In 'Charlotte's Web', what type of animal is Charlotte?

In “Charlotte’s Web,” Charlotte is a spider. E. B. White’s 1952 novel centers on the friendship between Charlotte, a barn spider, and Wilbur, a young pig whose owner plans to slaughter him. Charlotte tries to save Wilbur by spinning words into her web that make people view him as extraordinary.

Charlotte’s messages include “Some Pig,” “Terrific,” “Radiant,” and “Humble.” The unusual web-writing attracts public attention and persuades Homer Zuckerman and others that Wilbur deserves special treatment. Charlotte is not the pig—that is Wilbur—and Templeton, another important animal in the story, is a rat.

White published the novel on October 15, 1952, with illustrations by Garth Williams. Charlotte gives her full name as Charlotte A. Cavatica, identifying her as a barn spider associated with the orb-weaver species Araneus cavaticus. White drew on observations of spiders at his Maine farm, including the way young spiders disperse by “ballooning” on strands of silk. Charlotte eventually lays 514 eggs, though only three of her spiderlings remain with Wilbur.