Do all spiders eat insects? A spider is an insect or animal. Video. The strangest spiders and unusual spiders in the world

The first spiders appeared about 400 million years ago. They descended from a crab-shaped ancestor. Today there are more than 40 thousand species of spiders.

Many people are sure that spiders are insects. In fact, spiders are a separate order and class - arachnids (Arachnida, subphylum Chelicerata - Chelicerata, phylum Arthropods). Noticeably different from insects.

First of all, it is worth noting that spiders have not 6 legs, but 8. In front there are special limbs with poisonous claws - chelicerae. However, in central Russia the presence of deadly substances for people has not been registered. From the bite big spider You can only feel a burning sensation, fever and pain. Spiders will not attack first. If a small spider accidentally falls from the web onto a person, you should carefully blow it away and not hit it - otherwise it may get scared and bite.

Spiders usually have three pairs of arachnoid warts on their abdomen. Digestion in these arthropods is extraintestinal. Unlike, for example, predatory mantises, which chew a caught fly with appetite, the spider injects digestive enzymes into it, turning the insect into “soup” after a few hours, after which it sucks out the contents. Spiders have very strong webs; if a plane hits a pencil-thin web, it will not break.

Spiders usually have 8 eyes, sometimes 6, or very rarely – 2. Males have bulbs on their forelimbs into which he deposits sperm to fertilize the female. Some males are already prepared for death after mating - they allow the female to eat them, others intend to fight for their lives and try to escape. In any case, males do not live long, but females need to raise offspring, so they live longer. Males are smaller, females are huge. Many females are caring mothers. They weave a ball-cocoon from a web and carry spiderlings in it.

Almost all spiders are predators. An exception is the Kipling's bagheera spider (Bagheera kiplingi). Biologists discovered this jumping spider in the forests Central America, on the branches of an acacia. Spiders live on acacia trees along with ants. Ants protect these trees for the nutritional Belt bodies (named after the naturalist Thomas Belt) - sweet shoots at the ends of the leaves. tropical species acacia Spiders also feed on these formations.

The first thing that catches your eye when meeting you is– their long, constantly moving whiskers (antennas). Spiders don't have antennas. Their eyes are also simpler, but there are many of them - most often eight. The body is covered by an external skeleton (exoskeleton). It consists of a cephalothorax and abdomen, connected to each other by a stalk.

Is a spider an insect or an animal?

1. Both spiders and insects are animals; both are arthropods. The main visual difference is that insects have 6 legs, spiders have 8. Arthropods also include crustaceans - 10 legs and centipedes.
2. Insects are also animals, but spiders are not insects, they are arachnids
3. Order of arthropods, class arachnids.
   Read the encyclopedia or Wikipedia.
4. spiders are spiders.
   these are not insects, what do you mean by arachnids, I have no idea
5. I always thought that a spider was such a person))
6. Animals are divided into arthropods and others.
   Arthropods are divided into spiders, insects, crayfish...
   Therefore, spiders, like insects, are also arthropods and also animals.
   Therefore, spiders are spiders, not insects.

   The same:
   people are divided into men and women.
   Both of them are people.
   But men are not women.

   Spiders are quite different from insects. For example, they have 8 legs, no antennae, and the body is divided into two parts (mites have 1 part).
   Adult insects have 6 legs and the body is divided into 3 parts. Even caterpillars have real legs, in front, also 6.
   Crayfish have 10 legs, the body is divided into 2 parts.
   (But these are general signs; there are exceptions).

   Look at the picture, it shows the main variants of arthropods, you can see the number of legs and how many parts the body is divided into and whether there are antennae.

7. The spider is the devil.
8. Animal
   A large number of people who live in the modern world are still afraid of creatures such as spiders. Such people simply consider them both disgusting and vile. but still, creatures like spiders are very interesting creatures. And as such a living example, we can cite an interesting fact. After all, most people on earth believe that spiders are just insects, but it should immediately be noted that spiders are not insects. Scientists classify these creatures as arthropods, which belong to the order of arachnids. Of course, such a statement will seem super strange to some. But in reality this creature is an animal. And by eye, a spider can also be distinguished from other creatures. Animals have two pairs of legs or four limbs. And the spider also has four pairs of them. Insects normally have three pairs of legs or limbs.

   There is one more difference. After all, spiders do not have antennae. but it should also be noted that the body of such an animal always consists of two parts. These are the cephalothorax and abdomen, but their main difference is the number of eyes. Usually a spider has up to twelve pairs of eyes, but ordinary spiders have eight of them.

