Spider | Description, Behavior, Species, Classification, & Facts

Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos spider

• Introduction
• General features
  • Size range
  • Distribution
  • Importance
• Form and function
  • External features
  • Internal features
    • Nervous system and senses
    • Digestion and excretion
    • Respiration
    • Circulation
    • Reproductive system
  • Specialized features
    • Venom
    • Silk
• Natural history
  • Reproduction and life cycle
    • Courtship
    • Mating
    • Eggs and egg sacs
    • Maturation
  • Feeding behavior
    • Stalking prey
    • Spiderwebs
• Classification
  • Distinguishing taxonomic features
  • Annotated classification

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics Images, Videos & Interactives At a Glance spider summary Quizzes Animal Group Names Deadliest Animals Quiz Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz Creepy Crawlers Quiz Animal Factoids Science Insects & Other Invertebrates Arachnids print Print Please select which sections you would like to print:

• Table Of Contents

CITE verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/animal/spider-arachnid Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

• IndiaNetzone - Spider
• AZ Animals - Spider
• Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum - Spiders
• Australian Museum - What is a spider?
• Better Health Channel - Spiders
• University of Minnesota Extension - Spider
• University of Wisconsin-Madison - Wisconsin Horticulture Division of Extension - Garden Spiders
• Burke Museum - Spider Myths
• University of Missouri Extension - Spiders
• Cell Press - Current Biology - The global spread of misinformation on spiders

Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

• spider - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• spider - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

spider arachnid Ask Anything Quick Summary Homework Help Also known as: Araneae, Araneida Written by Joseph Culin Professor of Entomology, Clemson University, South Carolina. Joseph CulinAll Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Feb. 1, 2026 •History Britannica AI Ask Anything Quick Summary Table of Contents Table of Contents Quick Summary Ask Anything Top Questions

• What is a spider?
• How are spiders different from insects?
• What are the main body parts of a spider?
• How do spiders make webs?
• What do spiders eat and how do they catch their food?
• How do spiders help the environment and people?

Show more Show less

spider, (order Araneae), any of more than 51,500 species of arachnids that differ from insects in having eight legs rather than six and in having the body divided into two parts rather than three. The use of silk is highly developed among spiders. Spider behavior and appearance are diverse, and the araneids outside Europe, Japan, and North America have not been thoroughly collected and studied. See also list of spiders.

Related Topics: 9 of the World’s Deadliest Spiders segmented spider How Do Spiders Make Circular Webs? Labidognatha Mygalomorphae (Show more) See all related content

All spiders, with the exception of the nearly herbivorous Bagheera kiplingi, are predators, feeding almost entirely on other arthropods, especially insects. Some spiders are active hunters that chase and overpower their prey. These typically have a well-developed sense of touch or sight. Other spiders instead weave silk snares, or webs, to capture prey. Webs are instinctively constructed and effectively trap flying insects. Many spiders inject venom into their prey to kill it quickly, whereas others first use silk wrappings to immobilize their victims.

General features