Spider Lexicon

Here are a few basic spider words.

Abdomen: This is the rear section of a spider’s body and contains its digestive organs, reproductive organs, and silk glands.

Arachnid: This is the class of animals that spiders belong to. Unlike insects, arachnids have eight legs, two body parts (cephalothorax and abdomen), and chelicerae (fangs) instead of mandibles.

Cephalothorax: This is the fused head and thorax of a spider. It contains the spider’s eyes, mouthparts, and legs.

Chelicerae: These are the spider’s fangs, which they use to inject venom into their prey and liquefy their insides so they can be sucked up.

Egg sac: This is a sac made of silk that a female spider lays her eggs in. The mother spider may guard the egg sac until the spiderlings hatch.

Gravid: a female spider that is carrying eggs. It essentially means she is pregnant.

Molting: This is the process of shedding an old exoskeleton (outer shell) to grow a new, larger one. Spiders molt several times throughout their lives.

Pedipalps: These are the spider’s modified appendages that are located near their mouthparts. They are used for feeding, grooming, and sensing their surroundings.

Prey: This is the animal that a spider hunts and eats. Common prey for spiders include insects, flies, mosquitoes, and other small invertebrates.

Silk: This is a protein fiber that spiders produce from their spinnerets. They use silk to build webs, capture prey, create egg sacs, and line their burrows.

Web: This is a complex structure that spiders weave from silk to catch prey. Different spider species build different types of webs.