Snakes and spiders in King County, Washington
King County, home of Seattle, has 4 snake and 66 spider species on record, from 740 licensed snake and 1,383 spider records. No venomous snake or spider reaches the county list, but the western rattlesnake and the western black widow are on the Washington list: treat any snake or spider like them as venomous until identified.
What snakes are in King County?
In all, 4 snake species are on the King County list. The most recorded are the northwestern garter snake (150), the common garter snake (102) and the western terrestrial garter snake (13).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Washington records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwestern garter snake Thamnophis ordinoides | 150 | 11% |
| 2 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | 102 | 8% |
| 3 | Western terrestrial garter snake Thamnophis elegans | 13 | 2% |
| 4 | Northern rubber boa Charina bottae | 11 | 9% |
When are snakes out in King County?
Observation records of snakes in King County run mostly April through October, peaking in May with 18% of them, the same peak as Washington as a whole.
What spiders are in King County?
In all, 66 spider species are on the King County list. The most recorded are the garden spider (349), the goldenrod crab spider (120) and the zebra spider (83). King County holds more than half of all Washington records of the bronze jumper, Theridion varians, the mouse spider and Phanias harfordi.
| # | Species | Records | Share of Washington records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garden spider Araneus diadematus | 349 | 44% |
| 2 | Goldenrod crab spider Misumena vatia | 120 | 38% |
| 3 | Zebra spider Salticus scenicus | 83 | 37% |
| 4 | Giant house spider Eratigena duellica | 82 | 46% |
| 5 | Eurasian running crab spider Philodromus dispar | 53 | 45% |
| 6 | Bronze jumper Eris militaris | 48 | 54% |
| 7 | Sierra dome spider Neriene litigiosa | 38 | 29% |
| 8 | Theridion varians | 38 | 95% |
| 9 | Mouse spider Scotophaeus blackwalli | 37 | 66% |
| 10 | Nearctic white-striped running crab spider Philodromus rufus | 34 | 37% |
| 11 | Phanias harfordi | 33 | 87% |
| 12 | Common six-spotted cobweaver Rugathodes sexpunctatus | 26 | 67% |
| 13 | False black widow Steatoda grossa | 23 | 37% |
| 14 | Longbodied cellar spider Pholcus phalangioides | 21 | 44% |
| 15 | Dysdera crocata | 17 | 59% |
| 16 | Autumn spider Metellina segmentata | 16 | 36% |
| 17 | Bridge orbweaver Larinioides sclopetarius | 13 | 33% |
| 18 | Common candy-striped spider Enoplognatha ovata | 13 | 32% |
| 19 | Common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum | 13 | 43% |
| 20 | Theridion californicum | 12 | 86% |
| 21 | Trochosa ruricola | 11 | 46% |
| 22 | Common crab spider Xysticus cristatus | 10 | 67% |
| 23 | Cone-shaped orbweaver Cyclosa conica | 10 | 45% |
| 24 | False pirate spider Platnickina tincta | 10 | 56% |
| 25 | Eurasian leaflitter crab spider Ozyptila praticola | 8 | 100% |
| 26 | Oblong running spider Tibellus oblongus | 8 | 24% |
| 27 | Pelegrina aeneola | 8 | 17% |
| 28 | West coast laceweaver Callobius severus | 8 | 30% |
| 29 | Common foldingdoor spider Antrodiaetus pacificus | 7 | 39% |
| 30 | Metaphidippus manni | 7 | 25% |
| 31 | Proszynski's jumping spider Evarcha proszynskii | 7 | 28% |
| 32 | Sixspotted orbweaver Araniella displicata | 7 | 18% |
| 33 | Theridiid spider Cryptachaea blattea | 7 | 100% |
| 34 | Utah crab spider Bassaniana utahensis | 7 | 58% |
| 35 | Black laceweaver Amaurobius ferox | 6 | 100% |
| 36 | Neon reticulatus | 6 | 100% |
| 37 | Neriene digna | 6 | 24% |
| 38 | Barn funnel weaver Tegenaria domestica | 5 | 29% |
| 39 | California flattened jumping spider Platycryptus californicus | 5 | 9% |
| 40 | Long-jawed orb weaver Tetragnatha laboriosa | 5 | 38% |
| 41 | Sergiolus montanus | 5 | 50% |
| 42 | Simitidion simile | 5 | 100% |
| 43 | Northern yellow sac spider Cheiracanthium mildei | 4 | 67% |
| 44 | Philodromus spectabilis | 4 | 31% |
| 45 | Usofila pacifica | 4 | 100% |
| 46 | Versicolor long-jawed orbweaver Tetragnatha versicolor | 4 | 11% |
| 47 | Gertsch's triangleweaver Hyptiotes gertschi | 3 | 75% |
| 48 | House jumping spider Pseudeuophrys lanigera | 3 | 43% |
| 49 | Phanias albeolus | 3 | 25% |
| 50 | Pimoa altioculata | 3 | 25% |
| 51 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | 2 | 2% |
| 52 | Callobius pictus | 2 | 22% |
| 53 | Habronattus ophrys | 2 | 100% |
| 54 | Johnson jumper Phidippus johnsoni | 2 | 4% |
| 55 | Metellina curtisi | 2 | 11% |
| 56 | Zygiella x-notata | 2 | 18% |
| 57 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | 1 | 7% |
| 58 | Dana sheet-web micro-weaver Microlinyphia dana | 1 | 7% |
| 59 | Greater ant-mimic corinne spider Phrurotimpus borealis | 1 | 50% |
| 60 | Hobo spider Eratigena agrestis | 1 | 6% |
When are spiders out in King County?
Observation records of spiders in King County run mostly March through October, peaking in September with 19% of them, the same peak as Washington as a whole.
What stands out in King County
Species for which King County holds a large share of all Washington records: Theridion varians, 95% (38 of 40); Phanias harfordi, 87% (33 of 38); the common six-spotted cobweaver, 67% (26 of 39); the mouse spider, 66% (37 of 56); Dysdera crocata, 59% (17 of 29); the bronze jumper, 54% (48 of 89); Trochosa ruricola, 46% (11 of 24); the giant house spider, 46% (82 of 179).
Harmless lookalikes in King County
No widow spiders reach the county list, but the western black widow is on the Washington list: treat any spider like it as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the false black widow and the common house spider. No recluse spiders reach the county list, and GBIF holds no recluse spider record for Washington under any license, so one reported here is most likely a harmless lookalike: the longbodied cellar spider and the hobo spider.
King County among Washington counties
By licensed snake records King County ranks 1st of 39 Washington counties with any.
Other Washington counties with their own page: Okanogan County and Pierce County.
The whole state: venomous species in Washington, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.