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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| Common
Name: |
spiders |
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| Phylum:
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Arthropoda |
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| Class: |
Arachnida
(Arachnid is derived from Greek mythology) |
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| Family:
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| Genus
species: |
Over
30,000 species |
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| FAST
FACTS |
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| Description: |
Two
body parts and eight walking legs; head and thorax
are combined into one body segment (cephalothorax)
and a second body segment (abdomen); leg has seven
segments, tip of the legs of many spiders are two
tiny claws; hard body shell (exoskeleton); no antennae,
but has two appendages near their mouths that are
often confused with insect antennae (pedipalps)
to manipulate prey |
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| Size:
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Range
in length from less than 0.1 cm (.04 in) to more
than 10 cm (4 in) |
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| Weight:
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| Diet: |
Mainly
insects and other arachnids; larger spiders eat
small vertebrates, such as birds, snakes, and mammals |
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| Incubation: |
Varies
between species |
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| Sexual
maturity: |
Varies
between species |
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| Life
span: |
Varies;
some large tarantulas have been known to live 20
years |
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| Range:
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| Habitat:
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Range
from tundra to tropical lowland forests |
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| Population: |
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| Status:
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Some
species protected by CITES and/or USFWS |
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| FUN
FACTS |
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| 1. |
Although
insects and spiders belong to the same taxonomic
phylum, Arthropoda, they look very different from
one another. These physical differences are what
separate them in to two classes: Insecta and Arachnida. |
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| 2. |
Though spiders have simple eyes, they usually are
not well developed. Instead, spiders use vibrations,
which they can sense on the surface of their web.
The tiny bristles distributed all over a spider's
body surface, are actually sensitive tactile receptors.
These bristles are sensitive to a variety of stimuli
including touch, vibration, and airflow. |
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| 3. |
There are over 30,000 known species of spiders,
which may be only one quarter of the actual number
of spider species living on the planet. |
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| 4. |
Spiders
are arthropods, so their skeletal system of their
body is the outermost layer. The hard exoskeleton
helps the spider maintain moisture and not dry out.
The bristles are not hair, but actually part of
their exoskeleton. |
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| 5. |
The
word spider is from an Old English verb spinnan,
meaning "to spin." Web weavers use the
tiny claws at the base of each leg, in addition
to their notched hairs, to walk on their webs without
sticking to them. |
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| 6. |
Spiders
digest their food outside their body. After the
prey is captured, spiders release digestive enzymes
from their intestinal tract and cover the insect.
These enzymes break down the body, which allows
the spider suck up the liquid prey. |
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ECOLOGY
AND CONSERVATION
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Spiders
are the most abundant and diverse of all terrestrial
predators. Spiders not only help control insect
populations (including those insects that cause
human disease), but they are food for other species
too. They are widespread, living in habitats that
range from tundra to tropical lowland forests. Currently,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service only classify
two species of spiders as endangered. |
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Comstock,
John. 1980. The Spider Book. Ithaca: Cornell
University Press. |
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de Vosjoli, Philippe. Arachnomania The General
Care and Maintenance of Tarantulas and Scorpions.
Lakeside, California: Advanced Vivarium Systems,
1991. |
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Levi, Herbert W., and Levi, Lorna R. Spiders
and Their Kin. Racine, Wisconsin: Western
Publishing Co., Inc., 1987.
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http://search.ebi.eb.com/ebi/article/0,6101,37411,00.html |
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