The fauna of our planet is full of a huge number of living creatures that fascinate with their diversity, so it is often difficult to immediately determine what species an organism belongs to.
For example, not many people know that spiders belong to animals, a phylum of arthropods and a class of arachnids . There are more than 42 thousand species of spiders, of which 1.1 thousand are fossils.
Moreover, they can be found everywhere, even where no living creature can live. This article will take a detailed look at who spiders are and what they are.
Description of the spider
The spider is the most ancient creature on the planet. It is much older than humans; these organisms arose in advance. The remains of vital activity, spider webs, were discovered in the structure of amber, which is 100 million years old.
Arachnids lived on the globe back in the Paleozoic era, and this was 2.5 billion years ago. During this period, these creatures practically did not change in appearance.
To understand who spiders are, it is worth considering their features and description of their appearance. They have 6 pairs of limbs. However, the person notices 4 pairs. This is due to the fact that the first 4 limbs are transformed into organs of nutrition and touch.
General characteristics include the following appearance criteria:
- The body of arthropods is divided into two parts - the cephalothorax and abdomen. They are connected using a short jumper;
- the cephalothorax is divided by a groove into the head and thoracic parts;
- on the chest part there are the limbs of the spider, due to which it moves and weaves a web;
- on the surface of the head there are two pairs of limbs, eyes and a mouth opening.
The number of eyes may vary. Most arthropods have 8 visual organs. But in individuals living in the darkness of caves, they may be absent.
Is a spider an insect or not?
Many people wonder whether a spider actually is an insect or an animal. Most will immediately answer that it is an insect, but this is not the case. Even if in appearance this organism looks like crawling small inhabitants, it is in no way related to them and has distinctive features.
They are animals; among the inhabitants of the fauna they are classified as invertebrates. These are arthropods that have jointed limbs, a hard chitinous cover, which is a hard exoskeleton.
Therefore, the question arises why spiders are not insects and animals. And also interested in what exactly connects mammals, what common features they have with insects and differences from them. This is worth considering carefully.
General signs
The family of spiders and insects share some common characteristics. This is due to the fact that arachnids belong to the class of arthropods.
They have the following characteristic qualities:
- creatures have a chitinous skeleton to which muscles are attached;
- the structure of the eye in arthropods is formed from many ocelli; it is often called facet;
- females reproduce by laying eggs.
Main differences
To understand what a spider is - an animal or an insect, it is worth carefully considering its main characteristics.
Many people mistakenly consider it an insect, but this is not so, and this is indicated by the following distinctive features:
- spiders have 8 legs, and insects have 2 fewer;
- Insects have 3 body segments, and arachnids have 2;
- spiders are able to weave webs;
- In nature, insects have a huge number of species and subspecies;
- arthropods produce poison, which is required for external digestion of food;
- unlike insects, arachnids do not have metamorphism (transformation) in their life cycle;
- The communication system and nervous system of insects is much more complex than that of arthropods.
How to get rid of house spiders?
Getting rid of spiders is not difficult. If a lot of these creatures appear in the room, you need to do a thorough cleaning. All cobwebs should be removed together with a broom. In addition, you need to thoroughly rinse all corners and nooks where arthropods can hide. Be sure to seal all cracks in windows and doors, clean out the attic, and remove trash from your living space.
Chemicals for spiders
These arthropods are extremely sensitive to chemical insecticides. The following drugs can be used:
- Butox 50.
- Diflofos.
- Neoron.
- Dobrokhim FOS, etc.
Before treatment, children and pets should be temporarily removed from the premises. Windows should be closed. After spraying the selected insecticide, you must leave the room for about 30 minutes. At the end of this period, the room should be well ventilated and thoroughly cleaned. Chemicals should be used when the number of these creatures is too large in the room, so there is a possibility that not all individuals will be eliminated during cleaning.
Folk remedies
Many folk remedies allow you to cope with arthropods living in houses. If there are a lot of spiders, you can place sticky traps on horizontal surfaces where they often move. You can use a vacuum cleaner to remove insect eggs and webs.
In order to eliminate arthropods, you can place chopped walnuts and horse chestnuts in the corners. Essential oils of eucalyptus, mint and tea tree will be useful in the fight against them. To prepare the solution, dissolve 20 drops of the selected essential oil in 500 ml of warm water. The resulting product should be used to treat all places where spiders were noticed.
Interesting facts about spiders
Unusual facts about spiders will amaze many who do not yet know about these creatures. But they conceal many mysteries, secrets, and have unique features that other organisms living on the globe do not have.