   Spiders are very ancient animals. Scientists found such an ancient web in a piece of frozen amber, which was already more than 100 million years old at that time.

   It should even be noted that spiders, especially tarantula spiders, have a certain amount of intelligence; they can even distinguish between their own and others. These spiders are often used as pets. They are also very subtle and sense the mood of their owner, and therefore you can even play with them, and are even able to protect their own owner in that case. if he is in danger, they can also dance to the music.

9. animals are all living things except people and plants
10. The spider has eight, the insects have six.
    Arachnids are a separate class of animals.
    Law teacher.

Spiders in Latin are Araneae, Aranei. They belong to the animal kingdom, the phylum of arthropods, the class of arachnids. There are 42 thousand modern and about 1.1 thousand fossils in the world. Distributed everywhere, inhabiting almost all continents globe. Obligate carnivores - feed on insects, small animals, and amphibians. An exception is Bagheera kiplingi, whose diet consists of the green part of the acacia tree. On Russian territory, former countries The CIS is home to 2888 species. The science of spiders is called arachnology.

What kingdom do spiders belong to?

Small creatures, which are often found in the wild, in your own home, apartment, attics, outbuildings, resemble all kinds of insects and beetles. Spiders and insects are often combined into one family due to their small size and similar lifestyle. However, in tropical countries. where arthropods up to 35 cm in size live, such associations practically do not arise.

There are 5 kingdoms in total - animals, plants, fungi, bacteria and viruses. Historically, spiders and insects belong to the same kingdom, phylum - animals, arthropods. Only the class or squad is different. Therefore, the question of whether a spider is an animal or an insect is fundamentally wrong. The animal is a kingdom, insects are a class.

On a note!

Since everyone has long been accustomed to the fact that insects are insects, and animals are full-fledged mammals, there is confusion in the concepts ordinary people. Why the spider stands apart is explained by its unusual lifestyle and small size. In order not to seem uneducated, you need to clearly understand that a spider is not an insect.

What class do spiders belong to?

In this case, there is no confusion in concepts, since the class has a consonant name - arachnids. A total of 42 thousand are known. modern species, 1.1 thousand fossils. In all animals, the body is divided into 2 parts - the abdomen and cephalothorax.

Main external difference from insects is - 8 legs instead of 6. Arachnids also have chelicerae located in front of the cephalothorax, pelipalps, similar to tentacles. They are located on the sides, slightly different in length from the forelimbs, and perform similar functions - they help move, hold the prey.

On a note!

The question is often asked - which family do spiders belong to, which group of animals. These are arachnids and arthropods.

Species and orders

It is very simple to answer the question of which order spiders belong to. To the order with the same name - spiders. They stand apart. They differ from other animals in their lifestyle, size, reproduction, and nutrition. There are differences among themselves in the same family, depending on what species the spiders belong to.

General characteristics:

• The body consists of 2 parts - the cephalothorax, the abdomen is oval, round in shape.
• There are only 4 pairs of legs, a pair of chelicerae, and pelipalps.
• There are no antennae, but the forelimbs can be claw-shaped and end in claws.
• Distinguishes arachnids from insects. Not everyone weaves trapping nets, but they use threads of their own production to form a cocoon, move down, and migrate over long distances.
• Predators have poisonous glands that paralyze the prey. They turn the insides into a liquid mass.
• Unlike insects, they rarely live in pairs or in large families. All spiders lead a solitary lifestyle. In some species, young spiders live with their mother until they get stronger. Almost all females eat males after fertilization or in the near future.

Arachnids live everywhere, some of them live in human apartments and utility rooms. Exotic, kept as a pet.

In our article we want to talk about spiders. They scare people with their many paws and eyes. True, some still dare to keep them at home as a pet. However, scientists believe that there are enough Interesting Facts about spiders. In general, they are charming and amazing creatures.

Our attitude towards spiders

There are more than forty thousand different spiders in the world. Some of them live next to us in our homes. And we don’t really know anything about these creatures. Of course, their appearance is not very attractive, but most of of them did not deserve such a disdainful attitude towards them. They are completely safe for humans, and therefore you should not be afraid of them. Although in the world there are poisonous species, whose bite is very dangerous for humans.

So, we want to tell you very interesting facts about these creatures that you probably don’t know.

1. Spiders are useful. Only one such creature kills about two thousand harmful insects per year that fall into its network. Spiders mainly feed on flies and mosquitoes. We can say that they make a significant contribution to the fight against harmful insects.

