Cave Spider

| Health points |
12HP × 6 |
|---|---|
| Behavior |
Neutral (if light level 12 or above) |
| Mob type | |
| Attack strength |
Melee:
|
| Hitbox size |
Height: 0.5 blocks |
| Speed |
0.3 |
| Spawn |
|
{
"title": "Cave Spider",
"rows": [
{
"field": "12<span class=\"hidden-alt-text\">HP</span><span class=\"nowrap mc-hearts\"><span class=\"iconbar pixel-image nowrap\" style=\"--icon-offset:-1px;\" title=\"1 heart\">(link to File:Heart (icon).png article, displayed as 9px|link=|alt=❤️)</span> × 6</span>",
"label": "(link to Health article, displayed as Health points)"
},
{
"field": "Neutral (if light level 12 or above)<br>Hostile (if light level 11 or below)",
"label": "Behavior"
},
{
"field": "<span class=\"nowrap\"><span class=\"sprite-file\" style=\"\">(link to File:EntitySprite monster-mob-type.png article, displayed as 16x16px|link=Monster|alt=|class=pixel-image|)</span>(link to Monster article, displayed as <span class=\"sprite-text\">Monster</span>)</span> • <span class=\"nowrap\"><span class=\"sprite-file\" style=\"\">(link to File:EntitySprite arthropod.png article, displayed as 16x16px|link=Arthropod|alt=|class=pixel-image|)</span>(link to Arthropod article, displayed as <span class=\"sprite-text\">Arthropod</span>)</span>",
"label": "(link to Mob type article, displayed as Mob type)"
},
{
"field": "(values exceeds 1000 characters...)",
"label": "Attack<br/>strength"
},
{
"field": "Height: 0.5 blocks<br>Width: 0.7 blocks",
"label": "(link to Hitbox article, displayed as Hitbox size)"
},
{
"field": "0.3",
"label": "(link to Attribute#Movement_speed article, displayed as Speed)"
},
{
"field": "\n* <span class=\"nowrap\"><span class=\"sprite-file\" style=\"\">(link to File:EnvSprite mineshaft.png article, displayed as 16x16px|link=Mineshaft|alt=|class=pixel-image|)</span>(link to Mineshaft article, displayed as <span class=\"sprite-text\">Mineshaft</span>)</span>: from (link to monster spawner article, displayed as monster spawners).\n* <span class=\"nowrap\"><span class=\"sprite-file\" style=\"\">(link to File:EnvSprite trial-chambers.png article, displayed as 16x16px|link=Trial Chambers|alt=|class=pixel-image|)</span>(link to Trial Chambers article, displayed as <span class=\"sprite-text\">Trial Chambers</span>)</span>: from (link to trial spawner article, displayed as trial spawners).",
"label": "(link to Mob spawning article, displayed as Spawn)"
}
],
"invimages": [
"Cave Spider Spawn Egg"
],
"images": [
"Cave Spider.png"
]
}
A cave spider is a smaller spider variant that behaves similarly, but has less health and inflicts Poison with its attacks. They are only spawned by spawners in various structures.
Spawning

The cave spider is one of the only two mobs in the game to spawn exclusively from spawners, the other being the breeze.
Monster spawners
Cave spiders spawn from monster spawners in mineshafts at a light level of 0. These monster spawners are surrounded by cobwebs in corridors.
Trial spawners
Cave spiders have a 25% chance to be selected as the "small melee" mob for trial spawners in trial chambers.
Spider jockeys
There is a 1% chance for a cave spider to spawn with a skeleton riding it, forming a cave spider jockey. The skeleton has an 80% chance to be replaced by a stray, bogged, or wither skeleton in the biomes where they spawn. Similar to regular spiders, the skeleton controls how both mobs move. Cave spider jockeys can fit through smaller gaps than spider jockeys.
