Scientists have classified many animals as arachnids. Spiders, scorpions, daddy longlegs, and ticks are all well-known arachnids. There are many other arachnids that are not as well known. Most people never see creatures like the sun spiders, the pseudoscorpions, and the tailless whip scorpions. Even though these arachnids are uncommon, many people find them very interesting.

Tailless whipscorpion run sideways on six legs, with their front pair having specialized ferocious pincers to catch its prey. Active at night, these spider relatives have no silk glands of poisonous fangs but rely on stealth, speed and very sharp jaws. Their whipscorpion relatives also lack poison glands although are able to spray their prey with a mixture containing acetic acid.

Tarantulas frighten many people. They can be very large and hairy. The tarantula’s appearance has even led to them being used in several horror movies. However, tarantulas are not always as fearsome as they appear. In fact, some people enjoy keeping tarantulas as pets.

Pet named Clara, this fine lady was a popular conversation topic at the Butterfly Lodge in Eastern Ecuador. Constructing her elegant silk funnel web at the entrance to the dinning room, this female tarantula spider usually moved extremely slowly and was protected by a coat of irritation causing hairs. Although most silk production utilized the cocoons of silk moths, man has experimented using spider silk in the past.

The Phylum Arthrodopa includes the Class Insecta. Other non-insect classes include spiders, scorpions, whipscorpions, harvestmen, ticks, mites, sea spiders, crustaceans, millipedes, centipedes, pauropods and symphylans.

Diplopoda in Greek means two legs. Millipedes possess two pair of short legs per visible body segment. They are characteristically slow movers and are usually found in damp leaf litter, rotting wood or soil. As part of their defensive behavior, they roll up in a ball to protect their softer underside surface and exudes protective hydrogen cyanide fluid from its sides when disturbed. This Indonesian millipede displays a classic yellow and black warning coloration advertising the chemical line of defense it will unleash if disturbed.

Scientists often classify spiders according to the way they catch their food and they employ many interesting methods to capture their prey. Web-building spiders build a web to catch flying insects, hunting spiders move around in search of insects and jumping spiders have the ability to jump at their prey.

Spiders differ from insect in that they have eight legs rather than six. This small tropical jumping spider is a proficient day hunter that does not rely on webs to catch its prey. Two of the eight eyes are large and forward facing giving this spider good binocular vision. Using strong hind legs, these spiders hunt by stalking and leaping on its victims while trailing a safety line of silk behind them. Spiders are extremely important in keeping insect populations under control.

Many people think of spiders as creatures that live in dark places, like basements and crawl spaces. In fact, spiders can be found in almost every type of environment. Swamp spiders in the family Pisauridae live in wetlands and swamps. Others, called Fishing Spiders, live near ponds and streams. Many of these swamp spiders and fishing spiders get their food right out of the water.

This pisaurid fishing spider from Ecuador displays a characteristic curved row of posterior eyes. Fishing spiders are most frequently found around water and are capable of dashing across the surface of a stream without breaking the surface tension. These large Ecuadorian spider inhabited the steep banks of a tropical creek. The females carried around her neatly spun orange egg sac wherever she went to ensure the safety of her precious cargo. Some astrologers consider Arachne the lost thirteenth sign of the zodiac.

Scientific Name of Orb Weaver Spider
The common orb weaver spiders are classified in the family Araneidae . This family was formerly called Argiopidae. These are the orb weaver spiders that people see in their yards and gardens. When people use the term “Orb Weaver”, these are normally the spiders they are describing.

There is another, smaller group of spiders that make similar-shaped webs. These spiders are known as the”Cribellate orb weavers” or the “Hackled orb weavers” They are classified in the family Uloboridae .

Both of these families of orb weaver spiders belong to the order Araneae .

Orb weaver spiders are also known as “Garden spiders”. They get their common name from the distinctive webs that they make.

Many of these large spiders are brightly colored. Homeowners around the world find these spiders and their webs in their yards and gardens. Homeowners also find these large webs on bushes near the house. Orb weaver spiders sometimes become nuisances when they make their webs near the doorways of the home. Homeowners who are bothered by these large spider webs often discover that the lights on the porch or patio have caused the problem. The lights on the house attract flying insects, so the spiders make their webs near the lights. Moving the light sources away from the house often encourages the spiders to make their webs in other areas –that are not as bothersome.