Arachnids, features and articles | Educational Science

Mar 29, 2023

Female spiders play dead during sex so males don't have to worry about being eaten

Female funnel weaving spiders engage a bizarre behavior to mate: They play dead during sex so males are less worried that they might be eaten when the deed is done, a new study shows. That, in turn, makes it easier for females to choose the best mates, by playing dead...

Apr 27, 2023

Bold jumping spiders can literally go blind with hunger

Spiders have a keen sense of sight, but once they begin to starve they also start to go blind. Biologists made the startling discovery while studying the eyes of bold jumping spiders (Phidippus audax) in the lab. They found that when they decreased the diets of these tiny hunters, the...

May 15, 2023

What is the deadliest spider in the world?

Spiders are common critters. And, as almost all of Earth's 43,000 known spider species are venomous, it is likely that most people have encountered a venomous spider at one point or another. So that's the bad news. The good news, however, is that of these, only 25 species are known...

May 19, 2023

Surprisingly-bad acting is key to jumping spider's survival

Scientists have discovered the survival secret of a brightly colored spider that mimics ants to deter predators: the imperfection of its impressions. The tiny jumping spider Siler collingwoodi lifts its front legs to form mock antennae while swinging its legs and jiggling its abdomen to copy an ant's gait. Ants...

May 19, 2023

Invasive giant spider in US is actually 'shyest ever documented,' study finds

Giant, invasive Jorō spiders that are spreading throughout the southeastern United States could be the shyest ever documented, meaning they don't owe their success to aggression, a new study finds. Jorō spiders (Trichonephila clavata) first appeared in the U.S. in 2013, when they were accidentally brought across from eastern Asia...

Jul 11, 2023

Spider with weird feeding behavior appears to kill prey by dousing it with toxic digestive fluids

Fuzzy, long-legged spiders may attack their prey with an ingeniously gruesome tactic — by covering them in toxic digestive fluids. Unlike most other spiders, feather-legged lace weavers (Uloborus plumipes) don't have venom-producing glands or a way to inject their prey with toxins through their fangs. Instead, these spiders seem to...

Jul 23, 2023

Why do spiders have 8 legs?

There seems to be no ideal number of legs. Humans have two, dogs have four, insects have six and millipedes can have over 1,000. So what made spiders settle for eight legs? I think the best answer and the simplest answer is that spiders have eight legs because their parents...

Aug 4, 2023

What is the biggest spider in the world?

Throughout history, tales of giant spiders have gripped the human imagination — from Arachne, the half-woman, half-spider figure in Greek mythology to J'ba Fofi, the rumored monkey-size spider of the Congolese rainforest and Shelob, the monstrous arachnid who keeps Frodo the hobbit on his toes in The Lord of the...

Aug 10, 2023

Spooky, subterranean daddy longlegs with ghostly pale bodies discovered

Two new species of blind and colorless daddy longlegs spider have been discovered — one in the dry western region of Australia, and one on the lush tropical island of Réunion. Both of the species live in underground habitats, which likely led to their colorless bodies and blindness. And researchers...

Aug 16, 2023

No, this spider's venom will not give you a permanent erection, but it might last a few hours

A supermarket in Austria was evacuated following reports of a spider whose bite can cause hours-long, painful erections. But media claims that the erections are permanent are not supported by science. The spider was discovered in a discount store in Krems an der Donau, 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of...

Aug 17, 2023

Horrifying photo captures moment parasitic fungus bursts from huge spider's body

A rare image has captured the moment a huge spider is defeated and engulfed by a parasitic fungus, with spores bursting from the arachnid's back, legs and head The striking photo is one of the winning images from the BMC Ecology and Evolution photography competition. The picture, taken by evolutionary...

Aug 28, 2023

When stressed, these male spiders woo mates with empty 'take-out containers' instead of dinner

Certain male spiders in South America usually give their partners a tasty snack before mating. But in stressful environmental conditions, males may cheat in their mating ritual by offering females a useless ball of silk instead of a nutritious meal, a new study has found. The research shows how spiders...

Nov 3, 2023

Wolf spider mama wearing crown of babies captured in stunning photo

A stunning photograph has captured a wolf spider wearing a hat of her own babies in Maryland. The image, titled Wolf Spider Mama was named the winner of the insects and arachnids category of The Nature Conservancy's 2023 Global Photo Contest. The image, taken by photographer Benjamin Salb, shows a...

Nov 5, 2023

Brazilian wandering spiders: Bites & other facts

The Brazilian wandering spider, also called armed spiders or banana spiders, belongs to the genus Phoneutria, which means murderess in Greek. And it's no wonder why — it's one of the most venomous spiders on Earth. Its bite, which delivers neurotoxic venom, can be deadly to humans, especially children, although...

Dec 14, 2023

Newly discovered Antarctic sea spider with 'boxing glove' claws pulled up from ocean floor

A strange, yellow, spider-like creature with four near-black eyes and large bulbous claws has been pulled from the depths of the ocean off Antarctica. The never-before-seen animal is a sea spider — a distant relative of horseshoe crabs and arachnids that live on the ocean floor, eat through a straw-like...