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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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
watch?v=k7nFTD1w5g4

7. Spider diagram
Abdomen
8 legs
Spinnerets
eyes
Fangs
cephalortorax

8. 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.

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

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

11. Other interesting spiders
Happy Faced Spider
Cobalt Blue Tarantula

12. More spiders
Peacock Spider
The cutest spider ever!