Drops
On death
| Item | Quantity / Chance / Average | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default | Looting I | Looting II | Looting III | ||||||||||
| String | 0–2 | 66.67% | 1.00 | 0–3 | 83.33% | 1.50 | 0–4 | 91.67% | 2.00 | 0–5 | 94.44% | 2.50 | |
| Spider Eye[A] | 0–1 | 33.33% | 0.33 | 0–2 | 66.67% | 0.83 | 0–3 | 83.33% | 1.33 | 0–4 | 88.89% | 1.83 | |
| Item | Quantity / Chance / Average | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default | Looting I | Looting II | Looting III | ||||||||||
| String | 0–2 | 2⁄3 | 1 | 0–3 | 5⁄6 | 3⁄2 | 0–4 | 11⁄12 | 2 | 0–5 | 17⁄18 | 5⁄2 | |
| Spider Eye[A] | 0–1 | 1⁄3 | 1⁄3 | 0–2 | 2⁄3 | 5⁄6 | 0–3 | 5⁄6 | 4⁄3 | 0–4 | 8⁄9 | 11⁄6 | |
| Item | Amount | Probability | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default | Looting I | Looting II | Looting III | |||
| String | 0 | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 1⁄6 (16.67%) | 1⁄12 (8.33%) | 1⁄18 (5.56%) | |
| 1 | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 1⁄4 (25.00%) | 1⁄6 (16.67%) | ||
| 2 | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 5⁄18 (27.78%) | ||
| 3 | 0 | 1⁄6 (16.67%) | 1⁄4 (25.00%) | 5⁄18 (27.78%) | ||
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 1⁄12 (8.33%) | 1⁄6 (16.67%) | ||
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1⁄18 (5.56%) | ||
| Average | 1 (1.00) | 3⁄2 (1.50) | 2 (2.00) | 5⁄2 (2.50) | ||
| Spider Eye[A] | 0 | 2⁄3 (66.67%) | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 1⁄6 (16.67%) | 1⁄9 (11.11%) | |
| 1 | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 1⁄2 (50.00%) | 5⁄12 (41.67%) | 5⁄18 (27.78%) | ||
| 2 | 0 | 1⁄6 (16.67%) | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | ||
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1⁄12 (8.33%) | 2⁄9 (22.22%) | ||
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1⁄18 (5.56%) | ||
| Average | 1⁄3 (0.33) | 5⁄6 (0.83) | 4⁄3 (1.33) | 11⁄6 (1.83) | ||
| Killed | 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Item | Expected Drops | ||||
| Default | Looting I | Looting II | Looting III | ||
| String | 1.00 | 1.50 | 2.00 | 2.50 | |
| Spider Eye[A] | 0.33 | 0.83 | 1.33 | 1.83 | |
| Item | Quantity / Chance / Average | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default | Looting I | Looting II | Looting III | ||||||||||
| String | 0–2 | 66.67% | 1.00 | 0–3 | 66.67% | 1.33 | 0–4 | 66.67% | 1.67 | 0–5 | 66.67% | 2.00 | |
| Spider Eye[A] | 0–1 | 50.00% | 0.50 | 0–2 | 50.00% | 0.75 | 0–3 | 50.00% | 1.00 | 0–4 | 50.00% | 1.25 | |
| Item | Quantity / Chance / Average | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default | Looting I | Looting II | Looting III | ||||||||||
| String | 0–2 | 2⁄3 | 1 | 0–3 | 2⁄3 | 4⁄3 | 0–4 | 2⁄3 | 5⁄3 | 0–5 | 2⁄3 | 2 | |
| Spider Eye[A] | 0–1 | 1⁄2 | 1⁄2 | 0–2 | 1⁄2 | 3⁄4 | 0–3 | 1⁄2 | 1 | 0–4 | 1⁄2 | 5⁄4 | |
| Item | Amount | Probability | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default | Looting I | Looting II | Looting III | |||
| String | 0 | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | |
| 1 | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 1⁄6 (16.67%) | 1⁄12 (8.33%) | 1⁄18 (5.56%) | ||
| 2 | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 1⁄3 (33.33%) | 1⁄4 (25.00%) | 1⁄6 (16.67%) | ||
| 3 | 0 | 1⁄6 (16.67%) | 1⁄4 (25.00%) | 2⁄9 (22.22%) | ||
