Spider

Spiders are predatory arthropods within the Order Araneae and the Class Arachnida.

There are approximately 40,000 species of spider and this makes the Order Araneae the largest order of Arachnids. Spiders are well known for their ability to make silken webs and also their chelicerae that have been modified to form fangs. These fangs are hollow and are used to deliver venom into their prey.

There is a wide range of sizes within the Order from the very large Mygalomorph spiders (commonly called tarantulas) that can be as large as a dinner plate and the smallest which, at less than 0.4mm, are smaller than the head of a pin.

A photograph of a garden spider wrapping prey caught in its web with silk.

Other names for (or types of) Spider include:

• Araneae

Related terms

• Abdomen
• Acari
• Arachnid
• Book lung
• Cephalothorax
• Chelicerae
• Chelicerata
• Daddy long legs
• Fang
• Minibeast
• Mite
• Scorpion
• Silk
• Spinneret
• Tick
• Venom

Related pages on this web site

• Arachnids
• Tarantula caresheet

See other words beginning with S