2. In Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries, there was a belief that a person who was bitten by a tarantula was seized with madness. This type of spider lives exclusively in the south of the country. However, later scientists came to the conclusion that the tarantula is completely safe. But the tarantula is really poisonous and dangerous creature. However, it lives in completely different regions.

3. The largest spider in the world is the goliath. Imagine that it can reach thirty centimeters. It catches and eats birds, although it can also feast on amphibians, rodents, insects, and snakes. Villi are therefore dangerous for people. But their poison is not fatal.

4. There is only one spider in the world - a vegetarian. This is Kipling's Bagheera (that's what this species is called). The jumping spider eats plant leaves, and is especially fond of acacia. Sometimes it can eat ant larvae, but this happens extremely rarely.

5. Spiders live all over the world. They just don’t live in the cold of Antarctica. This is due to very low temperatures. There are only spider crabs that are not classified as arachnids. But the Arctic is inhabited by more than 1000 species of these creatures.

6. Everyone knows that spiders spin thread. However, not everyone knows that this thread is different various types. The strongest silk thread is spun by Darwin's spider. It is so strong that it surpasses the strength of the material from which body armor is made.

7. The most poisonous is the banana spider, which is dangerous to humans. Its poison paralyzes muscles and respiratory system. However, it does not always inject poison during a bite.

8. Spiders lay several thousand eggs at a time. However, not all newborn babies survive to adulthood. So, from a hundred eggs only one spider will grow.

Amazing Spider Abilities

The harvestmen that we often meet are very similar in appearance to arachnids, but they are not classified as arachnids.

Some species of spiders can jump very well. The distances they cover are impressive. During the jump, they still have time to unfurl their silk thread, which gives them the opportunity to land accurately.

There are water spiders in the world. They can also live underwater. To stay there, the spider forms an air bubble around itself, which gives it the ability to breathe. It should be noted that it is very poisonous. But, fortunately, it rarely occurs, and therefore does not represent real threat for a person.

Discussing interesting facts about spiders, I would like to say that they have a very special blood, which turns blue in air. It is absolutely different from the blood of animals and people. In fact, spiders don't have circulatory system and shelter in the usual sense. They have hemolymph, which provides communication between various organs. So, the main substance of hemolymph is copper, which is why copper particles oxidize in air and give such a blue color.

Are spiders edible?

Some arachnids are edible. In Asia they are cooked and eaten. You can easily buy them at a restaurant or market. In Cambodia, for example, fried spider is considered a delicacy. They are served as a delicacy, because under the crust there is delicious meat.

Should you be afraid of spiders or turn it into a pet?

Sometimes spiders are kept in the house as pets. Some varieties are quite large in size and are capable of developing a decent speed of movement. Imagine that such a creature overcomes more than half a meter per second. This is just fantastic!

So what should we do? Should we be afraid of spiders or should we just overcome our disgust and treat them with due respect?

Scientists have long established that people are obsessed with fear of arachnids.

Arachnophobia is a strange thing, but up to six percent of the human population is susceptible to such fear. Even regular photography spider can cause panic and hysteria in people, and rapid heartbeat.

These are the ones who say that you shouldn’t be afraid of them. Rather, these creatures more reasons fear a person.

Serebryanka

We have already mentioned the water spider earlier - this is the silverback spider. Interesting facts are associated with his lifestyle. Agree that not everyone Living being adapt to live underwater. Moreover, he builds his own house for himself, weaving a dome from threads. He himself fills it with air in a very interesting way.

The spider has eight eyes, but has poor vision. Therefore, the fibers on the paws are used for it. With their help, he gets his food. Although he cannot see, he perfectly feels all the vibrations. As soon as some crustacean gets into his net, he immediately rushes at it and takes it with him to his home. There he eats it.

Cross spider: interesting facts

The cross spider got its name due to the fact that on its back there are peculiar spots in the form of a cross. This creature is extremely dangerous and poisonous. Its bite without immediate medical attention can lead to the most irreparable consequences for a person’s life.

Listing interesting facts about spiders, I would like to note that they are all creatures of different sexes. As for the cross, the male dies after mating. But the female begins to prepare for the appearance of offspring. She weaves a cocoon, which she first carries on her back and then hides in a secluded place. Her offspring are there.

At the beginning of life, males actively weave webs for food, and by the mating period they begin to roam in search of a mate. That's why they lose weight. In general, females perceive them as potential prey and may well snack on them.

On the one hand, the cross is extremely dangerous for humans due to its poison. But, on the other hand, there are benefits brought by these creatures. For example, its web has an antibacterial effect and is used to treat and disinfect wounds.

