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Ellen Whyte

Amazing arachnids
Spiders belong to a group of animals called arachnids. There are about 38,000 known species of arachnid.
Possibly the biggest spider is the Goliath birdeater. It lives in South American rainforests. It can measure up to 30cm across and can kill hummingbirds.
One of the smallest spiders is the Patu digua spider from Columbia. Males are  0.37mm long.
Spiders are famous for their silk. They make silk and use it to weave webs and traps to catch prey.
Spiderwebs are sticky. When flies and other insects touch them, they get stuck. The spider then rushes in and kills them. Some spiders make poisonous webs.
Some spiders don't build traps. They hunt their prey and inject them with poison.
Spiders are not insects. If you look closely at arachnids, you can see they are different in two very important ways.
Arachnids have eight legs, but insects like beetles and moths have six legs. And arachnids have a body divided into eight parts, while insects like ants and butterflies have bodies divided into three parts.
True or false?
1 Spiders belong to a group of animals called arachnids.
2 Arachnids are a group of insects.
3 Some spiders make poisonous webs.
Brazilian  wandering spider
Find words that mean:  run after, strong, known as, moved
Brazilian wandering spiders live in forests in Central and South America.
They are called wandering spiders because they walk about on the jungle floor looking for prey.
Brazilian wandering spiders hunt crickets, small lizards, and even small mice. They chase their victims and kill them with one poisonous bite.
These spiders have grey-brown backs and have black and white abdomens. This makes them hard to spot.
They are the most poisonous spiders in the world. Their poison is so powerful it can kill a healthy adult human.
Wandering spiders are also called banana spiders. This is because some are transported around the world in shipments of bananas. If you see one, call the authorities and don't touch it!
The black widow
Fill in the gaps with these words: unconscious, bites, insects, mate
There are several species of black widow spiders. They live in North America, Africa, southwestern Asia and Australia. They can also be found in Scandinavia.
Black widow spiders build webs that trap flies, moths, woodlice, and other _______________. They also eat other spiders.
When victims are caught in the web, the black widow rushes out and bites it. Because their bite is poisonous, their prey becomes ________________. The black widow then carries it to a quiet place and eats it.
Female black widows are four times bigger than males. After these spiders _______________, the female eats her partner. This is where this spider gets its name.
If you see a black widow, don't touch it. Black widow ________________ can kill children and the elderly. The poison is so strong it can make a healthy adult human very ill.
Hong Kong species
There are some big spiders in  Hong Kong but none are dangerous  to people.
Golden silk orb-weavers build huge beautiful yellow webs. These webs are poisonous to flies but not to humans. These spiders live in Aberdeen, Kowloon, the Peak, Repulse Bay, Shau Kei Wan, Chai Wan, Western District, Sandy Bay, Wong Chuk Hang and Wong Nai Chung.
Spiny orb-weavers have little spikes on their tummies. They have yellow and white spots and stripes on their legs, backs or stomachs. Look for them in shady spots in Aberdeen, Victoria Peak, Sandy Bay, Wong Chuk Hang, Wong Nai Chung, Repulse Bay and Western District.
Orb-weaving spiders are very pretty. They have a heart-shaped abdomen and long legs. They have brown bodies with splashes of white. These spiders live in bushes or on the sides of buildings. You can often see them at dusk when they come out to check and repair their webs.
Funnel web spider
Find the antonyms, or words that mean the opposite, for the following:
top, defending, healthy, slowly
Funnel web spiders live in east and south Australia. They get their name from the funnel-shaped nests they build. These spiders build nests on the ground or in a bush which look like white stockings with open tops. The spider sits at the bottom waiting for victims to fall in.
Funnel web spiders can grow up to 5cm long. They eat insects but also attack small lizards and frogs.
Females mostly stay in their nest but males wander about. Because funnel web spiders are aggressive, they are famous for attacking people and pets.
Funnel web spiders have poisonous bites that can make a healthy adult human very ill. Luckily there is an antidote. Just make sure you get to a hospital quickly!
compare!
The poison of a Brazilian wandering spider is twice as powerful as that of the black widow spider
fab fact!
All arachnids are cold-blooded, lay eggs and eat other spiders
fab fact!
The daddy long legs, or harvestman, has long, spindly legs. Although it looks creepy, it is harmless to people. As it eats pests like mites and dead insects, it's really very useful
now do this
Try to answer the following questions without referring to the text
1 Spiders have ...
a. 12 legs.
b. eight legs.
c. six legs.
2 Spiders make traps from ...
a. silk.
b. grass.
c. earth.
3 The world's biggest spider is ...
a. the Goliath birdeater.
b. the Brazilian wandering spider.
c. the funnel web spider.
4 The most poisonous spider is ...
a. the Goliath birdeater.
b. the Brazilian wandering spider.
c. the funnel web spider.
5 Black widow spider ...
a. females eat males after mating.
b. males eat females after mating.
c. don't ever eat each other.
6 Funnel web spiders live in ...
a. Africa.
b. South America.
c. Australia.
Look online for more information
How spiders work
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/spider.htm
Learn how spiders hunt and  make silk, what sort of traps they build and much more.
Spiders rule
http://www.spiderzrule.com
Find out how spiders build webs and hunt, whether they can climb into your mouth when you are asleep and much more.
Poisonous arachnids
http://library.thinkquest.org/C007974
Discover more about the black widow, recluse spider, latrodectus, scorpion, tarantula and Sydney funnel web.
Nat Geo Wild
You can catch Brazilian wandering spiders on National Geographic Channel's Insects from Hell: Venom this Sunday at 6pm and black widows in Spider Deadly Love, also on Sunday, at 9pm
Answers
Quiz: 1. b, 2. a, 3. a, 4. b, 5. a, 6. c
True or false: 1. true, 2. false, 3. true
Brazilian wandering spider: chase, powerful, called, transported
The black widow: insects, unconscious, mate, bites
Funnel web spider: bottom, attacking, ill, quickly



The world's  most dangerous spiders