Halloween is coming and we can’t not talk about Halloween’s favourite spooky animal: spiders! Here are some fun facts we found about spiders and we learned that spiders aren’t as scary as we think. They’re also very important for our environment and our food!
Spider Superlatives
We’ve put together a list some of the best spiders out there! But of course, with over 45,000 species and counting, there are definitely still more awesome spiders out there we haven’t covered.
Most silly-looking spider: Micrathena sagittata
This arrow-shaped micrathena has a distinctive arrow-shaped abdomen with rows of spikes underneath. Scientists think that the yellow, which is only found on females, are used to attract the attention of their prey.
Cutest spider: Regal jumping spider
Photo by Thomas Shahan
Not only are they cute, as the name suggests, these spiders jump! Kim is a regal jumping spider that was the first of any species of spider to have been successfully trained to jump onto targets at different distances and heights.
Most strategic spider: Assassin or pelican spiders
Photo by Greg Anderson
They’re called assassin spiders because of their hunting style and pelican spiders because of their gigantic jaws, which resemble pelican beaks. To catch their spider preys, they pluck at the web to get their prey to come to them. But they’re not completely ruthless–they don’t hunt their own kind. In fact, when placed in a petri dish together, all they do is try to give each other space. Read more about these spiders here.
Best homemakers: African Trapdoor spider
.jpg)
African cork-lid trapdoor spider (Photo by RudiSteenkamp)
Not at all spiders spin webs. This one makes burrows with a lid that looks like a cork, made out of soil, vegetation and their own silk. Beyond having perfectly cylindrical burrows and lids, the doors stay stuck to the ground with only a silk hinge! Read more about them here.
Most beautiful spider: Peacock spider
Photo by Robert Whyte
Also a type of jumping spider, peacock spiders have beautiful colours and patterns on their abdomen. Male peacock spiders uses them to attract females, expanding and raising these flaps, very similar to peacocks. They also raise and clap their third pair of legs, that have black hairs and white tips. But that’s not at all! They also do a dance.
Best catapult: Slingshot spider
Photo by Lawrence E. Reeves
These brilliant spiders know how to turn their webs into catapults, which springs them into ultra-fast motion! They can stay in position, ready to launch, for hours, and when they finally launch, they can sustain 130 Gs, which is “more than 10 times what fighter pilots can withstand without blacking out.“
Spiders can be models too!
Still don’t think spiders are more than just spooky? Check out some of these amazing glamour shots by Michael D. Kern here!
Resources
Learn more about these creepy but critical creatures from the links below.
