During its life, the spider goes through several stages of development. In the first stage, the arachnid is inside one of hundreds of eggs that the female lays in a cocoon.
Not all spiders will be able to survive and become adults, since many of them will be eaten by their own brothers or die for other reasons.
Let's look at what a spider's cocoon consists of, how reproduction occurs, and how many eggs there are in one clutch.
Marriage ritual
The reproductive process of spiders begins with a mating ritual, as is often the case in the animal world. The methods of male courtship are very diverse:
- some species hypnotize the female with rhythmic leg movements;
- twitching the abdomen;
- peacock spiders from the jumping family reveal a colorful “fan” on their abdomen;
- Some specimens bring the lady of the heart a “gift” - prey wrapped in a web.
- wolf spiders circle around the female, getting closer;
- the male karakurt pulls the threads of the female's web in a certain rhythm, as if ringing a doorbell;
- Attids living in Canada “dance”, making intricate movements with their limbs.
Mating dance
Interesting fact! Males secrete special aromatic substances - pheromones, which attract females only of their own species.
All the tricks of males are aimed at ensuring that the female is favorable, and in some cases, so that she does not eat them ahead of time.
Why does a black widow eat her male?
Its main goal is to fertilize the female; when he succeeds, his resources, as a rule, are already running out. After mating (and even during the process), the male finds himself in the jaws of the female; she digests it and thereby provides nutrition for future offspring.
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Pairing
Scientists have described in detail the process of how spiders mate. A distinctive feature of these creatures is the presence of pedipalps.
On a note! Pedipalps, or claws, are modified short oral limbs in chelicerates, which, in addition to spiders, also include horseshoe crabs and sea spiders.
Before the last molt, which signifies the final maturation of the male individual, the endings of the pedipalps become containers for seminal fluid. The spider weaves a mesh (usually triangular) and squeezes sperm out of the gonads there. The mesh with genetic material is placed in the copulatory (intended for mating) process of the pedipalp - the embolus.
When a female accepts courtship from a male, the embolus is placed in a special hole on her abdomen - the spermatheca. It often happens that the sperm reservoir breaks off, so that the male becomes unable to fertilize more than one female.
Is a spider on the ceiling or in the bathroom dangerous?
Considering that it is extremely difficult to encounter a poisonous spider in your own home, the danger from such a neighborhood is small. At the same time, the presence of these arthropods in an apartment can negatively affect a person’s emotional well-being.
Folk signs
There are many folk superstitions regarding these creatures. It is believed that the appearance of an arthropod in the house promises good luck and the onset of a favorable period in business and personal life. Some people believe that if you see this arthropod in the morning, your day will be successful.
If the spider was met during the daytime, then soon the person will meet great love. At the same time, according to folk superstitions, if it hangs on the web above the table, it means you need to be as careful as possible in your affairs, because someone is planning intrigues. An arthropod falling on its head promises unexpected income.
If it appears on the wall in the bathroom, you should take steps to change your life. In addition, an arthropod climbing up a web promises good news. If it weaves a network over the bed, a person, according to popular belief, will face health problems or adultery.
Is it necessary to fight arthropods?
In houses, a lot of dust and insect remains always accumulate on the cobwebs. In addition, even small spiders in the house can cause negative feelings for most people. Thus, it is advisable to eliminate these creatures when they appear in the room.
How do spiders lay eggs?
The spider lays eggs through the oviduct, placing them in a cocoon for protection from enemies and maintaining an optimal temperature. The cocoon bag is woven from a spider's web and is usually about the size of a spider.
Since spiders are oviparous, they do not directly give birth. You can see what spider eggs look like if you remove the cocoon from them.
Interesting fact! Spider eggs can come in all colors of the rainbow.
Spiders that live in burrows hide them by attaching them to the walls. Representatives of funnel-worms, bagworms, and many side walkers do this. Sometimes you can see a spider with an egg. Most likely, this female tarantula or other wolf spider carries a spherical cocoon containing about 50 fertilized eggs. The spider actively protects its offspring; approaching it is dangerous.
Spider clutch
Interesting fact! The eggs of some species of spiders can be poisonous to mammals, including humans. This has nothing to do with the toxicity of adults.
