Arachnids and Spiders
All spiders are arachnids but not all arachnids are spiders
Spiders are one of the 11 orders of Arachnids and they have some special functions and forms that are all there own. There are about 50,000 species of known spiders.
Spiders have...
*4 pairs of legs, the first pair about the same size as the rest
*No tail
*No claws
*Distinct body parts connected by a narrow waist
*One pair of fang shaped chelicerae
*One pair of larger pedipalps
*Spinnerets at the tip of the abdomen to spin silk
*Simple eyes, usually 8 of them
Spiders have...
*4 pairs of legs, the first pair about the same size as the rest
*No tail
*No claws
*Distinct body parts connected by a narrow waist
*One pair of fang shaped chelicerae
*One pair of larger pedipalps
*Spinnerets at the tip of the abdomen to spin silk
*Simple eyes, usually 8 of them
All spiders are predators and they hunt for food, some actively and some waiting for prey to find them or get trapped in their webs. Some spiders blend into their environment, some use trapdoors to surprise their prey and others can leap into the air to catch their prey.
Spiders feed by first biting their prey, with their fangs, and injecting venom, to immobilize them. One family of spiders does not have venom and so they use their silk to kill the prey. They then inject a digestive enzyme into the prey, via their fangs, that dissolves the preys tissues, liquefying it, so that the spider can then suck up the liquid. Some spiders will use their chelicerae and pedipalps to grind up they prey while they inject it with digestive enzymes. Spiders eat other spiders, insects, arthropods and, depending on the size of the spider, larger animals such as frogs and birds.
All spiders are able to produce silk but not all spiders spin webs. Spider silk is a very strong protein material that is made by glands in the end of the abdomen, the spinnets. Usually there are only 2 spinnets but there can be up to 6. The silken thread that is produced is used by spiders for spinning webs, making cocoons for eggs, sheltering dwellings, wrapping prey and used as a rope to lower themselves to the ground or move through the air, sometimes for many miles. All spider webs are different and each one is based on enviroment, type of spider and their age. Spider silk has different consistencies and some has a sticky substance to it while some does not.
Spiders feed by first biting their prey, with their fangs, and injecting venom, to immobilize them. One family of spiders does not have venom and so they use their silk to kill the prey. They then inject a digestive enzyme into the prey, via their fangs, that dissolves the preys tissues, liquefying it, so that the spider can then suck up the liquid. Some spiders will use their chelicerae and pedipalps to grind up they prey while they inject it with digestive enzymes. Spiders eat other spiders, insects, arthropods and, depending on the size of the spider, larger animals such as frogs and birds.
All spiders are able to produce silk but not all spiders spin webs. Spider silk is a very strong protein material that is made by glands in the end of the abdomen, the spinnets. Usually there are only 2 spinnets but there can be up to 6. The silken thread that is produced is used by spiders for spinning webs, making cocoons for eggs, sheltering dwellings, wrapping prey and used as a rope to lower themselves to the ground or move through the air, sometimes for many miles. All spider webs are different and each one is based on enviroment, type of spider and their age. Spider silk has different consistencies and some has a sticky substance to it while some does not.
Other spider facts
*Males are smaller and more colorful than females
*We are never more than 3-10 feet from a spider
*Most spiders live for one year but some can live up to 25 years
*Female wolf spiders carry their young on their back for about a week
*Spiders can float through the air using silk and the wind, they have been seen at altitudes of 10,000 feet and at sea 200 miles from land
*The raft spider is able to walk on water, it dives under the water to capture prey
*Some spiders have no eyes and some have 12
*Males are smaller and more colorful than females
*We are never more than 3-10 feet from a spider
*Most spiders live for one year but some can live up to 25 years
*Female wolf spiders carry their young on their back for about a week
*Spiders can float through the air using silk and the wind, they have been seen at altitudes of 10,000 feet and at sea 200 miles from land
*The raft spider is able to walk on water, it dives under the water to capture prey
*Some spiders have no eyes and some have 12
Smallest Spider
The smallest spider in the world is the moss spider, the Patu marplesi. This spider lives in Samoa and measures at 0.017 inches, or about 0.5mm, at its adult size, about the size of a pinhead or the period printed at the end of this sentence.
The smallest spider in the world is the moss spider, the Patu marplesi. This spider lives in Samoa and measures at 0.017 inches, or about 0.5mm, at its adult size, about the size of a pinhead or the period printed at the end of this sentence.
Largest Spider
The largest spider in the world is the Goliath. The Goliath is commonly known as the Bird Eating Spider. It is a tarantula that lives in the rain forests of South America. The Goliath can grow to be a foot across with fangs one inch long. It is an ambush predator, eating insects, snakes, rodents and even small birds, which is how it became known as the Bird Eating Spider. The Goliath, like other tarantulas, does not spin webs or leap to catch prey, it uses stealth and fangs. The Goliath is able to rub the hairs on its legs together to make noise, which can be heard up to 15 feet away. It also releases the hairs on its body, for protection, by using them as projectiles and causing irritation wherever they land. The Goliath spider does not normally bite humans but it can if startled, causing pain and nausea.
The largest spider in the world is the Goliath. The Goliath is commonly known as the Bird Eating Spider. It is a tarantula that lives in the rain forests of South America. The Goliath can grow to be a foot across with fangs one inch long. It is an ambush predator, eating insects, snakes, rodents and even small birds, which is how it became known as the Bird Eating Spider. The Goliath, like other tarantulas, does not spin webs or leap to catch prey, it uses stealth and fangs. The Goliath is able to rub the hairs on its legs together to make noise, which can be heard up to 15 feet away. It also releases the hairs on its body, for protection, by using them as projectiles and causing irritation wherever they land. The Goliath spider does not normally bite humans but it can if startled, causing pain and nausea.