Spiders Are Not Scary!

Bug boy. That’s what we’ve called James, my oldest son who is now 17, since he was little. He has always been fascinated by bugs of all kinds, and spiders have been a favorite of his. We’ve learned over the years that he’s a little unusual in this regard. There are a lot of people out there who really don’t like spiders! I get it – they have lots of little legs and lots of eyes and creep around and some can even bite you. But, James has helped me grow fond of them and I truly believe that the more people learn about these fascinating little creatures, the more they’ll grow to love them – or at least not freak out at the sight of them.  

Thanks to James, there are four pet spiders in our home – a pink toed tarantula and 3 wolf spiders. Two of the wolf spiders he has raised from slings.  “Sling” or “spiderling” is what a baby spider is called.  Doesn’t that make them seem a little bit cuter already??  It turns out spiders are pretty easy pets.  They’re not messy and they don’t need to eat a lot, although they do need live food (crickets or a variety of other insects), and it’s fascinating to watch them grow and hunt.    

I’d like to share a few facts about spiders with you, in hopes that you may start to find them a little less frightening and a little more interesting.  These facts have all been pulled from World Book Online.  If you’d like to learn more, you can access World Book from home with your library card.   At the end of this post, I’ve also listed a few books for kids about spiders that you can find in the library - although we have a lot more than what’s listed here!  If you’d like to see some photos of James’ pet spiders, you can find them at the end of this post as well.  I’ll keep them at the bottom so that if spiders do scare you, you won’t be surprised!  

Spider Facts

• Spiders are arachnids, along with ticks, mites and scorpions.  Arachnids have two main body parts, four pairs of legs, and no antennae.  They are different from insects, which have three main body parts, three pairs of legs, and have antennae.  
  
  
• Here’s a fun one for all of you book lovers – some spiders have special breathing organs that are called “book lungs” because the layers of tissue inside of them resemble the pages of a book.
  
  
• Some arachnids are venomous, which means their bite could be harmful to humans, but arachnids can also be beneficial to humans by eating other harmful insects.  Personally, I’ll keep around any spider if it will eat mosquitoes for me! Scientists are also studying ways humans could use spider silk and venom to our advantage. 
  
  
• The goliath bird eating tarantula is one of the largest spiders in the world.  It can have a leg span of up to 10 inches and may be large enough to eat birds or small rodents.  You won’t find one of these in New Jersey though – they live in South America.
  
  
• Three of the pet spiders in my house are wolf spiders.  These are an interesting species of spider.  They don’t make webs but instead chase down their prey.  They also care for their young more than most other spiders.  The mother spider will carry around her dozens of newly hatched spiderlings on her back for about a week as they mature.  There is a photo of my son’s pet wolf spider with her babies on her back below.  
  
  
• Only about half of spiders make silk webs and use those to catch food. The other half, like wolf spiders, hunt their prey without using webs.  
  
  
• Spiders don’t have bones!  Instead, they have an exoskeleton, which is the tough outer layer of their body.  As they grow, they occasionally have to shed their exoskeleton, which is called molting.  There is also a photo of James’ tarantula’s molted exoskeleton below.
  
  
• You can find spiders in lots of different environments.  There is even one that lives mostly underwater!  It’s called the European water spider.  It breathes by carrying air bubbles on its abdomen and depositing them on its web.  It can then use those air bubbles to breathe for up to several months.
  
  
• Spider silk is one of the strongest known natural fibers and some types of spiders use it for more than just catching prey.  Like for dropping from high places or making safe places, like nests to rest.
  
  
• Most spiders live for just a year or less, but some tarantulas can live up to 20 years.  James hopes to have his pet tarantula for a long time!
  
  
• While we don’t have any jumping spiders in our house (yet), they are becoming more popular as pets.  They are often thought of as some of the cutest spiders and can be very colorful.  They can also jump 40 times the length of their bodies!  
  

A few of the Mercer County Library System’s books about spiders:

Nonfiction:

Spider’s Secrets
DK super readers.
“Large images of spiders give kids a close-up view of different spiders, their body parts, the amazing webs they weave, and how they hunt prey"

Spiders: Worldwide Webs
By Howard Tait
"When a sister and brother agree to help a talking spider find her missing child, they don't realize that it will take them on a journey across the globe! Along the way they'll meet spiders who live in every environment imaginable, from their own backyard to the Australian Outback. Although they seem scary at first, once you learn why spiders have gotten such a bad reputation you'll see that they are actually here to help!" 

Spidernaut: Arabella, the Spider in Space
By Jodie Parachini.  Illustrated by Dragan Kordic.
A first "person" account of the first spider to spin a web in space, and why the 1973 experiment, suggested by a high school student, was important. Includes a fact sheet.

Praying Mantis vs. Black Widow Spider
By Kieran Downs
"Amazing photography accompanies engaging information about the fighting abilities of praying mantises and black widow spiders. The combination of high-interest subject matter and light text is intended for students in grades 3 through 7"

Spider
By Karen Hartley, Chris Macro & Philip Taylor
A simple introduction to the physical characteristics, diet, life cycle, predators, habitat, and lifespan of spiders.

The Spider
By Elise Gravel
Part of a series of hilarious nonfiction about disgusting creatures, this book looks at the spider. It covers such topics as the spider's habitats (pretty much everywhere but outer space), the silk it spins (it can trap prey and makes a nifty bowtie), and its parenting practice (female spiders carry around their eggs in a silk purse). Although silly and off-the-wall, The Spider contains real information that will both amuse and teach.

Fiction:

Aaaarrgghh! Spider!
By Lydia Monks
A clever spider is lonely and longs to become a family pet

Charlotte’s Web
By E. B. White.  Illustrated by Garth Williams
Wilbur the pig is desolate when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him.

 

Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten
By Michelle Knudsen.  Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
When a lady mistakes him for kitten, big hairy spider Luigi resists her kind advances until tasty breakfasts and getting tucked into bed convince him otherwise, but he soon learns what might be at stake when you pretend to be someone you're not.