Let's look at 15 interesting facts about spiders:
- The web is not only a trap for insects, it is capable of deflecting several millimeters in order to grab and stick an insect to itself. This phenomenon is carried out due to a static charge, which appears during the flight of the insect.
- The bite of the Brazilian wandering spider is not always fatal, but it often causes impotence in men.
- With the help of its limbs, the spider can determine what has reached it in the web. But edible or inedible helps him establish the olfactory organs, which are located on his legs.
- The animal has a durable shell. Its strength can withstand a nuclear explosion.
- The web is very light. If you take a spider thread the length of the earth's equator, then its weight will be only 340 grams.
- Spider web is considered a powerful and durable material. If its thickness is increased to the thickness of a pencil, then such a web could stop a Boeing. In New Guinea, fishermen use this material to catch fish, and in South America there are spider web bridges that support monkeys.
- The lifespan of arthropods is 30 years. But they rarely die of old age.
- At one time, the female can lay up to 20 thousand eggs, from which spiders hatch.
- In nature, there are varieties of spiders that, after being born, eat their mother.
- There are varieties of arachnids in which the brain occupies the largest part of the body, so other organs are forced to be located on the legs. The smaller the spider, the larger its brain.
- In the Netherlands there are more spiders than people. For 15 million human population there are 5 thousand billion arthropods.
- In Cambodia, people enjoy eating tarantula spiders. They are also brought up at home, they learn to dance, and play willingly. And if necessary, they can protect the owner.
- There are types of spiders that do not weave webs - the jumping spider, the lynx spider. They do not catch prey with webs, but hunt it.
- Tarantulas can live without food for about two years.
- The gladiator got its name due to the fact that it weaves a web in a square. He does not leave her until the prey falls into her; he himself abruptly throws the net on her, thereby leaving no chance to escape.
Should you be afraid?
Of the 42 thousand species of arachnids, the mosstail or haymaker, the tramp, gray and black spiders, and the jumping spider settle in the human home. These representatives of a huge family are not dangerous to humans; they coexist peacefully in the same room.
On a note!
However, if pressed accidentally or intentionally, spiders can bite. Pain, slight redness, and swelling appear. The condition returns to normal in a few days. More serious consequences from the bite of a cross, which can get into an apartment on a person’s clothes, in his things that have been outdoors. The bite takes a long time to heal, it hurts, and suppuration appears. Treat with antiseptic, antihistamine, anti-inflammatory drugs.
If spiders appear in the apartment, this means that favorable conditions have formed in the house for them. To get rid of unwanted “guests”, you need to kill flies, clean up, remove cockroaches, and destroy moths, if any. To prevent unauthorized entry, mosquito nets are placed on the windows and cracks in the wall are sealed.
Species and subspecies
Answering the question of what kinds of spiders there are, it is worth noting that these creatures are divided into species and subspecies, which have some distinctive features.
In nature, there are about 35 thousand species of archanids or arachnids, which differ in appearance.
Different types of spiders have characteristic forms of life activity, which include reproduction, feeding habits, habitat in natural conditions, and size.
Characteristic features include:
- their body consists of two parts - the abdomen, which can have different shapes, it all depends on the type of arthropod, as well as the cephalothorax;
- characterized by the presence of 4 pairs of legs, 2 chelicerae and pelipalps;
- spiders do not have whiskers;
- the main feature of the creatures is to weave webs for various purposes, and its design may have some peculiarities;
- there are poisonous glands, the poison of which has a paralyzing effect on the victim;
- prefer to lead a solitary lifestyle. Most females, after fertilization, eat a select few.
It is impossible to know exactly how many spiders there are in the world, because there are many of them.
At one time, a female is capable of laying 15-20 thousand eggs, most of which hatch into spiders, so it is difficult to imagine how many dozens of females can lay and give birth at a time.
The classification combines many types. In nature, there are exotic representatives of arthropods that do not pose a danger to humans; they are preferred as pets.
It is worth paying attention to the dangerous and poisonous breeds of spiders; they inhabit the tropics and other hot areas, for example, deserts.
Where do spiders come from in an apartment?
There are several ways of penetration. Most often, spiders climb into the house through open windows, doors, or cracks in the wall. The person himself can bring them indoors on his clothes, along with plants and vegetables. Spiders appear only in those houses where they can live freely and there are living creatures. If the housewife constantly waves a broom around the corners of the apartment, there is no life for arthropods in such conditions, they quickly disappear.
On a note!
This year there is a hot, long summer, the number of all kinds of living creatures is off the charts. Therefore, arthropods infest a person’s home with windows that are constantly open.
