Arachnophobia is one of the most common fears.
But fear not my friends!
There are some pretty sweet spiders out there that deserve our love and attention.
Hey there, Julia here for DNews.
I used to be really afraid of spiders, I hated them, but over the past few years I’ve slowly
started to accept the fact that some are pretty cool.
Take for instance, the Feather-legged lace weaver that charges their web with electricity!
While most spiders spin webs just micrometres thick and use a sticky glue-like substance
to trap their prey, this English garden spider’s silky strands are only a few nanometres thick.
And the way it tugs at its thin thread as it’s spinning the web, gives it a tiny burst
of electrostatic charge.
This makes it especially sticky to a passing fly.
And there’s a species of spiders that can count.
Science fiction?
Nope. Real science.
A researcher at the University of Wisconsin recently showed that Golden Orb Weavers posses
a sense of numerosity.
By moving around the spider’s prey, the researchers saw the spiders went looking for
it even if their meal was replaced by another object.
This indicated that not only do they keep track of how many prey they have in their
web, but that they have some sense of memory too.
The camel Spider AKA Sun Spider AKA Wind Scorpion is found in the middle eastern desert.
These spiders get a bad rap.
Not only are they big, up to 6 inches in length, and pretty hairy, but they’re scary fast.
they can run up to 10 mph.
They aren’t venomous but because they are scary as all get out, they’ve been rumored
to chase down or even eat soldiers in Afghanistan.
They don’t actually eat people, but they do chow down on bugs, lizards, birds and even
rodents.
And they aren’t chasing soldiers, just their shadows.
This species hates the sun, their name even means “those who flee from the sun” in
Latin.
Another spider that has yet to be named was recently discovered in the Peruvian Amazon.
Other spiders in this genus build decoys in their webs with leaves and dirt, but this
species makes them look just like a larger spider, including 8 leg-like shapes.
The smaller, real spider, sits in the corner of his web, shaking the web.
And like a puppet on strings, the decoy dances!
This defense mechanism might have evolved to evade predators.
A hungry bird might be confused and go for the web instead of the spider.
Argyroneta aquatica aka the Diving Bell Spider: Like its name suggests, this spider is the
only fully aquatic spider species.
To achieve this feat and be still be able to breathe, it creates an air-filled bubble
held by hairs on its abdomen and legs.
This bubble acts as a lung, filtering the oxygen out of the water.
Rather than building a web, they build a Diving Bell filled with air where they can eat, digest,
and mate.
Other awesome arachnids include the Small Bird Dung Spider, which as its name suggests,
looks like crap.
Literally.
It’s black and white to look like bird poo.
This camouflage will definitely deter a hungry bird.
And like most crazy creatures they’re found most along the Eastern and Southern coasts
of Australia.
Alright dudes, last but not least on our list is the Puppy Spider aka South American Goliath
Spider. and yes, it’s called the puppy spider because it’s as big as a small dog.
I’m not kidding.
They can grow up to a foot long and weigh up to 6 oz.
And like a puppy you can hear them walk.
The hardened tips on their feet make a clicking noise, like puppy nails on a hardwood floor.
But you might not want one as a pet, they’re the nastiest on our list.
While not deadly to humans, their venomous bite packs a punch.
One scientist describes the pain as “like driving a nail through your hand.”
Do you have a favorite spider, or did I just scare you away from them even more.
Let us know in the comments below.
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