Spider Survey | Natural History Museum of Los Angeles

The “common orb weaver,” also known as Neoscona crucifera, is found across the United States from Florida to Maine, in the Southwest and Mexico.


Citizen Science and Cocktails

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The Webs We Weave



Spider Survey

Why Are We Conducting A Survey?

Spiders are extremely important animals. They exist in vast numbers and are the primary predators of the equally common insects. Because they are so common, they often come into contact with people, and we receive many telephone calls requesting information about spiders. Many people needlessly fear spiders, but most are harmless to humans.


How Will it Work?


Once the specimens arrive here, our team of experts will identify the specimens, make a collecting record, and place the spiders in the collection. If requested, we will contact the person submitting the spider with information about its identity. Spiders collected in the survey will be used to create a database about the distribution and abundance of the species. We will report our major results on this website.

Want to help? Go to the How to Participate section for instructions.

Disclaimer: The Museum appreciates your assistance in this scientific project. If you have any concerns about participating, we suggest you do NOT participate. The Museum cannot be responsible for the treatment of bites or for any injury or illness resulting from the project.