Key Spider Traits & Facts

Spiders are air-breathing arthropods (Order Araneae) characterized by eight legs, two body segments, and the ability to produce silk. With over 50,000 known species globally, they are found in almost all habitats. They are beneficial predators, mostly eating insects and rarely harming humans, typically living about one year. 

Anatomy: Spiders have two body parts (cephalothorax and abdomen) and eight legs. Most have eight simple eyes, though some have six.
Silk & Webs: They use silk to build webs for hunting, create egg sacs, and climb. Silk is incredibly strong, tougher than steel of the same thickness.
Diet: Spiders are carnivorous, feeding on insects like mosquitoes and flies.
Venom: Most spiders are venomous, using fangs to paralyze prey, but very few are dangerous to humans.

Breathing: They possess a “hemocoel,” a cavity through which blood flows, rather than a fully enclosed circulatory system. 
Classification: Spiders are arachnids, not insects. They belong to the class Arachnida, which includes scorpions, mites, and ticks. 
Lifespan and Reproduction
Lifespan: Most spiders live for about one year.
Reproduction: Females can lay up to 3,000 eggs, which go through three stages: egg, spiderling, and adult.
Size: They range significantly in size, with some, like the Goliath birdeater, being very large, while others are tiny. Western Exterminator +2
Do Spiders Make Noise?
Spiders do not make audible noises to humans; they are generally silent.
Dangerous Species
While most are harmless, the Black Widow and Brown recluse are two examples of spiders with dangerous venom.