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Spiders

    Spiders Editor's Picks

    • About Spiders with Wings

      What is the difference between spiders and insects? Is the spider just one of the myriad insects swarming the globe--or is it something else altogther? And can spiders really have wings?

      Most people lump the many types of spiders along with the beetles, ants, and others that make up the insect family. However, while spiders and... more »

    • About Nonpoisonous Spiders

      Many people are deathly afraid of spiders. Some say they are creepy and menacing, with eight spindly legs, multiple sets of eyes, and of course, fangs...

      Spiders are actually quite beneficial to our homes and gardens, especially the harmless, nonpoisonous variety. There is no cause to fear nonpoisonous spiders. With a bit of... more »

    • How Do Spiders Fight?

      A spider is an 8-legged bug-like creature belonging to a special class called Arachnida. Most people consider a spider to be an insect, but in fact they are not. They have no wings or antennae, and have 8 legs instead of 6, as does a traditional insect. The legs are arranged 4 on each side and some run while others jump. Spiders catch... more »

    • How Do Spiders Breathe?

      Unlike humans, spiders have an open circulatory system and therefore do not breathe through their mouth. Instead, spiders breathe through four respiratory organs found on their underside. Their respiratory system consists of two very different pairs of organs. The first, called an anterior pair, is found at the front end of the... more »

    • How Do Spiders Mate?

      Male spiders have their work cut out for them. When a male detects the signs of a female nearby, he first checks whether she is the same species and if she is ready to mate. Spiders are known for using elaborate courtship rituals to entice females. Many believe that this is to prevent the larger females from eating the smaller... more »

    Spiders Quick Guides

    • Starting Kindergarten

      Kindergarten is the place where imaginations are strengthened, new friends are made, and...

    • Personal Websites Basics

      Whether you are job hunting, Internet dating or just doing some social networking, you need a...

    Spiders Articles

    • About Recluse Spiders

      Recluse spiders are common in many areas of the world, including the United States. People fear this spider because of its venom, which can cause... more »

    • How to Identify Spiders

      Spiders are any arachnids of the order Araneae, of which there are about 40,000 species. They have two body segments, an abdomen and cephalothorax... more »

    • Common Spiders in Ohio

      Ohio is home to almost 600 types of spiders. Most of the spiders found in Ohio are not problematic to humans; rather, they do a great service by... more »

    • How to Identify Spiders in Northern California

      There are over 50,000 species of spiders in the world. Contrary to popular belief, it is not easy to identify most spiders based on their... more »

    • How to Identify Brown Recluse Spiders

      Brown recluse spiders prefer dark, secluded areas. They are favorite food of hermit crabs, as they are the "hermit" of the spider world. Brown... more »

    Wikipedia

    Spider

    regnum [[Animalia
    | phylum unranked_classis [[Arachnomorpha
    | subphylum classis [[Arachnida
    | ordo Araneae
    | ordo_authority Clerck, 1757
    | diversity_link Araneae families
    | diversity 109 families, c.40,000 species
    | subdivision_ranks Suborders
    | subdivision
    Mesothelae
    Mygalomorphae
    Araneomorphae
     See table of families
    }}

    Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing chelicerate arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae modified into fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms.sebastin>Sebastin PA & KV Peter (ed). (2009) Spiders of India. Universities Press. ISBN 9788173716416 Spiders are found world-wide on every continent except for Antarctica, and have become established in nearly every ecological niche with the exception of air and sea colonization. As of 2008, approximately 40,000 spider species, and 109 families have been recorded by taxonomists;"WSC"> however, there has been confusion within the scientific community as to how all these genera should be classified, as evidenced by the over 20 different classifications that have been proposed since 1900."Bioofspiders">

    Anatomically, spiders differ from other arthropods in that the usual body segments are fused into two tagmata, the cephalothorax and abdomen, and joined by a small, cylindrical pedicel. Unlike insects, spiders do not have antennae. In all except the most primitive group, the Mesothelae, spiders have the most centralized nervous systems of all arthropods, as all their ganglia are fused into one mass in the cephalothorax. Unlike most arthropods, spiders have no extensor muscles in their limbs and instead extend them by hydraulic pressure.

    Their abdomens bear appendages that have been modified into spinnerets that extrude silk from up to six types of silk glands within their abdomen. Spider webs vary widely in size, read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider

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