David Withrington - How they live... Spiders: Learn All There Is to Know About These Animals!

Spiders (Arachnids) are related to insects, but have four pairs of legs to the insects three. There are more than 2,000 different kinds in Europe and some 40,000 across the World. They lead predatory lives and inhabit all environments, even those adapted by man, including our own homes. They have a range of hunting techniques. They spin a web and wait to ambush their prey mainly insects which get caught in it. The spinnerets at the end of the abdomen are the spiders specialty. They use them to secrete silk threads, which they weave into cobwebs. Males are usually considerably smaller than females. Mating for the weaker males often ends in misfortune, since females mistake them for prey and eat them. Spiders are very important for the environment. They help regulate the number of insects, while themselves also being prey to many birds, reptiles and other animals. Some spiders can be encountered all year round since they have adapted to houses, where they mainly draw attention to themselves with their cobwebs. We should not regard them as undesirable neighbours. They safeguard us from annoying flies, or simply just share the space with us without causing any inconvenience. It is often considered that they bring good luck, which is why most people simply take them out of their homes as opposed to killing them. But some people have a pathologic fear of spiders. This is called arachnophobia and is fairly common, but the vast majority of spider bites are not dangerous to humans. Mostly their fangs do not penetrate human skin, as it is too hard for them.

FLOWER CRAB SPIDER

This species (Misumena vatia) keeps a lookout for prey on various flowers. The female (pictured) is yellow or white, often with red longitudinal stripes on the abdomen. The two front pairs of legs of these spiders are significantly longer than the rear pair. This adaptation has developed in order to help them hunt from ambush. Crab spiders lie in wait on flowers, in anticipation of unsuspecting visitors. They can even catch prey that is several times larger, like the butterflies that come to the flowers to collect nectar.

WASP SPIDER

This species (Argiope bruennichi) stands out among spiders because of its vibrant colouring reminiscent of wasps. It cannot be mistaken for any other species that lives in Europe. It is only the females that have this colouring. The smaller males are a light brown colour. Wasp Spiders live in swampy meadows or very close to water. There is a zigzag pattern in the middle of the circularly shaped cobweb, which the spider keeps to. In the face of danger, it swings the abdomen so that its patterns and that of the web overlap, making it almost invisible. The Wasp Spider's main prey is grasshoppers (see photo).

NAPOLEON CRAB SPIDER

This species (Synema globosum) does not weave webs. The spider in the photo has just numbed a honey bee visiting a flowerhead, where it has been waiting. Like the previous species, it preys upon insects, especially bees and butterflies on the flowers of various plants. It grabs the prey with its two front pairs of legs, which remind us of a crab's forelimbs. It gets its name from the pattern on its abdomen (not visible in the photo), which is thought to resemble Napoleon with his admirals hat. It is active in sunny weather, when the insects that it preys on are visiting flowers.

OAK SPIDER

This spider (Aculepeira ceropegia) is named after the characteristic pattern on the back of abdomen, which strongly resembles an oak leaf. It lives in meadows that are not often mowed, always in sunny areas. It weaves a wheel-like web among the grasses or in the lower branches of bushes bordering on the meadow. It awaits its prey in the middle of the cobweb, where the silk threads are at their densest. Oak Spiders can be seen in late summer, when they are sexually mature and select the place to weave their webs.

EUROPEAN GARDEN SPIDER

This species (Araneus diadematus) keeps to the middle of its wheel-like web during the daytime. It spins its webs low above the ground, usually between the branches of bushes. It is also known as the cross spider after the pattern on the back of its abdomen. It inhabits a range of different environments, and can frequently be found in gardens. Countless insects are caught in its webs, including many pests, which makes it an important garden resident.

WOLF SPIDERS

There are over 2,300 species of wolf spider worldwide. This wolf spider (Hogna radiata) lives in warm Mediterranean regions. The female (pictured) is 25 mm long, the male is much smaller. It lives in sunny meadows, parks, gardens and forests. The female lays eggs in the autumn, and young spiders soon develop from them, which she initially carries on her abdomen. They spend the winter in cracks, rocks and floors, which afford protection from low temperatures and predators. When hunting, their sensory hairs help to detect the movement of prey, mainly crickets and grasshoppers.

WOLF SPIDERS

Female spiders from the Wolf Spider family (Lycosidae) are very attentive mothers. During the month of May they run around sunny areas with their cocoons containing fertilized eggs. After two or three weeks, little spiders develop from these. The young spiders crawl onto the female, who carries them around for another week. Wolf spiders are keen hunters and are able to run very quickly in pursuit of their prey.

JUMPING SPIDER

Jumping spiders are the most common spider family in the world, with some 5,000 different species. This one (Evarcha falcata) does not weave webs, even though it spins thread. This gives it protection when taking long jumps, allowing it to return to its lookout in the event of failure. Its prey includes various insects, such as ants, which it stalks on the vegetation or on the ground, aided by its highly developed vision. Its four pairs of eyes allow it to differentiate between colour and pattern.

CELLAR SPIDER

The Cellar Spider (Pholcus phalangioides) is a true cosmopolitan, as it has settled every corner of the Earth along with man. It lives in houses and cellars, often also in underground caves and abandoned mines. It loves to choose a corner beneath the ceiling, where it weaves a thin web. It shakes the web in the face of danger, concealing the web and itself almost completely. This spider comes originally from the tropics, so it is active all year round.