The classification of spiders is still controversial among scientists
Numerous classification schemes were published in the 1930s, most of them in response to Alexander Petrunkevich's scheme, but none are currently acceptable or relevant. All classifications were largely based on the work of Eugene Simon, published in France at the end of the 19th century. New tools such as scanning electron microscopy and molecular techniques have changed traditional classification schemes. In addition, many new spiders have been discovered in the Southern Hemisphere that do not fit easily into established families, a situation that has prompted new classifications to be proposed. The best studied species are those living in Europe, North America, Korea and Japan.
Number of eggs in clutch
The female spider first weaves a dense web of cobwebs, and eggs are laid there. Then the masonry is covered with a second layer of web, resulting in a dense cocoon.
The clutch of spiders varies depending on the species. One egg is laid by the microscopic Pyrenean spider Telema tenella. Agryope Brünnich can lay up to a thousand eggs at a time. The female tarantula Lasiodora parahybana brings from 1.5 to 2.5 thousand eggs.
On average, a clutch contains 20-30, sometimes 50 fertilized eggs.
The shape of the cocoon can be different:
- in the form of a ball;
- cone;
- pyramids;
- star-shaped;
- etc.
The masonry of Agroeca brunnea has an interesting shape - two chambers are connected to each other like a glass. The eggs develop in one chamber, and the hatched little spiderlings move into the other.
Interesting fact! Not all eggs in a clutch are fertilized. If most of the eggs are empty, the female can eat the cocoon.
What are ticks
Ticks are just small arachnid arthropods that have lived for millions of years and inhabited the Earth long before humans appeared on it. Therefore, it can be argued that as long as a person lives, he is accompanied by bites from representatives of this family.
Ticks can rightly be classified as faithful and constant companions of all living things - for millions of years, where there is vegetation or living creatures, these spiders can be found from hot Africa to the harsh taiga of the Eurasian continent, from deserts to rainforests.
That is, it is difficult to find a place on the planet where ticks do not live.
A misconception is the belief that all ticks are parasitic and drink blood, much less live on humans or animals. In fact, of the 48,000 species known in scientific circles today, only the order Ixodida, numbering over 900 representatives, prefers the blood of humans, warm-blooded animals, birds and even reptiles as food.
There is a separate family of tiny parasites that penetrate the skin and constantly parasitize inside the body of animals and people, but the spread and reproduction of such mites largely depend on basic hygiene. The rest of the ticks live in various types of vegetation, feed on plant components, organic matter, their relatives or their remains, posing no threat to humans.
Which ticks are dangerous to humans and pets?
People, fearing for their own health and for the well-being of their animals, should have information about those parasites that carry a real risk of developing dangerous infections. There are conditionally 2 types of such mites - permanent and temporary parasites.
Constant parasites
These tiny arachnids, burrowing under the skin of warm-blooded animals and humans, live there constantly, that is, throughout their entire life cycle, causing undeniable harm through their own vital activity.
As a rule, acariasis is caused by the following permanent parasites:
- Ear mites affecting the outer ear and ear canal.
- Scabious itching affecting the subcutaneous layers.
- Demodicosis, when the face and the area around it are mainly affected.
Prevention consists of strict adherence to hygiene rules, especially where such ticks and their carriers live.
Temporary Parasites
The only order that, during its own evolution, transformed into the form of temporary parasites is Ixodida. Only two families of this order - Argasidae and Ixodidae - pose a real threat with their bites to people and domestic animals.
Because they are able to climb onto a victim, pierce the skin, drink blood and thereby provoke a number of serious problems.
It is their accidental bites, possible during walks and trips into nature, that people rightly fear, wanting to avoid the following unpleasant and sometimes dangerous moments:
Infection of the bitten person with pathogens of dangerous diseases. Itching and allergic reactions. Dermatitis and other skin lesions.
After saturation, the process of which can last for a week in an adult female, and several hours in a male, the bloodsucker falls off on its own. If the parasite is not detected and removed in time, it will suck blood as much as it needs.
Argasid mites
Not all representatives of argasid mites are capable of causing harm with their attacks in our region; residents of South America suffer from the majority of them. In our latitudes, the most likely danger from this family is the following representatives:
- The village tick, which lives near large livestock and poultry, parasitizes them, transmitting the pathogens of borelliosis and relapsing fever to humans when biting them.
- The shell mite, which most often lives in pigeon nests and parasitizes pigeons, the bite of which causes severe allergies in humans; also suspected of carrying Q fever.
