Spiders are often misunderstood creatures that play a vital role in our world. You might fear them, but their lives are full of fascinating biological engineering. These eight-legged architects live on every continent except for Antarctica. They have survived for over 380 million years, making them older than many dinosaurs. Consequently, they developed incredible survival skills during this vast time. Let’s look at the strange and wonderful reality of these arachnids.
Spiders
One unique species, the Bagheera kiplingi, is mostly vegetarian. It ignores insects and instead eats protein-rich buds from acacia plants in Central America.
Spiders do not have muscles to extend their legs outward. Instead, they use a hydraulic system to pump fluid into their limbs to straighten them.
The Goliath birdeater is massive and can grow to the size of a dinner plate (30 centimeters). Despite the scary name, it rarely eats birds and prefers earthworms or frogs.
Ancient Greeks and Romans often used spider webs as natural bandages for their soldiers. The silk is naturally antiseptic and contains Vitamin K, which helps blood clot effectively.
Surprisingly, spiders have blue blood instead of red. This happens because their blood uses copper to carry oxygen around their bodies rather than iron.
The diving bell spider lives its entire life completely underwater. It spins a special web that holds an air bubble, functioning like a miniature scuba tank.
Spider silk is incredibly tough and is five times stronger than a strand of steel of the same thickness. Scientists believe a pencil-thick web could stop a plane in flight.
Most spiders recycle their old webs by eating them. They digest the silk proteins and use them to spin fresh, sticky webs the very next day.
Certain jumping spiders can leap up to 50 times their own body length. If a human could do this, you could jump over a jumbo jet.
They rely on tiny hairs on their legs to “hear” the world around them. These sensitive bristles detect vibrations in the air and on the ground with extreme precision.
Interestingly, they cannot chew solid food because they lack proper jaws. They must inject enzymes into their prey to turn the insides into liquid before drinking it.
The male peacock spider performs a complex dance to attract a mate. He waves his colorful abdomen and legs in a rhythmic display to impress females.
Some species mimic ants to avoid being eaten by predators. They walk on six legs and raise their front two legs to look like antennae.
Water striding spiders can run across the surface of a pond without sinking. They use the surface tension of the water to hunt for small insects and fish.
A single female can lay up to 3,000 eggs at one time in a protective silk sac. This ensures that at least some babies survive the dangerous early stages of life.
