Spiders are not insects. They belong to a group of animals called arachnids. This group of over 75,000 species (types) also includes scorpions, mites and ticks. All spiders can make silk with glands in their bodies, but not all spiders spin webs. All spiders have venom glands, but only a few, such as the funnel-web spider, are harmful to people.
Anatomy
The spider’s body is made up of two parts: the front part (the head and thorax together) and the back part (called the abdomen). The back part is protected by a special plate. Unlike insects, spiders have eight legs. These are attached to the front part of the spider’s body. Spiders do not have wings or antennae.
Eyes
Most spiders have six or eight eyes. The majority of spiders can see only shadows and light. However some spiders, such as jumping spiders, are thought to have good eyesight.
Inside
The front part of the spider is packed with muscles to move its jaws and legs. Its jaws have hollow fangs, which contain poison made in special venom glands. The spider’s abdomen holds the organs for digesting food and making silk, as well as the spider’s heart and blood.
Spinning webs
To form an orb web, a spider uses silk that comes out of small openings, called spinnerets, at the end of its body. It spins a frame of strong, dry threads, beginning with a bridge thread and a ‘Y’ shape. After the frame is made, a temporary spiral is spun with the same dry silk. Finally, the spider spins sticky thread in a spiral and removes the dry silk.
Catching prey
Web-spinning spiders wait for prey near the centre of the web or hide nearby. They catch their prey on the sticky, silk thread. Others, such as the trapdoor spider, lure their prey with a trap. The wolf spider and the tarantula are hunting spiders.
Eating the prey
Spiders bite their prey and inject them with venom, Ör they trap them in silk thread to keep them from moving. The spider then injects special juices to turn the insides of the prey into liquid. This allows the spider to eat by sucking the liquid out.
Bird-eater
The goliath bird-eating spider is the largest spider in the world. It is about the size of a dinner plate and has hairs on its body that it uses to detect movement. It lives in the rainforests of South America and usually eats insects, mice or lizards rather than birds.
- Is the spider’s body made up of two, three or phi warts?
Answer: Two parts
- How many wings do spiders have: one pair, a pairs or none?
Answer: None
- Spiders spin silk to make spider True or False Answer: True
- Most spiders have no True or false?
Answer: False (most have six or eight eyes)
- The trapdoor spider catches its prey in a True or false?
Answer: False (it catches prey with a trap)
- What shape does an orb spider spin after it makes a frame:’X’ ‘Y’ or’Z’?
Answer: Y
- A spider’s silk-making organs are in its True or false?
Answer: True
- Are a spider’s legs attached to the front part of its bodyor its abdomen?
Answer: The front part of its body
- Can some spiders see only shadows and light?
Answer: Yes
- How does a spider eat its prey: by chewing it, by turning its insides to liquid and sucking them out, or by eating it whole?
Answer: By turning its insides to liquid and sucking them out
- In what “A’ part of the body are the organs a spider uses for digesting food?
Answer: The abdomen
- Which spider is the largest in the world?
Answer: The goliath bird-eating spider
- The goliath bird-eating spider eats only True or false?
Answer: False (it usually cats insects, mice or lizards)
- A dry silk thread remains on the web when a spider Anishes True or false?
Answer: False (it is removed)
- What type of spiders are the wolf spider and tarantula?
Answer: Hunting spiders
- What do a spider’s hollow fangs hold?
Answer: Poison from venom glands
- Is it thought that jumping spiders have good or poor eyesight?
Answer: Good eyesight
- How does a bird-eating spider detect movement?
Answer: With the hairs on its body
- How does a spider turn its prey’s insides into liquid?
Answer: By injecting the prey with special juices
20. How many legs do spiders have?
Answer: Eight