Spiders

Most people can recognize a spider, but do you know what characteristics make a spider a spider?

Facts About Spiders – 10 Facts About Spiders

Some spiders make elaborate decorations in their webs - circles, zigzags, crosses, or spirals. What purpose do these web decorations, called stabilimenta, serve?

Many spiders build webs to ensnare prey, and then sit and wait for a hapless insect to fly into the sticky silk trap. Why doesn't the spider get stuck in its web?

Hollywood directors like to use tarantulas in horror flicks, because these huge, furry spiders look intimidating. But tarantulas have been given a bad rap. These 10 cool facts about tarantulas should make you think differently about these docile and fascinating spiders.

Tarantulas are carnivores. Here's more information on what they eat, and how they catch their prey.

The brown recluse spider, Loxosceles reclusa, has a bad and largely undeserved reputation. Across the U.S., people fear the bite of this spider. In truth, the brown recluse is just that - a recluse. It's range is limited to one section of the country, and its bite is rarely life threatening.

More lies are told about the brown recluse spider , Loxosceles reclusa , than any other arthropod in North America. Public hysteria about this shy spider has been fueled by media hype and medical misdiagnosis. It's time to set the record straight. My rebuttals to each of these statements are not based on my own opi

Brown recluse spiders live in a limited area of the U.S. Even where they are abundant, people are rarely bitten by them. Most brown recluse bites heal without medical intervention. Necrotic wounds are often misdiagnosed as recluse bites. But without catching a spider in the act and having that spider identified by an expert, you can't prove a...

Cobweb spiders include the familiar common house spider and the feared black widow. A large and diverse family, there are over 2,200 Theridiids worldwide.

Jumping spiders comprise the largest family in the spider order, the family Salticidae. They use their excellent vision and athletic springing ability to hunt and capture prey. It's easy to recognize a jumping spider once you know its characteristics.

Jumping Spiders – How Do Jumping Spiders Jump?

To most people, spiders are creatures that spin large, round webs around our homes and gardens. These recognizable webs are specifically the work of the orb weaver spiders, members of the family Araneidae. Orb weaver spiders come in bright colors, different sizes, and several shapes.

One of the largest spider families, wolf spiders live everywhere from deserts to mountains, rainforests to meadows. Wolf spiders use keen eyesight, quick reflexes, and camouflage to survive as ground dwellers.

The famous black widow is just one of the venomous widow spiders living throughout the world. Bites from female widow spiders are medically significant, and may require treatment with an antivenin.

From National Geographic, a collection of facts about the most extreme and unusual members of the class Arachnida.

A detailed but well-written page full of spider facts and profiles.

A page about backyard spiders, with descriptions of a few common genera and tips on observing them.