In addition, spider webs are used in optical instruments high precision. These are the interesting facts about spiders you can learn when you start studying these small, sometimes dangerous, and sometimes very useful creatures.

Tarantula spider

The tarantula spider is currently an exotic pet that has become fashionable to keep at home. He comes from South America. Completely non-aggressive and quite slow. What interesting facts about the tarantula spider are known?

It must be said that the males of this species live only about three years, but the females are much longer, about twelve. The tarantula has a menacing appearance, but its poison is not very dangerous to humans. It can be compared to a bee sting.

Living in the wild, it feeds on lizards and birds. If he has eaten heavily, he may not appear from the hole for a very long time. They say that in captivity a spider may not eat for a whole year. But this does not affect his health in any way. This behavior is inherent in nature.

Now this variety has become popular for home care. But in captivity, spiders do not reproduce well. Therefore, they are caught in conditions wildlife. The maximum lifespan of a tarantula is thirty years! This is amazing. These are some interesting facts about spiders for children that can be given when starting to study arachnids.

I must say that this type very big. Sometimes it can reach thirty centimeters in diameter. This is essentially the size of a dinner plate. Their weight does not exceed one hundred grams.

If the spider senses danger, it begins to make menacing sounds like hissing. In this way he warns his enemies.

As a defense, it can throw small fibers into the air. When they get on the body, they cause irritation and itching.

Instead of an afterword

In our article we tried to present the most interesting facts about spiders. Of course it's very interesting creatures and there is a lot to be said about them. The main thing is that you shouldn’t be afraid of them. Yes, some species are poisonous and dangerous, but there are not many of them. And in general, it’s quite possible to get along with spiders.

Over 1 thousand species of spiders live in Russia. Some are quite often found in residential areas and their proximity does not pose a threat, others can be seen exclusively in the wild, but it is advisable to avoid contact with them. The full list of them is quite large and therefore today we will focus only on a few - we will talk about those who really deserve attention. What are they - the most famous and dangerous spiders in Russia?

Russia is home to both safe spiders and those that are best avoided

Safe types

It should be noted right away that absolutely all spiders are poisonous, but only a few will be dangerous to human health - arthropods with highly toxic poison. In this chapter we will look at those whose venom is lethal exclusively to insects.

House spiders

These are perhaps the most famous and most common spiders living in Russia. They got their name because they love to be neighbors with people - they can be found in a private house, in a city apartment, and in outbuildings. This spider usually weaves a funnel-shaped web in dark corners under the ceiling or in more secluded places, for example, somewhere behind a closet. The owner himself usually sits in the center catcher net and patiently waits for prey to fall into it. And as soon as the victim is in the web, the spider runs up to her with lightning speed and immediately straightens out.

You can recognize a house spider by the following signs:

• the integument is yellowish-gray or brownish-gray;
• on the back there are usually brown spots arranged in a pattern;
• the legs are dark brown, their length is approximately twice as long as the body;
• The size of females is about 12 mm, the male is no more than 10 mm.

Knitting spiders

There are quite a few species of crocheters, and these spiders are found in Russia more often than others. They are distributed throughout the country and live exclusively in natural conditions. Their trapping nets are circular in shape and have very large meshes. Because of them, at first glance, it may seem that such a web is not suitable for hunting. However, it is not. The net is designed for a specific victim, namely long-legged mosquitoes, which are a favorite delicacy for knitters.

The knitting spider has the following description:

• elongated body;
• legs are long;
• chelicerae are covered with numerous projections;
• Females are usually about 10 mm in size, males are somewhat smaller.

This is interesting! When in danger, the knitting spider extends its legs along its body and becomes like a tiny straw. If you disturb him, he will immediately throw himself down like a stone and try to hide!

Who should you be wary of?

Other arachnids also live on the territory of Russia - their venom is very toxic and delay after a bite is fraught with serious health consequences. And in order to protect yourself and know in which cases you should immediately seek medical help, it is advisable to know such representatives of the spider kingdom “by sight.”

Cross spiders

The diet of spiders of this species includes mainly flying insects: hornets, flies, butterflies, mosquitoes, bumblebees and bees. Hunting occurs with the help of a web. The crossfish immobilizes caught prey with poison, entangles it in a web and injects digestive juices into the wound. After some time, it eats the partially digested contents of its victim. If the spider is this moment not hungry, he hangs the prey on the edge of the fishing net in reserve.

These spiders are distributed throughout the area central Russia. They are often found in spruce, beech and pine forests, as well as in raised bogs, less often in gardens, arable lands and meadows.

