The New Childrens Encyclopedia

AMAZING ARTHROPODS

O

Length 4 in (10 cm)

O

Legspan 7 in (18 cm)

O

Prey Insects, mammals, lizards

O

Location western central Mexico

The red-kneed tarantula hunts at

night. It can sense smells, tastes,

and vibrations through the ends of

its legs. Females live to 30 years;

males live 3–6 years.

Red-kneed tarantula

Euathlus smithi

 FATAL FANGS Tarantulas bite into

their prey with hollow fangs, injecting

potent venom to paralyze their victim.

SPIDER ATTACK

There are more than 40,000 species of spider, and

all of them are venomous. Most are harmless to

people—their venom is deadly only to their prey.

O

Length 1 ⁄ 4 –^3 ⁄ 4 in (8–17 mm)

O

Legspan Up to 3 in (7 cm)

O

Prey Small flying insects

O

Location Europe and Asia

Orb weavers spin webs in

grasses or scrub. Females

can change color over

several days to

camouflage themselves.

Four-spot orb weaver

Araneus quadratus

Fen raft spider

Dolomedes plantarius

Peacock parachute spider

Poecilotheria metallica

Do not disturb Spiders

don’t usually attack people,

but some are dangerous if

they are disturbed and bite

in self-defense.

Mediterranean black

widow spiders have

enough venom to kill a

human. Females usually

have the deadliest bite.

Trapped! Many spiders

do not hunt, but wait for

prey to come to them.

Using sticky silk spun

from a gland in its

abdomen, the orb weaver

spider creates a web to

trap passing insects. The

victim is then killed with

a deadly bite.

O

Length 21 ⁄ 2 in (6 cm)

O

Legspan 7 in (18 cm)

O

Prey Insects, baby birds, lizards

O

Location Southern India

This spider is also known as the Gooty

sapphire because of its blue coloring.

While females live to 12 years, males

live only 3–4 years. It is very rare and

faces extinction because of habitat loss.

BEWARE OF

THE SPIDER

O

Length Females 1⁄ 2 –1 in (17–22 mm)

Males^1 ⁄ 2 –^3 ⁄ 4 in (13–18 mm)

O

Legspan Up to 3^1 ⁄ 2 in (9 cm)

O

Location Europe

This spider uses its feet

to sense the movement of

prey in pools of water—

then it runs across

the water to catch it.

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LIVING WORLD

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.