Spiders might seem spooky, but they’re actually fascinating creatures. There’s always a surprise hiding up one of their eight sleeves! These 5 spiders have some especially surprising abilities.
The vegetarian spider
The Bagheera kiplingi spider is the only vegetarian spider in the world! Its diet consists of a single food: leaves from the Central American acacia plant. It hides in old stalks of the plant to dodge guard ants - the less succulent stalks aren’t as heavily patrolled. When no ants are looking, it emerges from its hiding place and quickly nibbles the fresh leaves! That’s pretty crafty for a spider the size of your pinky finger’s nail.
The ninja spider
A tasty insect might feel safe from spiders if it watches out for webs. But a trapdoor spider can foil that plan! Found in Europe, these burrowing spiders live in underground tunnels with leaf-covered holes that lead to the surface. They lie in wait just below their “trapdoor”, using the vibration-sensitive hairs on their legs to sense when an insect is nearby. At the last moment, they burst through the leaves to grab their meal!
The sword-flinging spider
What do New World Tarantulas (which live in the Western Hemisphere) have in common with stinging nettle plants? They both have urticating hairs! These fine, short hairs irritate the skin they come into contact with, similar to prickly cactus needles. Urticating hairs are stationary on plants, but some species of tarantulas can fling them from their abdomen into the face of a predator! These hairs can cause serious irritation to your skin, so consider them another reason to avoid tangling with a tarantula.
The athletic spider
Jumping spiders, a group of about 6,000 spider species, definitely live up to their name. They can jump up to 50 times as far as their own body length! That’s like a human jumping the length of a football field. These spiders don’t often spin webs - instead, they use their incredible jumping abilities to pounce on their prey. Most spiders are near-sighted, but jumping spiders have excellent vision and depth perception to help them catch their meal each time. You can find at least one species of jumping spider almost anywhere you go. One species lives on the highest slopes of Mount Everest!
The underwater spider
The diving bell spider lives its entire life underwater! This aquatic arachnid is named for a diving bell, a small chamber filled with air that allows people to breathe air while working underwater. The diving bell spider’s home is an air bubble trapped in a silky web! Using the tiny hairs on their bodies, they carry air bubbles down from the surface to keep their pod secure. Their motivation for staying underwater is all about food - instead of eating insects, diving bell spiders dine on freshwater invertebrates and even small fish!
So next time you see a spider, don’t hurry to shoo them away. These remarkable creatures are more fun to watch than squash! If you were a superhero, what spider-style superpower would you have? Click the blue button below to vote! 👓