Latest Spider Stories
The ability to work together and capture larger prey has allowed social spiders to stretch the laws of nature and reach enormous colony sizes, University of British Columbia zoologists have found.The findings, published in this week's edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, may also explain why social spiders thrive in tropical areas but dwindle with increasing latitude and elevation."The size of organisms tends to be constrained by a scaling principle scientists call...
A sneaky spider has been named in honor of rock musician Neil Young. Jason Bond, a biologist at East Carolina University, named a newly discovered arachnid, Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi. It is also known as a trapdoor spider. "There are rather strict rules about how you name new species," Bond said. "As long as these rules are followed you can give a new species just about any name you please." He added, "With regards to Neil Young, I really enjoy...
A German team of engineers reported developing a device that borrows silk-spinning techniques from spiders to create strong strands with potential uses for lightweight medical equipment materials.The team said their work shed light on how spiders produce their rugged webs."We can observe the initial steps of fiber formation, which was not possible before," said Sebastian Rammensee of the Technical University of Munich and one of the authors of the Proceedings of the National Academy...
By The Associated Press SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - A tiny Australian hospital is closing temporarily because of an infestation of poisonous spiders. The Baralaba Multi Purpose Health Service will close for 24 hours starting Thursday morning so officials can fumigate the building to get rid of redback spiders that have been found in large numbers in the main part of the hospital. Three or four patients will need to be moved to another hospital while the building is closed, according to a...
An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Spain and Croatia led an investigation into the peculiar lifestyle of numerous spider species, which live, feed, breed and "˜walk' in an upside-down hanging position. According to their results, such "˜unconventional' enterprise drives a shape in spiders that confers high energy efficiency, as in oscillatory pendulums. These results will appear in this week's issue of PLoS ONE. The great majority of land animals evolved to use the ground as the...
Q . I believe I am having a spider mite invasion. Plants and trees affected have spider webs throughout them. Leaves are brown on the ends and dying fast. I have seen little tiny spiders on some. On my flowering dogwoods, planted this year, I found a small green worm. As an amateur gardener, I am becoming increasingly frustrated and disillusioned. - Sharon, Chesapeake A. Spider mites hate high humidity and rainfall, and we've had both this fall. Your letter was dated in late August so...
By Thomas Wagner Associated Press LONDON -- This was a bug you couldn't swat and definitely couldn't step on. British scientists have stumbled across a fossilized claw, part of an ancient sea scorpion, that is of such large proportion it would make the entire creature the biggest bug ever. How big? Bigger than you, and at 8 feet long as big as some Smart cars. The discovery in 390 million-year-old rocks suggests that spiders, insects, crabs and similar creatures were far larger in the...
WILLS POINT, Texas - Entomologists are debating the origin and rarity of a sprawling spider web that blankets several trees, shrubs and the ground along a 200-yard stretch of trail in a North Texas park. Officials at Lake Tawakoni State Park say the massive mosquito trap is a big attraction for some visitors, while others won't go anywhere near it. "At first, it was so white it looked like fairyland," said Donna Garde, superintendent of the park about 45 miles east of Dallas....
SMITHTOWN, N.Y. - An orange tarantula with venomous fangs was rescued Friday after its owner said he could no longer care for it. "This is the kind of spider that nightmares are made of," said Roy Gross, chief of the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He said the spider is aggressive and can jump 3 feet and bite with its large fangs. The bites are dangerous to humans. The spider, known as an ornate golden baboon, has a fat body 5 inches long that is covered in...
HERMISTON, Ore. - A small spider bite turned out to be a big problem for Cindy Pettey. Pettey awoke when she was bitten on the stomach in the middle of the night a few weeks ago, but thought little else of it. Then she started running a fever, she felt achy and weak. The bite sore became larger. Next thing Pettey knew, a doctor was telling her he believed she'd been bitten by a dangerous hobo spider. Pettey had surgery that removed 10 pounds of skin and flesh, leaving her with an abdomen...
Latest Spider Reference Libraries
Image Caption: House Centipede, Scutigera coleoptrata. Credit: Bruce Marlin/Wikipedia (CC BY 3.0) Scutigera coleoptrata is one of many species of house centipedes. This species is native to the Mediterranean, but it is capable of moving to other region of the world including most of Europe, South America, North America, and Asia. It is thought to have first ventured from its native range into Mexico and Guatemala, and its range has now stretched into Argentina in the south and Canada in...
Arachnology is the scientific study of spiders and related specimens: including scorpions, pseudo-scorpions and harvestmen. These animals are collectively known as arachnids. Ticks and mites, on the other hand, although are in the arachnid family, do not typically fall under archeology studies; these small creatures are usually studied under Acarology. Arachnology derives from the Greek words arachne (meaning spider), and logia (meaning sayings). People who study spiders and other...
The Zebra spider (Salticus scenicus) is an ordinary household jumping spider. In the same vein as other jumping spiders, this spider does not build a web. Four pairs of large eyes allow the Zebra spider to quickly locate prey, pounce, and hunt. It has been noted and observed by humans that the Zebra spider is considered curious and cat-like while hunting. This spider seems to be aware of its audience and the spider responds to his audience by lifting his head and studying its observers....
The Redbacked Jumping spider (Phidippus johnsoni) is one of the largest and most common jumping spiders in the western parts of North America. It is not to be mistaken for the highly venomous and unrelated Redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti). The Redbacked Jumping spider may inflict a painful bite in self defense if threatened, although there are not any serious medical consequences. Adult Redbacked Jumping spiders are usually about 0.4 inches in length. Although the female has an...
The yellow sac spider (Cheiracanthium punctorium) is a spider that is found from Central Asia to central Europe. The yellow sac spider can reach about 0.6 inches in length. This spider can penetrate the human skin. The bite of this spider may feel similar to a wasp sting though it may be a bit more severe, however susceptible persons may have stronger reactions such as nausea. Female yellow sac spiders build about a 4 centimeter egg-sac in tall grass. It is aggressively defended and opens...
