10 Fun & Interesting Facts About Spiders

There are a lot of misconceptions about the nature of spiders. Over the years, many have made spiders into a morph of what they really are. Many think that being bitten is bad and that the poison will induce death. Let’s explore some of the common misconceptions about the nature of spiders.

1. Spiders do not see well at all with their eyes. Spiders have very simple eyesight, that may not even be able to see you approaching. Instead, spiders rely on a variety of different sensations top alert them to changes in the environment. The tiny bristles that are seen all over a spider’s body are actually receptors. These bristles are very sensitive to touch, vibration, airflow, and temperature changes.

2. Spiders are part of the arthropod family this means that the skeletal system of the body is located in the outermost layer. The hard exoskeleton helps spiders maintain the moisture and not dry out. The bristles are not hairs, but actual parts of the exoskeleton.

3. Te Term “spider’ was coined in an old English term “spinan” which means to spin. The spider uses the tiny claws that are located on each leg while also using the hairs to on the webs that they spin without sticking to it.

4. Spiders are sloppy eaters. They do not swallow the food to digest they will digest it outside their body. After they have captured their prey, spiders release the digestive enzymes from internally and cover the prey. These enzymes break down the body which allows the spider to liquefy the prey and suck it up like a drink once it is completed.

5. The tarantula is not as dangerous as people think. The tarantula thanks to Hollywood has gotten a bad rap. They are actual very docile creatures whose bite is not poisonous. It will hurt but no more than a bee sting

6. What may surprise some people is that the daddy long legs spider is not an actual spider. It looks a lot like one. However, the daddy long legs do not have a waist between body parts. It is much longer and thinner and carries its body hung much lower than a spider.

7. The way in which a spider spins its web is unique. It has tiny stubs called “spinnerets” near the rear of its abdomen. The spider will use its legs to pull the silk made in the abdomen. When the silk is stretched it hardens. The silk is actually made out of a lot of protein so a spider will eat the old silk before spinning a new one.

8. Spiders are mostly known for spinning webs. However, many spiders do not spin webs are all. Many use the silk they produce in other ways. Some use it to protect their eggs in the egg sacs. Wolf spiders care her eggs with them wherever they go because it is attached to the spinnerets under the abdomen. Other types of spiders line their borrows with silk and some even make trap doors at the top to secure their lairs.

9. There are even spiders on the one dollar American bill. To locate it turn it over to the back and look for the owl in the upper left hand corner of the bill. The shield that encases the number 1 and there are a spider crawling in the upper left corner.

10. What is amazing is that the strand of silk from a golden spider is just as strong as a steel wire of the same size.

11. In the early 1960’s, it was not uncommon for animal behavorialist to study the effects of certain substances on spiders. For Example, they would inject them with caffeine, and they produced nervous spider webs. When they were given LSD, they spun webs in odd, eccentric patterns. Of course, these are very small does, however, they all had similar effects on humans with the same substances.