- Spiders are arachnids, not insects.
- Other members of the arachnid family include scorpions, mites, ticks and harvestmen.
- Spiders have 8 legs while insects have 6.
- Spiders don’t have antennae while insects do.
- Spiders are found on every continent of the world except Antarctica.
- There are around 40000 different species of spider.
- Most spiders make silk which they use to create spider webs and capture prey.
- Abandoned spider webs are called cobwebs.
- Most spiders are harmless to humans but a few spider species, such as the black widow, can bite humans and inject venom. Deaths from spider bites are rare however.
- An abnormal fear of spiders is called ‘arachnophobia’.
- Tarantulas are large and often hairy spiders, the biggest species have been known to kill mice, lizards and birds.
- Most tarantula species pose no threat to humans.
- The largest specie of tarantula is the Goliath Birdeater.
- Giant Huntsman spiders have leg-spans of around 30cm (12 in).
What are some fun things you can do with spiders?
Fun things to do with spiders:
- Smoke and eat them.
- Make silk art
- Make lollipops with spiders in it
- Prank your friends who fear spiders.
- Watch it move
What are 5 facts about spiders?
Top 5 facts about Australia
- The golden beaches. If you are a beach lover and want to visit a new one each day, Australia is the place to go for you.
- A Country full of sheep! There are three times more sheep in Australia than the number of people. ...
- World Cockroach Championship. ...
- A country for wine lovers. ...
- Spider season could cover the country. ...
What are some scary facts about spiders?
- The spider with the largest legspan is not a tarantula, but the giant huntsman spider, with a legspan of 12 inches.
- Daddy long-legs, or harvestmen, are not spiders at all. ...
- Some tarantulas flick barbed hairs for defense, others defecate.
- The jumping spider Portia is extremely intelligent, and hunts other spiders. ...
What are bad things about spiders?
Important spider facts
- It has been recorded that there are over 27,000 species of spiders in the world. ...
- In the Dark Ages, spiders were considered a source of contamination. ...
- The most deadly spiders are black widows, funnel web and brown recluse spiders. ...
- Spider bites affect everyone differently. ...
- A female spider can lay up to 3,000 eggs.
What are 10 interesting facts about spiders?
10 interesting facts about spiders you need to knowSpiders are everywhere! ... There are a lot of spiders. ... Not all spider bites are deadly. ... 4. Female spiders have a large appetite. ... Spiders love to do the YMCA! ... Spider silk is strong. ... Spiders have blue blood. ... Spider silk is liquid.More items...
What are some creepy facts about spiders?
33 Totally Creepy Facts About Spiders That Will Give You..."Spider rain" is not just a myth. ... One species of spider has impeccable hearing… even without ears. ... Spiders can survive in space. ... Female red widows often cannibalize their male partners. ... American tarantulas use their hairs as a defense mechanism.More items...•
Do spiders have teeth?
In its most common use, spiders bite their prey and inject venom, which immobilizes the prey and starts the process of digestion. Spiders have no teeth and rely on the venom to liquefy their prey in order that their stomachs, known as sucking stomachs, can draw in the meal.
What special things can spiders do?
Here are eight things spiders can do that you've probably never heard of:Some spiders eat their mates during copulation. ... Spiders can be romantic. ... Spiders, as a species, have been around much longer than humans. ... Ancient spiders could grow to be enormous. ... Spiders can't breathe harder. ... Spiders can be milked.More items...•
What is spider rain?
It is thought that conditions have to be just right for a spider rain: large numbers of spiders need to hatch and be ready to balloon, but weather conditions somehow hold them back. Then the weather changes, it is perfect ballooning weather, and lots of spiders become airborne.
How many eyes do spiders have?
eight eyesMost spiders have eight eyes. Most can detect only between light and dark, while others have well-developed vision.
Do spiders have lips?
While you might have seen hundreds of spiders (order Araneae) lurking in your lifetime, you probably never looked for signs of a mouth. Spiders do indeed have mouths. Although they have tiny mouths, the arachnids, unlike many animals, don't have the ability to chew their food.
Why do spiders have 8 eyes?
Spider eyes for spider lives They usually have eight eyes: two very large front eyes to get a clear, colour image and judge distance, and extra side eyes to detect when something is moving.
Do all spiders have 8 eyes?
Spiders usually have eight eyes but few have good eyesight. Spiders usually have eight eyes (some have six or fewer), but few have good eyesight. They rely instead on touch, vibration and taste stimuli to navigate and find their prey.
Do spiders run out of breath?
The movement of a spider provides the necessary energy for air to be pushed in and out of the book lungs or trachea. However, spiders require less oxygen than people do. Therefore they can go hours to even days without breathing.
What color is spiders blood?
blue bloodSnails, spiders and octopi have something in common- they all have blue blood!
Do spiders have hearts?
The heart is located in the abdomen a short distance within the middle line of the dorsal body-wall, and above the intestine. Unlike in insects, the heart is not divided into chambers, but consists of a simple tube. The aorta, which supplies haemolymph to the cephalothorax, extends from the anterior end of the heart.
What color are spiders?
