Secret Lives of Spiders

Photo: Chris Morgan

Wildwood is running a day on Sunday 27th September when visitors can meet and get to know more about spiders.

These misunderstood and often feared invertebrates are fascinating and Steve Kirk Wildwoods very own spider expert will be explaining about their secret lives and be leading visitors around the park on a spider hunt.

There will be an opportunity to make spider crafts and the whole day has different activities.

"Spiders are fantastic creatures" commented Anne Riddell Head of Education at Wildwood Trust "These events are always very popular and it allows people to get to know more about them".

There are about 650 different species of spiders in the UK ranging from the tiny money spider - Minute Maro to the huge Cardinal Spider with a leg span of more than 10cm.

This event takes place on Sunday September 27th with two sessions 11am-1pm & 2-4pm places are £2* per person with one adult per family free, places are going fast so to book please call 01227 712111.

Wildwood's 'Wildlife Conservation Park' is an ideal day out for all the family where you can come 'nose to nose' with British Wildlife. Wildwood offers its members and visitors a truly inspirational way to learn about the natural history of Britain by actually seeing the wildlife that once lived here, like the wolf, beaver, red squirrel, wild boar and many more.

Wildwood is situated close to Canterbury, just off the A291 between Herne Bay and Canterbury. 01227 712111, http://www.wildwoodtrust.org/.

Photo: Neil Mallett

More Spider Facts

Spiders are invertebrates, which means they don't have backbones. These small creatures help plants reproduce by pollinating them. They also help recycle dead trees and animals back into the earth. They are also a vital source of food for birds, fish, and small mammals. Without invertebrates, like spiders and insects, many other living things would not survive.

Spiders are not insects. Insects have three body parts and six legs.

Spiders have eight legs and two body parts, the abdomen and the thorax.

Spiders have silk spinning glands called spinnerets, at the tip of their abdomen.

Not all spiders spin webs. Spiders belong to the Arachnid family.

There are more than 30,000 species of spiders.

Spiders are oviparous, which means their babies come from eggs.

Most spiders have either six or eight eyes.

Most spiders have fangs, through which venom is ejected.

Opiliones are commonly called shepherd spiders, harvest spiders or harvestmen.

The term harvestmen or harvest spiders was a result of them being seen only during harvesting time. They are also referred to as daddy long legs but should not be confused with similarly named spiders, the Pholcidae.

Opiliones are not spiders and have no spinning organs, fangs or venom glands and are harmless to man.

Spider bites can be quite painful, and a select few can be fatal.

Fear of spiders is called Arachnophobia. It is one of the most common fears among humans.

Tarantulas shed their furry skin as they grow, leaving behind what looks just like another tarantula.

Spiders eat many types of harmful insects, helping to keep your garden free of pests.

Spiders are creatures that have 8 legs, have no wings or antennae. They have 2 distinct body parts called the thorax or head and the abdomen. Spiders have an exoskeleton, meaning that their skeleton is on the outside.

Spiders have as many as 8 eyes, but some spiders have only 6 eyes and several spiders have fewer or even none. All spiders have fangs through which venom is ejected. The tip of the abdomen has silk spinning glands called spinnerets by which a spider can spin a web. However, not all spiders spin webs.

Most spiders are very nearsighted. To make up for this, they use the hair on their body to feel their way around and to sense when other animals are near.

Webs get dirty and torn, so lots of spiders make a new one every day. They don't waste the old one, though--they roll it up into a ball and eat it!

Young spiders resemble adults. Only their size and coloration differ.

Male spiders are usually smaller than female spiders.