Bug Identifier

Bug Encyclopedia

Search and identify bugs & insects — beetles, butterflies, moths, ants, bees, spiders and more — with size, habitat, danger, behavior, and how to tell them apart.

Snakefly

Snakefly

A slender predator named for its habit of rearing up its long, mobile neck like a tiny cobra when hunting or threatened.

other
Snake Millipede

Snake Millipede

A slender, glossy, pale millipede that curls into a tight spiral when disturbed and often shows a faint row of reddish spots along its sides.

myriapod
Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

A bulging-eyed green caterpillar that lives folded inside its own silk-stitched leaf tent, looking every bit like a miniature snake peering out from cover.

caterpillar-larva
Atlas Moth

Atlas Moth

One of the largest moths in the world by wing surface area, the Atlas Moth is a giant reddish-brown silkmoth with striking triangular wingtip patches that resemble the heads of snakes.

moth
Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar

Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar

A smooth green caterpillar with a swollen thorax marked by two large fake eyespots, giving it an uncanny resemblance to a tiny snake's head.

caterpillar-larva
Mesh Web Weaver

Mesh Web Weaver

A tiny, easily overlooked spider that spins a loose, bluish tangle of fuzzy silk over twig tips and seed heads to snare small insects.

spider
Lace Weaver Spider

Lace Weaver Spider

A stocky, mottled spider that spins a distinctive bluish, woolly-looking lace-like web across bark and wall crevices to snare passing insects.

spider
Garden Orb Weaver Spider

Garden Orb Weaver Spider

The classic maker of the round, wheel-shaped web, the garden orb weaver hangs head-down at the center of its silken snare. Many sport a cross-like pattern of pale spots on a rounded abdomen.

spider
Golden Silk Orb-Weaver Spider

Golden Silk Orb-Weaver Spider

Famous for spinning enormous webs of shimmering golden silk, the golden silk orb-weaver is a large, long-legged spider of warm climates. Females dwarf the tiny males and hang head-down in their sprawling snares.

spider