Sweet dreams, spidey: Arachnids experience REM sleep, and may even dream By Jennifer Nalewicki published 12 August 22 Spiders likely sleep and dream like humans do.
Dead spiders reanimated as creepy 'necrobots' By Harry Baker published 28 July 22 Researchers have turned dead wolf spiders into machine grippers that can be used to pick up a variety of objects, including other spiders, by blowing air into their lifeless corpses.
Male spiders drum out mesmerizing syncopated beats to woo mates By Stephanie Pappas published 2 June 22 Male spiders that dance to their own beat are more likely to win mates compared to those that stick to a formula, new research finds.
These male spiders use built-in leg catapults to escape sexual cannibalism By Mindy Weisberger published 25 April 22 Once mating is over, male orb-weavers catapult off the bodies of females to avoid being eaten, moving at a speed that's too fast to glimpse with the naked eye.
Spiders hunt in packs of hundreds to swarm prey By Cameron Duke published 7 March 22 Pack hunting spiders use web vibrations to coordinate their attacks.
Wolf spiders: Behavior, bites and other facts By Jessie Szalay published 7 March 22 REFERENCE Wolf spiders are a large family of hairy and athletic arachnids that chase down prey on the ground rather than catching food in webs.
Anal bulbs, detachable butt hairs and booty camouflage: Welcome to #InverteButtWeek on Twitter By Mindy Weisberger published 4 March 22 Invertebrate butts are both diverse and bizarre, and are being celebrated on Twitter in art, photos and video.
False widow spider preys on baby bat in never-before-seen encounter By Nicoletta Lanese published 3 March 22 Before now, the species had never been seen catching bats.
Brown recluse spiders: Facts, bites & symptoms By Laura Geggel published 18 February 22 Reference Here's what to know about brown recluse spiders and how to avoid getting bitten by them.
Parasitic worm forces tarantulas to tiptoe, then starves them to death By Brandon Specktor published 20 January 22 Scientists discovered a new type of parasitic worm that only infects the mouths of tarantula spiders.
Brazilian wandering spiders: Bites & other facts By Jessie Szalay published 19 December 21 The Brazilian wandering spider, also called the banana spider, is one of the planet's most venomous spiders.
Giant huntsman spider: The world's largest spider by leg span By Jessie Szalay, Ailsa Harvey published 13 December 21 Reference Huntsman spiders are long-legged predators that hunt down their prey. Giant huntsman spiders are one of the world's biggest spiders.
Jumping spiders: Facts about the cutest arachnids on the planet By Stephanie Pappas published 18 November 21 Jumping spiders are a diverse bunch. Some are drab, while others sport a dazzling array of colors and patterns. And they really can jump.
Deadly and massive 'Megaspider' found in Australia has fangs that can puncture a fingernail By Mindy Weisberger published 17 November 21 The Australian Reptile Park recently welcomed the biggest funnel-web spider that the keepers had ever seen.
What is arachnophobia? By Jennifer Leman published 1 October 21 Arachnophobia is a fear of arachnids, a group of arthropods that includes spiders, scorpions, ticks and mites.
Mutant 'daddy shortlegs' created in a lab By Harry Baker published 16 August 21 Scientists have created an altered version of daddy longlegs with shortened and morphologically altered legs by suppressing the genes behind the development of their long legs.
These spiders take down snakes hundreds of times their size By Stephanie Pappas published 22 June 21 Venomous spiders prey upon snakes many times their size, a new study finds — and often emerge victorious against snakes as venomous as they are.
Photos: Spiders feast on deadly snakes By Stephanie Pappas published 22 June 21 From the Goliath birdeater tarantula to black widows, spiders are not shy around deadly snakes, often taking down the juveniles and feasting on their meaty bodies for days.
Tarantulas conquered Earth by spreading over a supercontinent, then riding its broken pieces across the ocean By Mindy Weisberger published 20 April 21 Around 120 million years ago, tarantulas first appeared on the Gondwana supercontinent in what is now the Americas, and then dispersed into Africa, Australia and India.
Endearing orange-faced peacock spider looks like 'Nemo' (and dances) By Mindy Weisberger published 31 March 21 An arachnologist described a new species of peacock spider after a citizen scientist discovered it in the wetlands of southern Australia.