At the beginning of September, a new generation of spiders appears and begins their mass migration. They form a web, go down it, and wait for a gust of wind. With the first breath they set off on a journey. How far and long it will be cannot be predicted in advance, since there are too many obstacles on the way. Some fall near a nearby bush, other spiders fly on their webs in the air for several kilometers, reaching private, multi-story buildings.
What order and class do spiders belong to?
If we talk about what class spiders belong to, then this is the class “arachnids”. It stands apart from all others, which is associated with the characteristic features of the body structure of arthropods.
They have it divided into two parts - the abdomen and the cephalothorax, but in representatives of other classes the body has a slightly different structure.
There is another characteristic difference - the number of legs. Arthropods have 8 of them instead of 6. They have chelicerae, which are located on the front of the cephalothorax.
They also have pedipalps, which look like tentacles. They are located on the sides of the body and perform the same functions as the paws.
These organisms belong to the order Spiders, the family Arthropods. Spiders are often called "archans", this name comes from the name of the suborder to which these creatures belong - Orthognatha.
It is distinguished by species diversity and specific appearance.
This suborder includes spiders called mygalomorphs. The body of representatives of this species is completely covered with short hairs. They prefer to live in dungeons.
The group includes the following species:
- tarantulas;
- ctenises;
- funnel spiders;
- diggers.
Features of reproduction
During the process of active growth, spiders from time to time shed their tight shell, which consists of a chitinous structure. They gradually acquire a new, stronger one.
Over the entire period of their life, they can molt up to 10 times . Spiders are heterosexual individuals, with the female being much larger than the male.
The mating period lasts quite a long time, its season begins in mid-autumn and lasts until early spring. At this time, the male fills the bulbs, which are located at the ends of the pedipalps, with sperm, then he goes in search of the female.
After performing the “mating dance” and fertilization, the male leaves and dies in the subsequent period.
As soon as 2.5 months have passed, the female lays eggs. After 35 days, spiderlings hatch from them and live in the web until the first molt. Sexual maturity in females occurs at the age of 3-5 years.
Indian ornamental tarantula (Poecilotheria regalis)
Leg span - up to 18 cm.
Indian ornamental tarantula (Poecilotheria regalis)
This beautiful large spider lives in the tropical forests of southwest India. Settles in the crowns of trees. Finds refuge in the voids of the bark and between the branches. Young individuals live on the ground. Sometimes small holes are dug, on top of which a “room” is built from a mixture of cobwebs and earth.
Like other tarantulas, they do not build trapping nets. They hunt mainly at night; they sense the approach of potential prey with tactile bristles on their legs.
Very fast and aggressive. But if a shelter is nearby, they will prefer to hide in it. The bite is toxic and can pose a health hazard. Possible consequences include: severe pain, numbness, breathing problems, atrial fibrillation, and complete or partial paralysis of the bitten limb. All symptoms disappear after 1-2 days, but may recur after 2-4 weeks or more. No deaths were recorded.
Feeding spiders
The spider is considered a predatory creature by nature. Its diet mainly consists of insects, and it can sometimes catch small animals. The exception is the jumping spider; it prefers to eat only plant foods (grass, berries, leaves).
The arthropod hunts using nets that it skillfully weaves from cobwebs. In nature, there are varieties of these creatures that use web shots during hunting, while they hypnotize the prey, leaving it no chance to escape.
Despite the fact that they are considered obligate predators, catching prey on their own, they do not have teeth . To eat prey, they need to dissolve its tissues and make a nutritious broth from it.
For these purposes, spider venom is used; the animal injects it into the victim through hollow chelicerae. This allows you to achieve two goals - killing the prey and obtaining a nutrient solution.
Costa Rican red-footed tarantula (Megaphobema mesomelas)
Paw span: up to 15 cm.
Costa Rican red-footed tarantula (Megaphobema mesomelas)
The Costa Rican red-legged tarantula is a very large, beautiful spider. In nature, it can be found in the mountain forests of Costa Rica at an altitude of up to 2.5 km above sea level. Humidity and coolness reign there (18-24°C). The tarantula uses a variety of shelters and often digs holes up to 1.5 m in length.
Megaphobema is known for its aggressive temperament and unusual defensive behavior. In the event of a real (or imaginary) threat, it begins to scrape off dangerous hairs from the abdomen with its chelicerae and jumps to a height of several centimeters to scare away the predator. If this does not help, he resorts to a secret weapon: he begins to spin, and when his back is to the enemy, he tries to hit him with his sharp spikes on his hind legs. Poison is used only as a last resort.
During reproduction, these spiders behave very aggressively. It rarely comes to murder, but after foreplay the “spouses” may be left without several paws.
Costa Rican red-footed tarantulas are kept in home terrariums. They are not recommended for beginners.
