Spiders

brown recluse spider
Also known as the "Fiddle Back" spider, the brown recluse can injure humans.

Who hasn't been surprised when moving something in the basement to find a huge brown spider looking up at you?! The size of wolf spiders can be off-putting, but they are harmless to humans. All spiders in the world are venomous. The toxicity of that venom to people is what is important. In this area, only black widows and brown recluse spiders can harm humans. Neither will hurt you if unprovoked and can generally be avoided. Spiders are fascinating creatures with truly unique features.

 
spider on web
Black and Yellow Argiope.

National Park Service.

Webs

Many spiders make webs in order to snare their dinner. The complexity of the web varies depending on the species. The classic and lovely circular webs are made by orb weavers, which are a large group of spiders that are very comfortable weaving their webs by porch lights, boat docks, and anywhere that attracts flying insects.

Not all spiders make webs, instead some hunt by stealthily ambushing their prey. Some spiders that don't weave webs are the large and hairy wolf spiders.

Last updated: December 26, 2023

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