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 1⁄12 (8.33%) | 1⁄6 (16.67%) | ||
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1⁄18 (5.56%) | ||
| Average | 1 (1.00) | 4⁄3 (1.33) | 5⁄3 (1.67) | 2 (2.00) | ||
| Spider Eye[A] | 0 | 1⁄2 (50.00%) | 1⁄2 (50.00%) | 1⁄2 (50.00%) | 1⁄2 (50.00%) | |
| 1 | 1⁄2 (50.00%) | 1⁄4 (25.00%) | 1⁄8 (12.50%) | 1⁄12 (8.33%) | ||
| 2 | 0 | 1⁄4 (25.00%) | 1⁄4 (25.00%) | 1⁄6 (16.67%) | ||
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1⁄8 (12.50%) | 1⁄6 (16.67%) | ||
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1⁄12 (8.33%) | ||
| Average | 1⁄2 (0.50) | 3⁄4 (0.75) | 1 (1.00) | 5⁄4 (1.25) | ||
| Killed | 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Item | Expected Drops | ||||
| Default | Looting I | Looting II | Looting III | ||
| String | 1.00 | 1.33 | 1.67 | 2.00 | |
| Spider Eye[A] | 0.50 | 0.75 | 1.00 | 1.25 | |
Behavior
Cave spiders inherit their behavior from spiders:
- They are neutral if under daylight or in light levels of 12 or above, otherwise hostile toward players and iron golems. Once they become hostile, light does not affect them.
- They attack by leaping and biting.
- They are unaffected by cobwebs and Poison.
- They are scared of armadillos.
They have some distinctions from regular spiders:
- They can fit through a space that is one block wide and 1⁄2 block tall.
- They can go through the spaces between two different types of (unconnected) fences.
- They cannot spawn with status effects in Hard difficulty.[Java Edition only]
- They flip 90° upon death.[Bedrock Edition only][1]
Being arthropods, they are weak against weapons with the Bane of Arthropods enchantment.
Poison
On Normal or Hard difficulty, cave spiders inflict
Poison upon attacking.[2] On Normal difficulty, the Poison lasts for 7 seconds and causes 6HP damage. On Hard difficulty, it lasts for 15 seconds and causes 12HP × 6. Poison damage is not taken when the player's health is at 1HP.
Sounds
| Sounds | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | Subtitles | Source | Description | Resource location | Translation key | Volume | Pitch | Attenuation distance |
| Spider hisses [sound 1] | Hostile Mobs | Randomly | entity[sound 1] | subtitles[sound 1] | 1.0 | 0.8-1.2 | 16 | |
| Spider dies [sound 1] | Hostile Mobs | When a cave spider dies | entity[sound 1] | subtitles[sound 1] | 1.0 | 0.8-1.2 | 16 | |
| Spider hurts [sound 1] | Hostile Mobs | When a cave spider is damaged | entity[sound 1] | subtitles[sound 1] | 1.0 | 0.8-1.2 | 16 | |
| Footsteps | Hostile Mobs | While a cave spider is walking | entity[sound 1] | subtitles | 0.15 | 1.0 | 16 | |
| Sounds | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | Source | Description | Resource location | Volume | Pitch |
| Hostile Mobs | Randomly | mob | 1.0 | 0.8-1.2 | |
| Hostile Mobs | When a cave spider dies | mob | 1.0 | 0.8-1.2 | |
| Hostile Mobs | When a cave spider is damaged | mob | 1.0 | 0.8-1.2 | |
| Hostile Mobs | While a cave spider is walking | mob | 0.35 | 0.9-1.1 | |
Data values
ID
| Name | Identifier | Entity tags | Translation key |
|---|---|---|---|
cave_spider | arthropodno_anger_from_wind_chargesensitive_to_bane_of_arthropods | entity |
| Name | Identifier | Numeric ID | Translation key |
|---|---|---|---|
cave_spider | 40 | entity |
Entity data
Cave spiders have entity data associated with them that contains various properties.
