Spiders are fascinating creatures that have captured humans‘ attention for centuries. These eight-legged arthropods are found in almost every corner of the world, from the depths of the rainforest to the arid deserts and even in our homes.
They are various in shape, size, and color, adapting perfectly to their environments. Some spiders have venomous bites, while others are harmless and contribute to pest control by feeding on insects.
Despite their sometimes frightening appearance, spiders are incredibly diverse and essential in maintaining ecological balance.
Facts About Spiders
Some Male Spiders Desire to Be Consumed
Although black widows have a reputation for eating their partners, this doesn’t always happen. The red widow appears to be the exception, in which the male forces food into the female by inserting his mandibles into hers.
He will continue to position himself there till she ultimately consumes him if she spits him out,’ so to speak.
Only Some Numerous Spider Species Exist
Spiders occur in various sizes and forms, each with a distinctive appearance. According to current knowledge, there are around 35,000 distinct species of spiders. But other researchers think there’s still a lot more to learn.
Spiders Have Vision Beyond Human Capability
Several salticids (jumping spiders) species can see in spectrums that humans cannot. A select few can see UVA and UVB light.
Not Every Spider Bite Is Deadly
A few arachnids produce really unpleasant spider bites, which might risk your health because of their venom.
Most spiders in the UK don’t bite people, and those that do usually don’t cause much harm thanks to their weak venom. Getting bitten by a spider won’t make you Spider-Man! Its adverse impact is not caused by its venom.
Female Spiders Consume Large Amounts of Food
For men, unfortunately, this is bad news. Occasionally, before, during, or after copulation, depending on the species, the female spider will consume the male spider!
Did you know that the names of widow spiders, such as the black widow, were inspired by this practice of sexual cannibalism? In the UK, the fake widow spider has begun to proliferate.
Some Tarantulas Throw Hair at Potential Predators
Like a porcupine utilizing its quills as a defense, New World tarantulas can fire out small irritating hairs known as urticating hairs to scare away prospective predators.
Spiders Can Cooperate too
Some spiders build huge collective webs, while most live alone. Some spiders establish social groups and live in groups.
Colonies, which can number in the thousands of members, cooperate in incapacitating creatures caught in their webs and split the harvest among themselves.
Spiders Enjoy YMCA Workouts
The YMCA-like dance that the peacock spider, Maratus volans, does as part of its courtship ritual. Also, the vivid colors on their abdomen contribute to this spectacle.
However, the female spider will attempt to assault, kill, and even consume the male if his rendition of the YMCA doesn’t win her over.
Spiders can Catch fish, Too
Spiders use various cunning tactics to catch their prey. The ogre-faced spider, for instance, constructs a net between its front legs before swinging over areas where prey are likely to pass through.
Bolas spiders snag helpless victims by using their web as a net. They grab adjacent moths by swinging a long rope of silk with a patch of sticky glue at one end, much like a fishing line.
Spiders Are the True Superheroes
Spider web silk is more durable and resilient than steel for its weight. Yep, you read correctly; spider silk is quite resilient. It could appear fragile and frail, but it is merely a result of how thin it is.
Actually, a strand of steel the same thickness is not five times as strong as the silk in a spider’s web. A spider web with threads as thick as a pencil is also said to be able to halt an airplane in midair!
Some Spiders Mimic Ants
Approximately 100 species of spiders imitate ants by developing identical external features and even pheromones. Most do it to avoid predators, while others do it to aid in ant predation.
Spiders Produce Blue Blood
Spiders have blue blood, unlike humans. Nonetheless, there is a scientific justification for this. Our blood is red because oxygen is coupled to an iron-containing molecule in humans.
Spiders’ blood, on the other hand, is blue because the molecule to which oxygen is attached includes copper.
Did you know that spider silk is actually a liquid?
Spider silk is fluid, which may sound unusual, considering we are accustomed to seeing it in the shape of webs. However, the silk hardens in the presence of air, enabling spiders to weave and expand their webs.
Spiders Are Widespread
Although it may terrify you, research indicates that you should never be more than 10 feet from a spider. So don’t worry; they usually skulk around in the cracks and keep to themselves.
Spiders Have Given Rise to Dance
In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was thought that unless the victim danced hysterically to a certain piece of music, a bite from a type of wolf spider (known as a “tarantula”) located in the Taranto area of Italy) would be deadly. The tarantella, a regional dance, was created as a result.
Male Spiders Enjoy Giving Gifts
Certain spider species also enjoy giving their loved ones a present wrapped in silk to court them on a date and serenading them with dances.
Some Male Spiders Can Be Cunning and Dishonest
They provide cheap knockoffs like pieces of leaves or outdated presents that haven’t been popular with other ladies in place of gifts like flies and other insects.
Spiders Have Been Spinning Webs for 100 Million Years
Web designs come in a wide variety but are all highly sticky. Spiders have been around for a very long time and have built many webs throughout the years, some of which reflect light or have a yellow tint.
Some spider silk has a yellow tint that draws insects or reflects light. Spiders may find their prey by using the web’s vibrations to their advantage.
House Spiders Spin a Web and Stay until Disturbed
Daddy Long Legs and house spiders Attics and cellars are popular locations for spiders to live. See a spider spinning a web as it is captured through time-lapse photography.
Spiders Are Skilled Hunters
These incredible spiders use a variety of strategies to catch their prey. Flowers are where flower spiders conceal themselves and wait for insects.
Wolf Spiders use cunning trap doors and deep burrows to capture insects. Yellow sac spiders may sprint up to two miles per hour while pursuing their prey. The Cardinal or Fen Raft Spider can walk across the water even while hunting.
Spiders Possess Peculiar Muscles
The way a spider’s muscles function is pretty intriguing. Their muscles can only draw inside; they cannot stretch forth again.
Spiders will pump a watery liquid into their legs to assist in pushing them out again to get around this problem. Because no fluid is being dispersed to retract its legs, you will always notice curled-in legs on dead spiders.
Not All Spiders Spin Webs
All spiders have spinnerets on their abdomen that they may use to create silk. However, not all spiders utilize webs to capture prey. Spider silk comes in 11 varieties, and many spiders can produce five or six of them.
All spiders create drop lines. However, some employ it to construct tiny holes for traps and others to construct sleeping sacs (which look a bit like bungee jumping ropes).
In this kid-friendly article about spiders, we discovered a wealth of knowledge on spider kinds, anatomy, and life cycles. In this post, we learned about the sections of a spider for children.
Ready to explore the intriguing world of spiders with your kids? You can download and print these educational resources with just one simple click.
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I’m a former teacher (and mother of Two Childs) with a background in child development. Here to help you with play-based learning activities for kids. ( Check my Next startup Cledemy.Com)
