Snakes and spiders in El Paso County, Colorado
El Paso County, home of Colorado Springs, has 9 snake and 80 spider species on record, from 187 licensed snake and 1,384 spider records. Venomous species here: the prairie rattlesnake, the western massasauga and the western black widow.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in El Paso County?
Yes. The prairie rattlesnake: 53 licensed records, 4% of all Colorado records of it. The western massasauga: 1 licensed record, 6% of all Colorado records of it. The western black widow: 54 licensed records, 32% of all Colorado records of it.
What snakes are in El Paso County?
In all, 9 snake species are on the El Paso County list. The most recorded are the western terrestrial garter snake (60), the prairie rattlesnake (53) and the gopher snake (27).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Colorado records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western terrestrial garter snake Thamnophis elegans | 60 | 7% |
| 2 | Prairie rattlesnake venomous Crotalus viridis | 53 | 4% |
| 3 | Gopher snake Pituophis catenifer | 27 | 7% |
| 4 | Plains garter snake Thamnophis radix | 19 | 7% |
| 5 | Plains hog-nosed snake Heterodon nasicus | 10 | 22% |
| 6 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | 5 | 9% |
| 7 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | 5 | 4% |
| 8 | Smooth green snake Opheodrys vernalis | 3 | 14% |
| 9 | Western massasauga venomous Sistrurus tergeminus | 1 | 6% |
When are snakes out in El Paso County?
Observation records of snakes in El Paso County run mostly April through September, peaking in May with 24% of them, the same peak as Colorado as a whole.
What spiders are in El Paso County?
In all, 80 spider species are on the El Paso County list. The most recorded are the zebra spider (317), the bold jumper (278) and the Asian wall jumper (182). El Paso County holds more than half of all Colorado records of the zebra spider, the Asian wall jumper, Habronattus cuspidatus and Pelegrina aeneola.
| # | Species | Records | Share of Colorado records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zebra spider Salticus scenicus | 317 | 77% |
| 2 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | 278 | 41% |
| 3 | Asian wall jumper Attulus fasciger | 182 | 71% |
| 4 | Habronattus cuspidatus | 57 | 53% |
| 5 | Western black widow venomous Latrodectus hesperus | 54 | 32% |
| 6 | Pelegrina aeneola | 52 | 70% |
| 7 | Phidippus arizonensis | 49 | 100% |
| 8 | Apache jumping spider Phidippus apacheanus | 24 | 14% |
| 9 | Minute jumping spider Talavera minuta | 23 | 79% |
| 10 | Sixspotted orbweaver Araniella displicata | 19 | 59% |
| 11 | Habronattus altanus | 17 | 34% |
| 12 | Peppered jumper Pelegrina galathea | 16 | 44% |
| 13 | Barn funnel weaver Tegenaria domestica | 10 | 16% |
| 14 | Attinella dorsata | 7 | 37% |
| 15 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | 7 | 37% |
| 16 | Dysdera crocata | 7 | 6% |
| 17 | Pelegrina furcata | 6 | 55% |
| 18 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | 5 | 11% |
| 19 | Bowl and doily spider Frontinella pyramitela | 5 | 62% |
| 20 | Phidippus carneus | 5 | 56% |
| 21 | Habronattus cognatus | 4 | 67% |
| 22 | Phidippus insignarius | 4 | 67% |
| 23 | Long-jawed orb weaver Tetragnatha laboriosa | 3 | 50% |
| 24 | Missouri burrowing wolf spider Geolycosa missouriensis | 3 | 75% |
| 25 | Nearctic white-striped running crab spider Philodromus rufus | 3 | 100% |
| 26 | Schizocosa minnesotensis | 3 | 60% |
| 27 | Western lynx spider Oxyopes scalaris | 3 | 27% |
| 28 | Cat-faced spider Araneus gemmoides | 2 | 7% |
| 29 | Desert red jumping spider Phidippus ardens | 2 | 13% |
| 30 | Goldenrod crab spider Misumena vatia | 2 | 4% |
| 31 | Hogna antelucana | 2 | 50% |
| 32 | Pelegrina arizonensis | 2 | 33% |
| 33 | Phidippus asotus | 2 | 29% |
| 34 | Proszynski's jumping spider Evarcha proszynskii | 2 | 15% |
| 35 | Sassacus papenhoei | 2 | 20% |
| 36 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | 2 | 12% |
| 37 | Thin-spined jumping spider Tutelina elegans | 2 | 100% |
| 38 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | 1 | 14% |
| 39 | Buttonhook leafbeetle jumping spider Sassacus vitis | 1 | 8% |
| 40 | Carolina wolf spider Hogna carolinensis | 1 | 5% |
| 41 | Celer crab spider Mecaphesa celer | 1 | 50% |
| 42 | Habronattus calcaratus | 1 | 50% |
| 43 | Phidippus octopunctatus | 1 | 20% |
| 44 | Varacosa gosiuta | 1 | 12% |
| 45 | Zelotes fratris | 1 | 12% |
| 46 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | — | — |
| 47 | Common Hentz jumping spider Hentzia palmarum | — | — |
| 48 | Dictyna coloradensis | — | — |
| 49 | Drassodes saccatus | — | — |
| 50 | Drassyllus mumai | — | — |
| 51 | Filmy dome spider Neriene radiata | — | — |
| 52 | Forest wolf spider Hogna frondicola | — | — |
| 53 | Gnaphosa sericata | — | — |
| 54 | Habronattus arcalorus | — | — |
| 55 | Habronattus conjunctus | — | — |
| 56 | Habronattus festus | — | — |
| 57 | Habronattus sansoni | — | — |
| 58 | Habronattus venatoris | — | — |
| 59 | Haplodrassus chamberlini | — | — |
| 60 | Hart's jumping spider Tutelina harti | — | — |
When are spiders out in El Paso County?
Observation records of spiders in El Paso County run mostly April through October, peaking in August with 19% of them, the same peak as Colorado as a whole.
What stands out in El Paso County
Species for which El Paso County holds a large share of all Colorado records: Phidippus arizonensis, 100% (49 of 49); the minute jumping spider, 79% (23 of 29); the zebra spider, 77% (317 of 411); the Asian wall jumper, 71% (182 of 255); Pelegrina aeneola, 70% (52 of 74); the sixspotted orbweaver, 59% (19 of 32); Habronattus cuspidatus, 53% (57 of 108); the peppered jumper, 44% (16 of 36).
Common in Colorado, not on the El Paso County list
Among the snakes most recorded across Colorado, these do not reach the county list: the common garter snake (111 statewide), the western rattlesnake (47 statewide), the northern water snake (42 statewide), the western ground snake (36 statewide) and the glossy snake (33 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Among the spiders most recorded across Colorado, these do not reach the county list: the Texas brown tarantula (71 statewide) and the Groenland wolf spider (51 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in El Paso County
Rattlesnakes are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the gopher snake and the plains hog-nosed snake. Recluse spiders are not on the Colorado list, but GBIF holds 20 recluse spider records of any license in Colorado (brown recluse 18, Apache recluse 2): treat any spider like this as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the hobo spider.
El Paso County among Colorado counties
By licensed snake records El Paso County ranks 4th of 63 Colorado counties with any.
Other Colorado counties with their own page: Weld County, Boulder County and Larimer County.
The whole state: venomous species in Colorado, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.