The life cycle of a Spider SPIDERS!! The life cycle of a Spider

Arachnids Arachnids have eight legs Their bodies are divided into two sections- the front is called the cephalortorax and the abdomen behind There are over 100,000 different species of arachnids These include scorpions, ticks, mites and of course spiders

The life cycle of a spider Spiders come from eggs: She wraps them up in a ball of silk, using spinnerets at the rear of her body. These are called egg sacs. Spiders will sit on the egg sacs to keep them warm. She carries them with her sharp fangs. A tarantula can lay hundreds of eggs

Spiderlings After four weeks the eggs begin to hatch The shell becomes soft and soon the baby spider pushes through Newly hatched spiderlings are called nymphs. They are very small They stay in the egg sac for another four weeks. They then shed their skin. The egg sac becomes too small for spiderlings so their mother makes a small hole in the egg sac for them to escape

Food The spiderlings are now the size of a pea and are able to find their own food. They catch small flys and insects by jumping on them. They use their fangs to inject poison into the insects As spiders grow up they eat a variety of things depending on their size and species- some spiders even eat other spiders

Making a home Growing up Spiders live on their own most of their life They make a burrow to live in and line the burrow with soft silk As the spider grows it sheds its skin This happens every three months while the spider is young This is called moulting A male tarantula takes three years to become an adult Male spiders sometimes do a dance when looking for a partner http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=k7nFTD1w5g4

Spider diagram Abdomen 8 legs Spinnerets eyes Fangs cephalortorax

Irish spiders and facts There are over 377 species of spiders in Ireland There are no dangerous spider species in Ireland, they will not bite The most common spider in Ireland is the garden spider The biggest spider in Ireland is the raft spider, it can walk on water.

The black widow spider The female black widow is the most poisonous spider in the world She spins the strongest silk

Crab spiders They are masters of disguise and can change colour to hide in plants

Other interesting spiders Happy Faced Spider Cobalt Blue Tarantula

More spiders Peacock Spider The cutest spider ever!