- [NBT Compound / JSON Object] Entity data
- Tags common to all entities see Template:Nbt inherit/entity/template
- Tags common to all mobs see Template:Nbt inherit/mob/template
Achievements
| Icon | Achievement | In-game description | Actual requirements (if different) | Gamerscore earned | Trophy type (PS) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS4 | Other | ||||||
| Monster Hunter | Attack and destroy a monster. |
| 15 | Bronze | |||
| Overkill | Deal nine hearts of damage in a single hit. | Damage can be dealt to any mob, even those that do not have nine hearts of health overall. | 30 | Bronze | |||
| It Spreads | Kill a mob next to a catalyst | — | 10 | Bronze | |||
| Over-Overkill | Deal 50 hearts of damage in a single hit using the Mace | Damage can be dealt to any mob, even those that do not have 50 hearts of health overall. | 20 | Silver | |||
Advancements
Advancements that apply to all mobs:
| Icon | Advancement | In-game description | Actual requirements (if different) |
|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Adventure | Adventure, exploration and combat | Kill any mob, or be killed by any living entity. |
![]() | A Throwaway Joke | Throw a Trident at something. Note: Throwing away your only weapon is not a good idea. | Hit a mob with a thrown trident. |
![]() | Take Aim | Shoot something with an Arrow | Using a bow or a crossbow, shoot a mob with an arrow, tipped arrow, or spectral arrow. |
![]() | Mob Kabob[upcoming JE 1.21.11] | Hit five mobs in the same Charge attack using the Spear. | |
![]() | Arbalistic | Kill five unique mobs with one crossbow shot | This is a hidden advancement, meaning that it can be viewed by the player only after completing it, regardless of if its child advancement(s), if any, have been completed. |
![]() | Over-Overkill | Deal 50 hearts of damage in a single hit using the Mace | Damage can be dealt to any mob, even those that do not have 50 hearts of health overall. |
History
Java Edition
| Java Edition Beta | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.8 | Pre-release | ||||||
| Java Edition | |||||||
| 1.0.0 | Beta 1.9 Prerelease 2 | Cave spiders now drop 0-1 spider eye when killed by a player or tamed wolf. | |||||
| The cave spider's health points have been reduced from 20HP × 10 to 12HP × 6. | |||||||
| Beta 1.9 Prerelease 4 | Cave spiders are now immune to the Poison status effect. | ||||||
| Cave spiders are now considered arthropods. | |||||||
| 1.2.1 | 12w06a | Cave spiders now swim extremely fast with the water stream toward the player, but seem to be almost not moving against the water stream. | |||||
| Cave spiders can now climb ice blocks. | |||||||
| 1.7.2 | 1.7 | Cave spiders no longer attack after being provoked by players in Creative mode. | |||||
| 1.8 | 14w06a | Cave spiders no longer draw a line of sight through opaque blocks. | |||||
| Cave spiders have been given the new AI that regular spiders have received. | |||||||
| 14w11a | Cave spiders now run away from creepers that are about to explode. | ||||||
| ? | The cave spider's venom is no longer neutralized by splash potions of weakness, which may or may not be a bug. | ||||||
| 1.8.1 | pre1 | Cave spiders no longer run away from creepers that are about to explode. | |||||
| October 16, 2017 | |||||||
| 1.14 | 18w43a | ||||||
| 1.16 | 20w10a | Firework damage now provokes cave spiders.[3] | |||||
| 1.19 | 22w11a | ||||||
| 1.20.3 Experiment | 23w45a | Cave spiders now spawn in trial chambers behind the "Update 1.21" experimental data pack. | |||||
| 1.20.5 | 24w03a | Cave spiders are now scared of armadillos when not in a rolled up state. | |||||
| 1.20.5 Experiment | 24w04a | Cave spiders no longer retaliate against attacks from the breeze. | |||||
Bedrock Edition
| Pocket Edition Alpha | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| v0.11.0 | build 1 | ||||||