• females are approximately twice as large as males with body sizes of about 20-25 mm;
• the main color depends on the ambient lighting;
• the body is covered with a layer of waxy substance necessary to prevent moisture evaporation;
• The cephalothorax is covered with a dense “shield”, on the front of which there are 4 pairs of eyes.

As a result of a bite of a cross, an infection may be introduced into the wound, so you should seek medical help in mandatory and as soon as possible.

Hyracantidae

Chiracantids belonging to the species Cheiracanthium punctorium are dangerous for humans. They can be found in grass and bushes. These creatures have won the title of the most poisonous spiders middle zone Russia.

This is interesting! Some species of chiracandids are characterized by matrifagy - hatched spiderlings eat the female who protects them!

Chiracantids do not weave trapping nets, as they are wandering hunters. They are active exclusively at night. They react to the prey tactilely - when the insect touches the spider’s legs, it attacks it with one sharp jump. The diet usually includes leafhoppers, caterpillars, moths, aphids, grasshoppers and some types of mites.

Description:

• the covers are colored yellow, light brown, sometimes greenish;
• body size ranges from 5 to 15 mm;
• abdomen oval, slightly pointed at the end;
• the front pair of legs are approximately twice as long as the body.

After a bite from a Hyracantida spider, intense burning pain occurs in the affected area, which soon spreads over almost the entire corresponding segment of the limb. In this case, there is no itching or “locking” of the muscles. After a few minutes, the lymph nodes located on the way from the bite site begin to “ache” and swell. A little later, swelling develops in the affected area and mobility is impaired. Sometimes there is difficulty breathing. The pain goes away after about 10-20 hours, local symptoms - after 1-2 days.

Karakurt

This is the most poisonous spider living in Russia. Belongs to the genus. Its body is painted black and has 13 red spots with a white border. Adult individuals no longer have spots - their body is usually painted uniformly in a glossy black color. The body size of a female can be from 10 to 20 mm, males are much smaller - their size usually does not exceed 7 mm.

Poisonous spiders such as karakurts are found in the following regions of Russia:

• Saratovskaya;
• Kurganskaya;
• Orenburgskaya;
• Rostovskaya;
• Novosibirsk;
• Volgogradskaya.

Despite the fact that karakurts are considered the most dangerous spiders Russia, they do not attack a person without reason, but bite solely for the purpose of self-defense. After a bite, the poison acts immediately and within a quarter of an hour the pain spreads throughout the body. Particularly severe pain occurs in the abdomen, chest and lower back. At the same time, a strong tension in the abdominal muscles is felt. The victim may experience shortness of breath, tremors, increased heartbeat, increased pulse rate, headache, nausea, dizziness, pallor or hyperemia of the skin.

In Russia, antikarakurt serum is used to treat the consequences of the bite of these poisonous spiders.

In hot years, karakurts are also found in the northern regions, for example, in the Moscow region; sometimes they rise to much higher latitudes, where they can live until winter

South Russian tarantula

Another quite famous and at the same time the most big spider in Russia is . The size of females reaches 3 cm, males - 2.5 cm. Their integument is gray, brown, brown or red, usually with a pattern on the upper side of the abdomen. The body is densely covered with short hairs.

These spiders prefer dry climates and settle mainly in forest-steppe, steppe, semi-desert and desert areas. The South Russian tarantula digs a vertical hole for itself, about 40 cm deep, and lines its inner walls with a layer of its own web. Hunts from a hole, focusing on the shadow of an insect passing by. When prey is nearby, it jumps out from its hiding place and immediately bites the victim.

Besides southern regions V large quantities were spotted in such regions of Russia as:

• Saratovskaya;
• Astrakhan;
• Kursk;
• Belgorodskaya;
• Lipetskaya;
• Orlovskaya;
• Tambovskaya.

As for their toxicity, South Russian tarantulas are not particularly dangerous. After a bite, there is usually a slight swelling in the affected area. Sometimes the skin in this area becomes yellow and remains this color for two months. Fatal outcome The venom of these spiders does not cause harm to humans, but certain health problems can still be observed.

Like the karakurt, the South Russian tarantula does not attack itself, but attacks only when a threat arises. However, in any case, it is extremely undesirable to provoke it - being in an aggressive state, this spider is able to jump about 15 cm in height and plunge its chelicerae into the enemy’s body with lightning speed.

Exactly South Russian tarantula chosen by many exotic fans. These spiders from the south of Russia are quite unpretentious in keeping, and all that is required is a vertical terrarium, high bedding, food and pure water. But be careful with it and do not provoke it into aggression; remember that the tarantula will definitely defend itself and its home.