter snake Thamnophis cyrtopsis | 68 | 16% |
| 12 | Texas coral snake venomous Micrurus tener | 61 | 11% |
| 13 | Checkered garter snake Thamnophis marcianus | 54 | 3% |
| 14 | Western ground snake Sonora semiannulata | 33 | 2% |
| 15 | Eastern patch-nosed snake Salvadora grahamiae | 32 | 9% |
| 16 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | 32 | 5% |
| 17 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | 31 | 2% |
| 18 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | 29 | 6% |
| 19 | Northern cottonmouth venomous Agkistrodon piscivorus | 28 | 3% |
| 20 | Eastern copperhead venomous Agkistrodon contortrix | 26 | 2% |
| 21 | Texas patch-nosed snake Salvadora lineata | 25 | 22% |
| 22 | Broad-banded copperhead venomous Agkistrodon laticinctus | 22 | 6% |
| 23 | Lined snake Tropidoclonion lineatum | 21 | 7% |
| 24 | Striped whipsnake Masticophis taeniatus | 17 | 4% |
| 25 | Great Plains rat snake Pantherophis emoryi | 15 | 2% |
| 26 | Smooth earth snake Virginia valeriae | 11 | 32% |
| 27 | Prairie kingsnake Lampropeltis calligaster | 7 | 3% |
| 28 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | 5 | 3% |
| 29 | Gopher snake Pituophis catenifer | 4 | 0% |
| 30 | Brahminy blindsnake introduced Indotyphlops braminus | 1 | 3% |
| 31 | Great Plains ground snake Sonora episcopa | — | — |
When are snakes out in Travis County?
Observation records of snakes in Travis County run mostly March through November, peaking in April with 20% of them, the same peak as Texas as a whole.
What spiders are in Travis County?
In all, 121 spider species are on the Travis County list. The most recorded are the black-and-yellow argiope (135), the twin-flagged jumping spider (108) and Cicurina varians (82). Travis County holds more than half of all Texas records of the tooth cave spider, Tayshaneta paraconcinna, Tayshaneta devia and Euagrus chisoseus.
Related species: Cicurina arcuata
| # | Species | Records | Share of Texas records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | 135 | 7% |
| 2 | Twin-flagged jumping spider Anasaitis canosa | 108 | 16% |
| 3 | Cicurina varians | 82 | 16% |
| 4 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | 80 | 6% |
| 5 | Green lynx spider Peucetia viridans | 71 | 8% |
| 6 | Tooth cave spider Tayshaneta myopica | 69 | 95% |
| 7 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | 63 | 6% |
| 8 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | 54 | 14% |
| 9 | Nursery web spider Pisaurina mira | 49 | 12% |
| 10 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | 47 | 11% |
| 11 | Spiny-backed orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis | 43 | 6% |
| 12 | Tigrosa annexa | 42 | 13% |
| 13 | Tayshaneta paraconcinna | 40 | 61% |
| 14 | Striped lynx spider Oxyopes salticus | 38 | 7% |
| 15 | Giant lichen orbweaver Araneus bicentenarius | 33 | 21% |
| 16 | Cribellate spider Metaltella simoni | 30 | 13% |
| 17 | Cryptachaea porteri | 30 | 16% |
| 18 | Texas brown tarantula Aphonopelma hentzi | 29 | 9% |
| 19 | Hogna antelucana | 28 | 3% |
| 20 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | 27 | 5% |
| 21 | Common Hentz jumping spider Hentzia palmarum | 24 | 13% |
| 22 | Tayshaneta devia | 24 | 96% |
| 23 | Georgia wolf spider Tigrosa georgicola | 22 | 13% |
| 24 | Tuftlegged orbweaver Mangora placida | 20 | 25% |
| 25 | Bronze jumper Eris militaris | 19 | 8% |
| 26 | Euagrus chisoseus | 19 | 53% |
| 27 | Agyneta llanoensis | 18 | 11% |
| 28 | Cicurina travisae | 18 | 95% |
| 29 | Lined orbweaver Mangora gibberosa | 18 | 16% |
| 30 | Orchard orbweaver Leucauge venusta | 17 | 14% |
| 31 | Cave cobweb spider Eidmannella pallida | 16 | 12% |
| 32 | Naphrys acerba | 15 | 27% |
| 33 | Pantropical jumper Plexippus paykulli | 15 | 5% |
| 34 | Tayshaneta concinna | 15 | 100% |
| 35 | Mecaphesa dubia | 14 | 11% |
| 36 | Sylvan jumping spider Colonus sylvanus | 14 | 9% |
| 37 | Butterfly orbweaver Araneus pegnia | 13 | 18% |
| 38 | Falconina gracilis | 13 | 7% |
| 39 | Peppered jumper Pelegrina galathea | 13 | 8% |
| 40 | Southern black widow venomous Latrodectus mactans | 13 | 6% |
| 41 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | 12 | 6% |
| 42 | Bandit cave spider Cicurina bandida | 12 | 100% |
| 43 | Celer crab spider Mecaphesa celer | 12 | 10% |
| 44 | Cyclosa turbinata | 11 | 15% |
| 45 | Filmy dome spider Neriene radiata | 11 | 12% |
| 46 | Southwestern trapdoor spider Eucteniza relata | 11 | 24% |
| 47 | Flea jumping spider Naphrys pulex | 10 | 13% |
| 48 | High eye-lashed jumping spider Phidippus mystaceus | 10 | 24% |
| 49 | Banded fishing spider Dolomedes vittatus | 9 | 19% |
| 50 | Common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum | 9 | 16% |
| 51 | Flower crab spider Mecaphesa asperata | 9 | 21% |
| 52 | Scytodes univittata | 9 | 28% |
| 53 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | 9 | 4% |
| 54 | Bark lynx spider Hamataliwa grisea | 8 | 40% |
| 55 | Dimorphic jumper Maevia inclemens | 8 | 6% |
| 56 | Eriophora edax | 8 | 6% |
| 57 | Habronattus fallax | 8 | 18% |
| 58 | Leucauge argyrobapta | 8 | 3% |
| 59 | Modisimus texanus | 8 | 38% |
| 60 | Trochosa sepulchralis | 8 | 9% |
When are spiders out in Travis County?
Observation records of spiders in Travis County run mostly March through November, peaking in May with 15% of them; across Texas the peak is April.
What stands out in Travis County
Species for which Travis County holds a large share of all Texas records: Tayshaneta devia, 96% (24 of 25); the tooth cave spider, 95% (69 of 73); Tayshaneta paraconcinna, 61% (40 of 66); Euagrus chisoseus, 53% (19 of 36); the smooth earth snake, 32% (11 of 34); Naphrys acerba, 27% (15 of 55); the tuftlegged orbweaver, 25% (20 of 79); the southwestern trapdoor spider, 24% (11 of 45).
Harmless lookalikes in Travis County
Copperheads are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the plain-bellied watersnake and the eastern hog-nosed snake. Cottonmouths are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the plain-bellied watersnake and the diamondback water snake. Rattlesnakes are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the eastern hog-nosed snake, the Great Plains rat snake and the gopher snake. Widow spiders are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the triangulate bud spider and the common house spider. Recluse spiders are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the longbodied cellar spider and the southern house spider.
Travis County among Texas counties
By licensed snake records Travis County ranks 1st of 254 Texas counties with any.
Other Texas counties with their own page: Brewster County, Harris County, Brazos County, El Paso County, Jeff Davis County, Val Verde County, Bexar County and Hudspeth County.
The whole state: venomous species in Texas, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.