| v0.12.1 | build 1 | Cave spiders now have a walking sound. | |||||
| Cave spiders can now spawn with wither skeletons riding them when spawning as a spider jockey in the Nether. | |||||||
| Cave spiders now drop spider eyes. | |||||||
| v0.14.0 | build 1 | Cave spiders can be ridden by baby zombies and baby zombie villagers. | |||||
| v0.15.0 | build 1 | Cave spiders can now spawn with strays riding them when spawning as a spider jockey in snowy biomes with a view of the sky. | |||||
| Cave spiders can be ridden by baby husks. | |||||||
| Pocket Edition | |||||||
| 1.1.0 | alpha 1.1.0.0 | The cave spider's Poison time from attack has been changed to be based on difficulty. | |||||
| Bedrock Edition | |||||||
| 1.10.0 | beta 1.10.0.3 | ||||||
| 1.19.0 | Preview 1.19.0.21 | ||||||
| 1.20.60 Experiment | Preview 1.20.60.20 | Cave spiders now spawn in trial chambers behind the "Update 1.21" experimental toggle. | |||||
| 1.20.70 Experiment | Preview 1.20.70.20 | Cave spiders now flee from armadillos that are not rolled up. | |||||
| 1.20.70 Experiment | Preview 1.20.70.21 | Cave spiders no longer retaliate against attacks from breezes. | |||||
Legacy Console Edition
| Legacy Console Edition | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox 360 | Xbox One | PS3 | PS4 | PS Vita | Wii U | Switch | |
| TU5 | CU1 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | Patch 1 | 1.0.1 | |
| TU9 | The size of cave spiders has been corrected. | ||||||
| TU12 | Cave spiders now swim extremely fast with the water stream toward the player, but seem to be almost motionless against the water stream. | ||||||
| Cave spiders can now climb ice blocks. | |||||||
| 1.90 | |||||||
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
| New Nintendo 3DS Edition | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1.0 | |||||||
Data history
| Java Edition | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.11 | 16w32a | The cave spider's entity ID has been changed from CaveSpider to cave_spider. | |||||
| 1.13 | 17w47a | Numeric IDs for entities were presumably deprecated in this version.[more information needed] | |||||
| Pocket Edition | |||||||
| 1.1.0 | alpha 1.1.0.0 | The cave spider's entity ID has been changed from cavespider to cave_spider. | |||||
Issues
Issues relating to "Cave Spider" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.
Trivia
- While a cave spider's hitbox is only 13.9% the volume of a normal spider's, its model's volume is 34.3% as large. The shadow is even larger: compared to the normal spider's shadow it has an area of 49%.
Gallery
Screenshots
-
A cave spider. -
A cave spider and its monster spawner. -
The health bar turns yellow-green when bitten by a cave spider. -
Size comparison between a cave spider and a regular spider. -
Picture of cave spider going through a 1×1×0.5 block. -
Four cave spider monster spawners generated in close proximity. -
Cave spider monster spawner enclosed in an area, able to be safely killed. -
Another cave spider farm generated in a mineshaft. -
A group of cave spiders trying to swim after the player in a mineshaft. -
A cave spider in Xbox 360 Edition before TU9, having the same size as a regular spider.
Textures
-
Cave spider texture file. -
Spider eyes texture file.
In other media
-
Lego Minecraft Cave Spider. -
Cave spider plush made by JINX. -
"Spider Cave," an official T-Shirt design. -
A Cave Spider, as it appears in Minecraft Dungeons. -
A Cave Spider, as it appears in Minecraft Story Mode.
References
- ↑ MCPE-41417 — resolved as "Won't Fix".
- ↑ "Your health hearts turn yellowish" – @jeb_ (Jens Bergensten) on X (formerly Twitter), September 2, 2011
- ↑ MC-111498 — Fireworks and water bottles damage don't make neutral mobs angry or hostile — resolved as "Fixed".
- ↑ MC-127885 — resolved as "Fixed".
- ↑ MC-127885 — resolved as "Fixed".
External links
- Meet the Cave Spider – Minecraft.net on September 5, 2017