Spiders range in color from light brown to black . Spiders are unable to digest solid food, and must liquefy their food first. Spiders participate in an elaborate courtship ritual, which includes gestures and dances, to prevent the large females from eating the small males before fertilization.
How to stop spiders from entering your home?
The best way to stop spiders from entering your home is by securing the perimeter. AMDRO Kills Ants & Spiders kills spiders outside so they don’t make it inside. There are over 43,000 different species of spiders in the world and over 4,000 species that live in the United States.
What is the most poisonous spider in the US?
In the U.S., the most common poisonous spider is the Black Widow. While Widow species spiders can be found on almost every continent, within the U.S., Black Widows are more common in the southern United States. All spiders are predators and feed mainly on other insects.
How long do brown recluse spiders live?
While most spiders live for close to two years , Tarantulas can live for 25 years or longer. Brown Recluse spiders can be found in a large area of the Midwest, west to Colorado and the New Mexico state line and east to northern Georgia. Although brown recluse spiders are not aggressive, their bites can be deadly.
Where are spiders found?
All spiders, from tarantulas to jumping spiders, share this common trait. The simple eyes, fangs, palps, and legs are all found on the anterior body region, called the cephalothorax. The spinnerets reside on the posterior region, called the abdomen. The unsegmented abdomen attaches to the cephalothorax by means of a narrow pedicel, giving the spider the appearance of having a waist.
What do spiders eat?
Spiders hunt and capture prey. The majority feed on insects and other invertebrates, but some of the largest spiders may prey on vertebrates such as birds. The true spiders of the order Araneae comprise the largest group of carnivorous animals on Earth.
What happens when a spider bites its prey?
When a spider bites its prey, muscles around the venom glands contract, pushing venom through the fangs and into the animal. Most spider venom paralyzes the prey. The spider family Uloboridae is the only known exception to this rule. Its members do not possess venom glands.
How do spiders move their legs?
Spiders rely on a combination of muscle and hemolymph (blood) pressure to move their legs. Some joints in spider legs lack extensor muscles entirely. By contracting muscles in the cephalothorax, a spider can increase the hemolymph pressure in the legs, and effectively extend their legs at these joints.
How do spiders absorb food?
The spider exudes digestive enzymes from its sucking stomach onto the victim's body. Once the enzymes break down the tissues of the prey, the spider sucks up the liquefied remains, along with digestive enzymes. The meal then passes to the spider's midgut, where nutrient absorption occurs.
How does a spider get sperm?
He then draws the sperm into his pedipalps, a pair of appendages near his mouth, and stores the semen in a sperm duct. Once he finds a mate, he inserts his pedipalp into the female spider's genital opening and releases his sperm.
Why do spiders use courtship?
Male spiders sometimes use courtship rituals to identify themselves as mates and not meals. Jumping spiders, for example, perform elaborate dances from a safe distance and wait for the female's approval before approaching.
How many legs does a spider have?
Additionally, a spider’s body has a special oily substance that keeps it from getting stuck in its web. [5] When a spider travels, it always has four legs touching the ground and four legs off the ground at any given moment. [16] The Bagheera kiplingi is the world’s only (mostly) vegetarian spider.
What is the oxygen in spiders?
In spiders, oxygen is bound to hemocyanin, a molecule that contains copper rather than iron. [2] Spider legs use hydraulic pressure to move. A spider’s muscles pull its legs inward, but cannot extend its legs out again. Instead, it must pump a watery liquid into its legs to push them out.
What does a wandering spider bite do?
The bite of the Brazilian wandering spider can cause long and painful erections, as well as other symptoms, in human males. [1] Spiders are vital to a healthy ecosystem. They eat harmful insects, pollinate plants, and recycle dead animal and plants back into the earth.
What does it mean when a spider has blue blood?
This can lead to other symptoms, such as acute kidney injury and jaundice. [1] Spiders have blue blood. In humans, oxygen is bound to hemoglobin, a molecule that contains iron and gives blood its red color. In spiders, oxygen is bound to hemocyanin, a molecule that contains copper rather than iron. [2]
What is the smallest spider in the world?
It hunts frogs, lizards, mice, and even small snakes and young birds. [16] The world’s smallest spider is the Patu marplesi. It is so small that 10 of them could fit on the end of a pencil. [8] The most deadly spiders in the world include the black widow, funnel web, and brown recluse spiders.
How many types of silk glands do spiders have?
Some spiders have up to seven types of silk glands, each creating a different type of silk—such as smooth, sticky, dry, or stretchy. [10] The silk in a spider’s web is five times stronger than a strand of steel that is the same thickness.
What is the effect of black widow spiders on the body?
The venom of the black widow spider attacks nerves by blocking their signals to the muscles , which causes the muscles to contract repeatedly and often painfully. Black widow bites can also cause other nerve-related problems, such as high blood pressure, restlessness, and severe facial spasms.
How many eyes do spiders have?
Most spiders have eight eyes, but some, like the brown recluse spider, only have six. Spiders typically have a main set that can create images while the secondary sets can only detect light and shadow.
What is the name of the spider that has long legs?
