What do spiders do?

Many people find them a little scary, but spiders are fascinating and very useful animals. There are more than fifty thousand species and almost all of them are harmless to people. What makes them special?

They are not insects

Spiders are arachnids. They have eight legs, while insects have six, and their body is divided into two parts instead of three. They also have no wings or antennae.

A silk factory

Spiders make silk in glands in the abdomen and release it through organs called spinnerets. Silk is very thin, but as strong as steel of the same thickness.

Spider webs

Many weave webs to catch flying insects. Some are wheel-shaped, some funnel-shaped and some irregular. Other species do not weave webs and hunt by stalking or jumping onto their prey.

How they hunt

When prey gets trapped, the spider feels the vibrations in the web, comes closer and immobilizes it with its venom. Then it wraps it in silk and eats it later.

Allies of people

Spiders eat mosquitoes, flies and other insects, and help control pests in gardens and homes. Only a few species have venom that is dangerous to us.

Flying babies

Some small spiders travel through the air by releasing a thread of silk that the wind carries away, like a balloon.

A fun fact

The smallest spiders are barely a millimeter long and the biggest tarantulas can reach the size of a plate. Some jumping spiders see so well that they judge the distance before they leap.

Activity: find a spider web

In the morning, with dew on it, spider webs are easier to see. Look at one from a distance, without touching it, and draw its shape. It is an example of natural geometry.

Something to think about

Spider webs get repaired when they break, because the spider rebuilds them almost every day. Before feeling afraid, watch with curiosity: you will see that each spider builds its web with amazing precision.