These bloodsuckers are interesting to scientists because of how long the tick lives without feeding. About 10 years! During forced hunger, the parasite goes into hibernation, and all life processes slow down. But when a source of food appears, activation quickly occurs and the tick is ready for an immediate attack.
In reality, argas parasites rarely attack people, since they still prefer more familiar hosts.
With the onset of periods of hunger, they are capable of migrating over long distances on the body of the victim, attaching themselves to it. This is especially true for birds that carry ticks for several thousand kilometers.
Birth of spiderlings
Eggs mature over several weeks. As a rule, the female guards the clutch all this time. Spiders are born, or rather hatch, from eggs ranging in size from 2 mm (in Cyclosternum) or with a paw span of up to 1.5 cm (in the goliath tarantula Theraphosa blondi).
Interesting fact! Spiderlings of arboreal species mature faster than their relatives, but there are significantly fewer of them in the clutch.
Stages of development of spiders inside the cocoon:
- The first molt occurs inside the egg. The newborn spider feeds on the yolk of the egg. This stage is called “prelarva”.
- Then another molt occurs, the spiders turn into first-stage nymphs. Their covers are still very thin and are not able to protect them from the external environment, so development continues to take place inside the cocoon.
- After 3-5 weeks, a larva appears - a nymph of the second stage. Such an individual cannot yet feed on its own, but claws on its paws and chelicerae are already developing.
- The next molt is considered postembryonic. Spiders are becoming more and more active. With small spines on the pedipalps they tear the cocoon and emerge into the light. Newly born spiderlings initially stay in a group, then scatter.
Female tarantulas themselves open their cocoons, helping the cubs get out. The Argiope cocoon has very thick walls. Spiderlings dissolve part of the cocoon using enzymes contained in saliva.
Features of the species
The life of spiders at the growing stage depends on their species.
- The crosses remain in the sunny meadow as a whole for a long time.
- Tarantulas travel through their habitat on the back of their mother, falling off from there themselves or through her efforts.
- The wolves stay on the spider’s belly, but not for long. They cling to everything, including cobwebs.
- Sidewalkers begin to jump as soon as their legs become stronger. They move actively front, back and side.
- Segestria sit in burrows for a long time, and crawl away when the yolks run out and there is not enough food.
Spiders.
Further fate
Almost all species of spiders stop caring for their offspring as soon as the young spiders emerge from the cocoon. Females of some species die before the birth of their young and serve as food for them for the first time.
Pauchata
The exception is tarantula spiders of the genus Hysterocrates, described at the end of the 19th century. British scientists. They live on the small island of Sao Tome in the Atlantic Ocean. Spiders are in no hurry to leave their mother and live with her for several months. The female continues to take care of the offspring, obtains food for them, and protects them.
Typically, young spiders lead the same lifestyle as adults: they make burrows and hunt. Their prey is of a smaller size suitable for them. During its life, the spider goes through several molts until it reaches the state and size of an adult sexually mature individual.
Interesting fact! Typically, male spiders live much shorter than females and they also molt less often.
Distribution and habitats
Spiders can even live where other living things cannot. They are distributed on all continents and islands, with the exception of areas covered with ice all year round. The vast majority of spiders build burrows, nests and other shelters, but some species do not have a permanent habitat.
Interesting Facts
- Males sometimes perform a mating dance even in front of their reflection.
- Individuals have the best object vision among spiders. They are probably able to distinguish colors.
- The family includes more than three thousand species of spiders that are found throughout the world. Most of these spiders live in tropical areas, some are found in the temperate zone. Representatives of the family even live in Arctic regions.
- If dirt gets into the spider's eyes, it carefully cleans them with its pedipalps.
- Some types of spiders imitate ants. Such similarity (mimicry) is expressed not only in the shape of the body, but also in movements. This is how spiders escape from pompil wasps that prey on spiders.
Video
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ypad_f6tSEo
https://youtube.com/watch?v=D0wgsWHqktk
https://youtube.com/watch?v=j7mJEJyVqWE
Sources
- https://animalreader.ru/pauk-skakun-chempion-po-pryizhkam.htmlhttps://thewildlife.ru/bespozvonochnye/pauk-skakun/https://zooclub.org.ua/pauki/1833-pauk-skakun- obyknovennyy.htmlhttps://simple-fauna.ru/spiders/pauk-skakun-ili-pauk-vampir/https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping spiders