The nickname 'daddy long-legs' has been given to several different pests, only one of which is an actual spider. Crane flies, harvestmen and cellar spiders are all colloquially identified as 'daddy long-legs.' Only cellar spiders are spiders. Harvestmen are in the arachnid family, but they lack venom and silk glands. Crane flies are agricultural pests with very long legs and the ability to fly.
How many types of silk can a spider produce?
And as spiders have evolved, so has their ability to work with silk. One spider can produce up to seven different types, each used for a different purpose such as spinning webs or capturing prey.
Why do spiders jump?
Jumping spiders can alter the pressure of fluids in their legs resulting in a springing motion that propels the spiders forward.
How many eggs can a female spider lay?
Females can lay up to 3,000 eggs at one time. These eggs are housed in one or more silk sacs. The level of care a female spider provides for her young varies by species. Some females will die shortly after laying eggs while others will carry spiderlings on their backs or share prey with them.
Is a spider herbivore or carnivore?
It was thought that all spiders were carnivorous, capturing and eating other insects, but one species in Central America has been found to be mostly herbivorous! Bagheera kiplingi inhabit trees that produce protein-rich buds on their leaves. These buds are part of a symbiotic relationship between the trees and ants, but B. kiplingi also benefit from consuming the buds. However, during dry seasons these spiders are known to be carnivorous. They may cannibalize each other or steal ant larvae when food is scarce.
Do spiders live in every habitat?
Spiders have adapted to live in nearly every type of habitat, and they are one of the top 10 most diverse populations on earth. They play vital roles in all ecosystems -except in your home.
Why are spiders important to the ecosystem?
Spider Fact #1: While many fear spiders, they are vital to a healthy ecosystem because they eat harmful insects, pollinate plants and are a food source for many small mammals.
When do spiders come out?
The summer season tends to be their prime, but spiders can be found from August until December . There is a peak in the summer months due to a few big spider species, such as orb weavers and house spiders, becoming mature around this time, but they can start to be seen inside as the weather cools down.
How many types of silk glands do spiders have?
Spider Fact #10: When silk comes out of the spider’s spinneret it is initially a liquid, but it hardens as soon as it hits the air. Spiders can have up to seven types of silk glands, each creating a different type of silk. Different types include smooth, sticky, dry, or stretchy silk.
What spiders hunt for their prey?
The other half of spider species either wait for their prey to come to them or hunt and catch it themselves. Spiders that hunt for their prey include: Wolf spider. Jumping spider.
How long does it take for a spider to spin a web?
Spider Fact #4: On average, spiders take about one hour to spin a web. Spider Fact #5: Not all spiders spin webs, but all spiders spin silk. Spiders that form webs do so to catch their prey. However, about half of the known spider species actively hunt for their prey.
How many brown recluse spiders were caught in Kansas?
To prove that spiders are not prone to biting, there was an interesting study performed in a Kansas home where more than 2,055 brown recluse spiders were caught over a six-month period, and 400 of them were large enough to administer envenomation in the people living there, yet, no one was bitten.
Do spiders live on land?
Spider Fact #7: The majority of spider species live on land. However, there are a few, such as the raft spider, which live in or on water. You may even see them running on top of the water’s surface.
How long do spiders live?
The average lifespan of spiders is two years. However, some spiders, such as tarantulas, can live for as long as twenty years in captivity. Female spiders are known to live longer than male spiders. Semi-aquatic species of spiders are known to hunt fishes.
What is a spider?
A spider is a fascinating creature that can unwittingly terrify little kids. But if kids learn more about this eight-legged arthropod, they might come to love it. This carnivorous creature feeds on insects, and in a way, works as pest control for your house and garden.
How do spiders catch prey?
Most spiders catch prey by creating a web. This sticky web helps trap insects. Once stuck, the spider bites the prey and injects its venom into it. This venom immobilizes the prey, and the spider eats it at leisure. A spider’s body has two parts, the front, known as the ‘cephalothorax,’ and the abdomen.
Why do spiders drink water?
Spiders drink water. When food is scarce, their water intake increases to help them survive. This is one of the reasons they are often found near water sources. When hunting prey, a spider uses its fifth pair of appendages, known as pedipalps, to hold its prey and uses its fangs to bite it.
What is the biggest spider on earth?
The Goliath Birdeater is the biggest spider on Earth. Belonging to the Tarantula family, it can grow up to 11 inches and live for about 20 years. The ‘black widow’ spider is named so because it is believed that the female spider eats the male species after mating, although a very rare occurrence.
How do spiders make spiral webs?
To make a spiral orb web, the spider first creates a non-sticky web before creating a sticky one and then removes the first one, leaving the second spiral to trap its prey. Tangle webs: Commonly known as cobwebs, these are found around houses and other closed spaces. These webs are made by house spiders.
How many eyes do spiders have?
Most species of spiders have eight eyes, while a few have six eyes. Some spider species that live in caves are known to have no eyes. Most spiders do not have good vision and mostly use their senses of smell and touch to detect and catch prey. Jumping spiders are most active during the day and have excellent vision.