Spider Facts

Spider Facts

1. Spiders are not insects because they have eight legs and two body parts, called the abdomen and the thorax. In contrast, insects have three body parts and six legs.

2. Spiders have silk spinning glands, called spinnerets, at the tip of their abdomen.

3. Not all kinds of spiders can spin webs.

4. There are more than 30,000 species of spiders, all of which belong to the Arachnid family.

5. Spiders are oviparous, which means that their babies hatch from eggs.

6. Almost all spiders have six or eight eyes.

7. All spiders have fangs, which eject venom. Not all spider bites are harmful, even though they can hurt! The venom paralyzes or kills their prey.

8. Spiders eat insects, some of which can be harmful to plants.

9. Spiders usually have six fingerlike silk glands called spinnerets located beneath their abdomen. The silk comes from inside the spider’s body as a liquid, thicker than water. When a spider wants to make a web, it squeezes the silk out of the two small holes at the back of its body called spinnerets. The moment it hits the air, the silk dries into a line that looks like a long strand of hair.

10. Although spiders can live almost anywhere in the world, some like it where it is very humid, and some like it where it is very dry.

11. The tarantula is probably the most feared of spiders. It is very big and can stretch itself almost to the size of a one-foot ruler  10 inches. It is furry, unlike other spiders.

12. Spiders are considered humankind’s friend because they help keep the insect population in check. Humans use spiders’ silk to make threadlike lines for microscopes, telescopes and other scientific instruments.

13. All animals have natural enemies.Birds,insects such as wasps,snakes,lizards,frogs and fish eat spiders.

14. Sometimes spiders eat each other.

15. Humans try to destroy them because we do not understand how useful they are. Spiders try to protect and defend themselves from their enemies.

16. At times, spiders will not attack their prey unless it is moving. Many insects have learned that if they do not move, the spider will not detect their motion vibrations.

17. Spiders that ensnare their prey in their webs do not use their poison. The spiders that hunt for their prey, or hide on flowers and capture insects by grasping them with their fangs when the insects come close by, kill their victims with poison.

18. The spider can only digest fluid food, predigestion must take place outside the spider’s body. Some people believe that spiders suck blood; this is not correct. Spiders inflict a wound with their fangs and, through the wound, inject digestive enzymes into the wound to liquefy the tissues of their prey. Then the spider pumps the insect dry, leaving nothing but an empty shell behind.

19. When the eggs hatch the new spiders are called spiderlings.

20. Some spiders build tents underwater. An aquatic spider builds her tent in the shape of a bell and fills it with air.

21. Males die soon after they mate, but if kept alone in captivity they may linger for several weeks, usually refusing to eat. Females, on the other hand, live longer. In some species the female dies soon after laying eggs, but in others they may live for several years, laying eggs annually. Some large tarantulas are known to have lived in captivity for as long as 15 years.

22. The brown recluse belongs to a group of spiders commonly known as violin spiders or fiddlebacks.  The characteristic fiddle-shaped pattern is located on the top of the leg attachment region (cephalothorax).  Because they are secluded and withdrawn, as their name implies, the brown recluse avoids open spaces. Brown recluse spiders are dangerous and they can bite and inject toxic venom.