1. Spiders are NOT insects!

They are arachnids. This is because unlike insects, they have eight legs, not six. They also have between six or eight eyes whereas insects always have two. Nice!

2. Spider silk is actually a watery gel of protein…

This gel comes out of the spider’s silk glands (it’s butt) and is funneled down a tube (still it’s butt). When the tube gets smaller the gel gets coated with more gross stuff to make it stick, before it emerges through things call spigots.

3. There are around 38,000 types of spider!

But scientists are pretty sure there are more to be discovered.  They are everywhere – except for Antartica, where they can’t survive.  So if you want to avoid spiders, you know where to go!

4. There is probably a spider within 10 feet of you – RIGHT NOW!

Okay, so don’t freak out – but an estimated 1 million spiders live on every one acre of land on earth. In tropical places that is probably closer to 3 million!  And on that basis, scientists estimate that every single human being is never more than 10 feet away from a spider. ARGH!

5. There is a vegetarian spider!

The Bagheera kiplingi is a species of jumping spider which can found in Central America, including Mexico, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. It eats nubs called Beltian bodies found on certain leaves, and also sometimes nectar. Bless!

6. Spiders have blue blood!

It’s not because they are posh! It is because the oxygen in spider blood is bound to hemocyanin, which has copper in it rather than iron. Human blood is bound to hemoglobin, a molecule that contains iron rather than copper. Copper = blue, iron = red. Don’t smush one to find out though – just trust us!

7. The Goliath Spider is the world’s biggest spider

Also known as ‘Theraphosa blondi’ this spider can grow up to a frankly TERRIFYING 11 inches wide, with fangs that are up to an inch long. It eats mice, snakes, frogs, lizards, birds, Xboxes and car parking attendants (two of those we made up.)

8. The world’s littlest spider is called Patu!

It’s full name is actually Patu Marplesi and it is so dinky that you could fit ten of the little sitters onto the end of a pencil.  That’s pretty darn cute!

9. The Banana Spider is the spider you don’t want to meet – ever!

The Brazilian Wandering Spider, a.k.a. The Banana Spider, a.k.a. BEAST FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE UNHOLY ABYSS is the most venomous spider in the world.  This SUPER aggressive spider roams the forest of Central and South America looking for food and a fight. Even a tiny amount of this spider’s venom is enough to kill a human.

10. Wolf Spiders are super speedy

They can run up to 2 feet per second – that is 78 miles per hour. That’s faster than the fatest speed a car is allowed on a motorway in the U.K.  And more importantly – it’s faster than YOU can run! EEEK!