Venomous snakes and spiders in Hawaii
No venomous snake species reaches our listing threshold in Hawaii: the one snake species listed there is not venomous to people, from 138 licensed records. GBIF holds 5 venomous snake records of any license in Hawaii (pelagic sea snake 5), fewer than 10 of any one species; such records can be genuine rarities, strays, transported animals or misidentifications. The pelagic sea snake is a snake of the open ocean that sometimes washes up on beaches; do not touch one, alive or dead. On the spider side, two species are medically significant: western black widow and brown widow.
Are there venomous snakes in Hawaii?
Not on our list: GBIF holds 5 venomous snake records of any license in Hawaii (pelagic sea snake 5), fewer than 10 of any one species; such records can be genuine rarities, strays, transported animals or misidentifications. The pelagic sea snake is a snake of the open ocean that sometimes washes up on beaches; do not touch one, alive or dead.
Dangerous spiders of Hawaii
Two widow species (Western black widow: 10 records, Brown widow: 4 records) are on the Hawaii list. There is no recluse spider on the Hawaii list: no recluse species reaches 10 records in the state. Widow bites cause muscle pain and cramps; recluse bites can cause a slow-healing wound. Both are rare and seldom fatal.
Are there scorpions in Hawaii?
Yes. One scorpion species is recorded in Hawaii, from 16 licensed records: Spotted scorpion (15 records). Every scorpion has venom; only the Arizona bark scorpion's sting is medically significant, and it is not on the Hawaii list.
Other spiders recorded most in Hawaii
These eight account for 36% of all licensed spider records in Hawaii; the most recorded, Tetragnatha quasimodo, alone for 9%.
Related species: Tetragnatha laboriosaRelated species: Tetragnatha laboriosaRelated species: Tetragnatha laboriosaRelated species: Tetragnatha laboriosaWhen spiders are most active in Hawaii
Observation records of spiders in Hawaii run mostly November through July, peaking in March with 22% of them. Winter (December to February) holds 28% of the records.
Where in Hawaii are snakes recorded most?
Honolulu County dominates: 61% of the state's licensed snake records come from it alone, and the top five counties hold 100%. 4 of Hawaii's 5 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honolulu County | 84 | 60.9% |
| 2 | Maui County | 25 | 18.1% |
| 3 | Kauai County | 17 | 12.3% |
| 4 | Hawaii County | 12 | 8.7% |
Hawaii counties with their own page: Hawaii County, Honolulu County, Kauai County and Maui County.
How Hawaii compares
Hawaii is one of five states with no venomous snake on the list; the others are Alaska, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. GBIF still holds a few venomous snake records for three of them, too few to list: Hawaii (pelagic sea snake: 5 records), Maine (timber rattlesnake: 3 records) and New Hampshire (timber rattlesnake: 2 records). At the other end, Arizona leads with 14 species.
Are there poisonous spiders in Hawaii?
Does Hawaii have black widows?
Yes. Two widow species are on the Hawaii list: the western black widow (10 records) and the brown widow (4 records).
Does Hawaii have brown recluse spiders?
No. GBIF holds no brown recluse record for Hawaii under any license.
Western black widow (Latrodectus hesperus)
Hawaii has 10 licensed records of the western black widow, which ranks the state 12th of the 18 states where it reaches our threshold. Range in other states and photos: Western black widow profile.
Brown widow (Latrodectus geometricus)
Hawaii has 4 licensed records of the brown widow, which ranks the state 9th of the 11 states where it reaches our threshold. Range in other states and photos: Brown widow profile.
More for Hawaii
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.