Spiders
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Web Manipulation Explains Spider Behavior
Hungry spiders build webs with sticky fibers while sated spiders remove these insect traps. An elegant experiment demonstrates the value of this manipulation. more...
Matricide and Infanticide in a Spider
Some baby spiders eat their mothers and second mates kill eggs of former mates. These behaviors carry severe penalties for the female while the babies and males benefit. more...
Having lost their poison glands, uloborid spiders wrap their living prey in a silk cocoon that smothers and sometimes crushes the prey to death. more...
When spiders mate, the male puts himself in a precarious position: His partner may decide to accept his love offering or kill and eat him. more...
Orb weavers produce the webs that most people recognize as being made by spiders. All purpose webs are used for resting, mating, and capturing, eating, and storing food. more...
All feature articles in Spiders
By:
Jason Parent
Not much is made of yellow sac spiders. Overshadowed by more venomous species, their bites go unnoticed except by those bitten. And their bites occur everywhere. more...
Daddy Long-Legs Spider (a.k.a. Cellar Spider)
By:
Jason Parent
Daddy long-legs spiders (or is it daddy-longlegs), like many of their brethren, are the subjects of misinformation and urban legend. more...
The Hobo Spider (a.k.a. Aggressive House Spider)
By:
Jason Parent
Seattle is known for many things. Grunge music, Microsoft, Starbucks, and lots of rain all famously call Seattle home. So does the poisonous hobo spider. more...
North American Black Widow Spiders
By:
Jason Parent
Are black widow spiders the scourge of the spider kingdom? Are black widow bites something to be feared? more...
By:
Jason Parent
Is the brown recluse spider really dangerous? more...
By: Ian Dutton
Scorpions have a poor and slightly undeserved reputation. They can be kept as pets and their behavior can be very interesting to observe. more...
Envenomation by the Sydney Funnel Web Spider
By:
Roberta Goli
Australia is well known for its myriad of deadly and venomous spiders. The Funnel web spider elicits fear from a majority of the population and has caused fatalities more...
All contributing articles in Spiders