Spiders spin webs for lots of purposes, so what are they? Let’s learn five scary spiders facts for kids.
Yes, you heard that right. Spiders are not classified as insects, although they are the right size they are actually known as arachnids. This is because they only have two body segments instead of three. Their bodies are made up of two main parts, a cephalothorax and an abdomen. Other arachnids you may know are scorpions, mites, and ticks. Spiders have blue blood. Spiders actually catch insects in their web to eat.
Most spiders live on land, but a few spiders actually live in and on water. An example of a spider that lives in such a way is the raft spider. These spiders can run across the water’s surface. As raft spiders run across the water air bubbles get trapped on their hairy body and legs. These air bubbles help it to float on water. Grass spiders build a web on top of grass. Their webs form a funnel shape between blades of grass. Their webs are not sticky.
Did you know that only over half of the spider species spin webs. It takes about one hour for a spider to complete a web. The silk is a liquid inside the spider’s abdomen. When the spider releases it, it becomes solid and forms a thread. Some spiders eat their old web before starting a new one. Web spiders are spiders that rebuild their web each day. Now that’s a lot of effort.
Spiders spin webs to catch insects to eat. Webs are also used to protect spiderlings, which are baby spiders. When a spider lays eggs, she stores them in a silk sac and then attaches it to a web to keep them safe. Spider silk is very strong. Spiders that do not spin webs, actively hunt their prey and pounce instead. Baby spiders are called spiderlings.
Most spiders have 8 eyes and four eyes. The two larger front eyes are for judging distance, they give spiders a clear image. On the side of the spider’s head there are two extra eyes which help a spider detect movement. These small eyes help spiders detect predators. Seeing small creatures with eight legs and four eyes can be frightening for some people. Those who have an abnormal fear of spiders are said to have “arachnophobia”.
The Goliath Birdeater is the world’s largest spider. The largest Goliath Birdeater ever found was said to have had an 11 inch leg span and weighed 6 ounces. The smallest spider in the world is the Patu Digua. This tiny spider is located in Columbia, South America. The Patu Digua looks like a baby spider and it measures only .37 mm. You may find it hard to see this spider roaming around.
We hope you enjoyed learning more things about spiders as much as we loved teaching you about them. Now that you know how majestic the universe is, you can move on to learn about other living organisms articles like: Arachnids, Invertebrates and Endangered Animals.
Why not subscribe to our LearningMole Library for as little as £1.99 per month to access over 3200 fun educational videos.
Leave a Reply