Spiders

Goliath Birdeater Spiderlings Hatch at Wellington Zoo
A batch of Goliath Birdeater spiderlings hatched recently at the Wellington Zoo in New Zealand. (September 6, 2020)

Bagheera Kiplingi is a Predominantly Vegetarian Jumping Spider
Bagheera Kiplingi is a jumping spider species that has a diet that is primarily vegetarian. It prefers to consume Beltian bodies from acacia plants. (August 17, 2019)

Baby Jumping Spiders Can See Nearly as Well as Their Parents
Baby jumping spiders can see nearly as well as adult jumping spiders. They have the same number of photoreceptors as adult spiders. (August 1, 2019)

Scientists Genetically Engineer Glow-in-the-Dark Mosquito Killing Fungus to Produce Spider and Scorpion Venom
Scientists have genetically engineered a glow-in-the-dark mosquito killing fungus to produce toxins from spiders and scorpions. (June 15, 2017)

Softball-Sized Cave Dwelling Spider Discovered
Researchers have discovered a new species of cave dwelling spider. It is the Sierra Cacachilas wandering spider (April 14, 2017)

Arachnologists Discover 43 New Species of Scaffold Web Spiders
There are 20% more scaffold web spiders than previously known before thanks to a discovery of 43 new species. (October 27, 2016)

Scientists Say Spider Webs are Vibration Transmission Structures
Scientists describe spider webs as vibration transmission structures in a new study. The vibrations transmit information about prey, mates and structual integrity of the web. (September 20, 2016)

New Species of Trapdoor Spiders Discovered in Queensland, Australia
PhD student Jeremy Wilson discovered new trapdoor spiders on a mission with the Queensland Museum. (September 5, 2016)

Rare Montserrat Tarantula Spiderlings Hatch at Chester Zoo
Montserrat tarantulas have hatched at the Chester Zoo. This is the first time the spiderlings have hatched in captivity. (August 15, 2016)

Social Spider Colonies Can Die Off From Oversharing Food
Social spider colonies can die off from oversharing food. The South American colonies form the biggest nests in the world. (August 5, 2016)

New Tarantula Species Named After Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A newly discovered tarantula has been named after author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It is named Kankuamo marquezi (July 6, 2016)

New Spider Species Discovered in Central Spain
A new spider species has been discovered living in Holm oaks trees in central Spain. (June 29, 2016)

Huge Eyes Help Net-Casting Spider Catch Crawling Prey
The net-casting spider has the largest eyes among all known arachnids. The eyes help it catch some of its meals. (May 26, 2016)

New Liquid Wire Material Inspired by Spider Silk
A new liquid wire material developed by scientists was inspired by spider silk. (May 17, 2016)

Trap-Jaw Spider Attack Seen in High-Speed Video
High-speed video shows the rapid attack of the trap-jaw spider in slow motion. The spiders live in New Zealand and South America. (April 8, 2016)

Ancient Arachnid Fossil Was Spider-like But Lacked Spinnerets
The 305 million-year-old fossil of an arachnid shows a creature that resembled a spider but lacked spinnerets. (March 31, 2016)

Study Finds Some Spiders Also Consume Plant Food
A new study has found that some spiders also eat plant food. This includes nectar, plant sap, honeydew, leaf tissue, pollen and seeds. (March 14, 2016)

New Tarantula Species Named After Johnny Cash
A new tarantula species has been named after Johnny Cash. It is one of fourteen newly discovered spiders in the southwestern United States. (February 5, 2016)

Scientists Find Skydiving Spiders in Panama and Peru
Scientists have found nocturnal hunting spiders in South America that can steer themselves while falling from the top of a tree. (August 19, 2015)

Parasitic Wasp Turns Spiders Into Cocoon Building Zombies
A parasitic wasp larva turns spiders into zombies and makes them build it a cocoon. The larva also eats the spider. (August 16, 2015)

Giant Communal Spider Web Found in Dallas, Texas
A giant communual spider web has been found in a suburb of Dallas Texas. It contains thousands of spiders. (August 10, 2015)

Spiders Can Sail Like Ships Across Water Say Scientists
Scientists have discovered that spiders can travel like ships across large bodies of water. They can even use their silk as an anchor. (July 7, 2015)

Ten New Cobweb Spider Species Discovered in Madagascar
Scientists have discovered ten new species of cobweb spiders in Madagascar. One of the new species was named after Charles Dawrin. (July 6, 2015)

Spiders Sprayed With Carbon Nanotubes Produce Super Strong Silk
Scientists find spiders sprayed with water containing graphene flakes and carbon nanotubes produced the strongest fibres ever measured. (May 25, 2015)

New Crab Spider Species Discovered in India
A new crab spider species has been discovered in India. It has been named Thomisus telanganensis. (May 24, 2015)