Spitting spider facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spitting spider |
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| Spitting spider | |
| Scientific classification | |
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| Phylum: | |
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| Superfamily: |
Scytodoidea
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| Family: |
Scytodidae
Blackwall, 1864
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| Genera | |
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Dictis |
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| Diversity | |
| 5 genera, 169 species | |
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A spitting spider is a unique type of spider that belongs to the family Scytodidae. There are over 150 different kinds of spitting spiders found all around the world. These spiders are related to recluse spiders.
Spitting spiders get their name from their special hunting method. They don't use webs to catch food. Instead, they spit a sticky, poisonous liquid at their prey. This liquid quickly becomes solid, trapping the target. Once the prey is stuck, the spider bites it to inject venom. After the prey is no longer moving, the spider wraps it in spider silk, just like many other spiders do.
How Spitting Spiders Hunt
The attack of a spitting spider is incredibly fast. It happens in about 1/700th of a second! This is faster than you can blink. The spider can spit its sticky liquid about 10 to 20 millimeters (which is less than an inch). It spits in a zig-zag pattern, covering its prey completely in the sticky substance.
Types of Spitting Spiders
There are five main groups, or genera, of spitting spiders. Each group lives in different parts of the world:
- Dictis: These spiders are found from China all the way to Australia.
- Scyloxes: This group lives in Kyrgyzstan, a country in Central Asia.
- Scytodes: This is the largest group, and you can find these spiders almost anywhere in the world.
- Soeuria: These spiders live on the Seychelles islands, off the coast of Africa.
- Stedocys: You can find these spiders in Malaysia and Thailand.
Images for kids
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A female Scytodes fusca spitting spider.
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Learn more about spiders!
