Spider Facts and Information

When you see a spider hanging from the ceiling of your house or crawling on your furniture, what’s your first reaction? Do you get scared easily because you think all spiders are creepy, dangerous, and poisonous? This article will help you understand spiders.

When you see a spider hanging from the ceiling of your house or crawling on your furniture, what’s your first reaction? Do you get scared easily because you think all spiders are creepy, dangerous, and poisonous? This article will help you understand spiders.

Spider Anatomy

  • Spiders are eight-legged arthropods with fangs used in releasing venom. Their bodies have three main parts: the head, abdomen and thorax.
  • The head forms part the cephalothorax of a spider and includes its eyes and mouth and four pairs of legs.
  • An exoskeleton serves as a rigid outer covering that protects the entire body of the spider.
  • The abdomen of the spider is connected to the cephalothorax by a narrow pedicel.
  • Sensory hairs grow from the skin of the spider’s body.
  • Claws are found at the end of each spider leg. Each spider leg is segmented. Spiders who can build webs have three claws at the end of each leg. The muscles of the legs of the spiders are contractable and capable of generating a strong suction force during feeding of prey. Venom from the fangs are most of the time used in killing their prey.

Spider Habitat

Spiders are known to have lived everywhere or all over the world except in Antarctica. Tropical countries are home to many spider species since they can thrive in a humid climate and it is in these places where they can find a lot of food.

  • Terrestrial spiders can be found in trees, in plants, inside or homes and even in the blades of grass in our backyard.
  • There are also spider species while live in the edges of lakes and ponds where they can find lots of food and shelter.
  • Spiders can also be seen in crawl spaces of our homes, behind the closet and even within a pile of bricks.

READ: NSW Ambulance paramedics issue spider warning as weather heats up

Role in Nature

Spiders can be useful in our homes and in our gardens since most of the food they eat are the usual household pests such as cockroaches, mosquitoes, aphids and grasshoppers. Their existence around and within your house is a natural way of solving your pest problems.

The venom possessed by spiders can also be used to cure different kinds of ailments such as arthritis, some heart ailments.

Spiders are also considered delicacies. In Cambodia, spiders are fried and is a good part of the diet of the locals. Eating spiders in Thailand and South America is believed to provide good luck.

Spiders help to control mosquitoes that can cause diseases such as malaria and dengue.

Some Spiders Are Dangerous

Some spiders are dangerous. Such varieties as the black widow, brown recluse and the yellow sac possess venom that can cause vomiting, chest pains and abdominal pain to bitten humans. Large populations of spiders at home are also bothersome to homeowners since a lot of people fear spiders. The best way to control spider population at home is to terminate their food source such as insects. Keeping your home clean and sanitary can also be a good solution since it also keeps their food source or insects away.

READ: Entomologist Says Expect More Spiders Inside as Weather Turns Cooler

  • 10 Most Common Spiders in the UK Non-poisonous and poisonous spiders have cousins in other areas in the world. Find out what the 10 most common spiders are in the United Kingdom.
  • Brown Widow Spider FactsThe brown widow spider is a cousin of the black widow. It was originally from South Africa, but it can now be found even in California, USA. Here are some brown widow spider facts that you must know.
  • Spider Venom Could Cure Diseases The toxin in venomous spiders can be used in making medicines for curing diseases. Spider venom are used in treating different kinds of medical conditions including lung cancer, Alzheimer's, disease, heart fibrillation as well as severe pain.
  • Most Common Spiders in the USA Studies show that the geographical range where spiders can be found may be a factor in the rate of their increase and the degree of their venom potency. If you live in the United States, here are some of the most common spiders that you will encounter -- some of which are poisonous.
  • Cane Spider Size The cane spider is also known as the brown huntsman, banana spider and giant crab spider. Cane spiders reach a size ranging from 3 to 5 inches wide and have a light brown color and a flat body.
  • Wolf Spider Size The wolf spider can be found all over the world, especially in meadows and grasslands and in other areas where they can hunt insects as food. The size of the wolf spider (excluding its legs) ranges from 0.4 inches (10 millimeters) to 1.38 inches (35 millimeters).
  • Camel Spider Size The camel spider size is considered big. It can reach up to about 6 inches or 15 centimeters in length. It is also known as a wind scorpion or an Egyptian giant solpugid.
  • Most Common Spiders in Australia The funnel web spider, one of the deadliest spiders in the world, is among the long list of spiders that can be found in Australia. Here are the most common spiders in Australia (with photos) and what you need to know about them. 
  • Four Camel Spider Myths Is it true that camel spiders eat human flesh and can run up to 25 miles per hour? Here are four myths about the camel spider that you may have heard.
  • How Poisonous Is a Brown Recluse Spider? The brown recluse spider or violin spider has an extremely venomous spider bite. But how poisonous is it? Find out here.
  • The Five Deadliest Spiders in the World While not all spiders are dangerous and poisonous, these five particular spiders are the deadliest of them all.
  • The Biggest Spider in the World Can a spider bite from the biggest spider poison a human being? Big spiders look scary, but are they also poisonous? Here are two of the largest recorded spiders in recent history.
  • Most Venomous Spider in the World Learn where the most venomous spider in the world can be found and what it looks like.
  • Poisonous and Nonpoisonous Spiders Poisonous and nonpoisonous spiders are found worldwide (except in Antarctica). There are about 43,000 species of spiders and taxonomists have recorded about 109 families of spiders. There are about 20,000 species of spiders in America and only about 60 of these species are capable of biting a human being.

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