Spiders

The deadly mating rituals, hunting tactics, web architecture, and generally misunderstood lives of spiders.

Latest in Spiders

a small spider attacking a cockroach

New spider named for Pink Floyd devours bugs 6x its size

By Laura Baisas

A side-by-side composite image features a portrait of naturalist Sir David Attenborough on the left and the bird named in his honor, the Inambari Gnatcatcher (Polioptila attenboroughi), on the right. Attenborough is shown smiling against a bright blue background, while the small, grey and white gnatcatcher is perched on a tree branch among green leaves in its Brazilian habitat.

6 famous people with animals named in their honor

By Margherita Bassi

an illustration of a prehistoric spider relative

500-million-year-old spider relative has claws where it shouldn’t

By Laura Baisas

Example of paired images used during free-view eyetracking study. These image pairs focused on participant reactions to spider versus other arthropods – (A) spider versus butterfly, (B) spider versus insect, (C) spider eyes versus insect eyes, (D) spider versus non-spider arachnid, and (E) spider versus myriapod. We also included a paired image of (F) scorpion versus non-scorpion arachnid to gain insight into whether participants respond differently to spiders versus scorpions (e.g., d vs. f).

Psychologists made people look at spiders. They didn’t like it.

a black cat sitting in green grass ready to pounce

Cats love to massacre bugs, and scientists have the videos to prove it

By Mack DeGeurin

a plump brown spider

Beware, beachgoers: New spider discovered in California’s sand dunes

By Margherita Bassi

A wasp spider in its web inside Sierra Mariola Natural Park in Bocairent, Valencian Community, Spain.

Spiders ‘decorate’ their webs to help trap dinner

By Laura Baisas

Black tarantula with pixelated rectangle over back thorax

These tarantulas’ genitals are so long, it required a new genus

A Guatemalan tiger rump tarantula (Davus pentaloris) in a terrarium with reflections.

Tarantulas adapt their running style after losing legs

By Laura Baisas

a spider with a large white fungus covering its head

Fungus-infected zombie spiders discovered in Northern Ireland

By Laura Baisas

Two views of a slingshot spider (Theridiosoma gemmosum) web. The right image shows the web’s cone shape with a spider at the tip.

Watch a slingshot spider deploy a perfectly-timed trap

By Laura Baisas

Brown tarantulas mating

Male tarantulas seek love, find death around Halloween

A male and a female Aphonopelma jacobii. Their small size can be seen when compared to the acorn cap, pine needles, and oak leaf.

Newly discovered tarantulas may already be in danger

a spider traps a glowing firefly in its web

Spiders may be hacking firefly signals to trap dinner

By Laura Baisas

A colorful adult female Joro spider. These arachnids are native to parts of Southeast Asia.

No, ‘flying’ venomous spiders are not coming for you this summer

By Laura Baisas

Close-up photos of ReachBot.

Daddy long-legs-inspired robot could one day squirm through Martian caves

By Mack DeGeurin

A tarantula with a mostly black body, but bright blue legs and pincers. Chilobrachys natanicharum is the first tarantula species found in Thailand’s mangrove trees. CREDIT: Yuranan Nanthaisong/ZooKeys.

Meet the first electric blue tarantula known to science

By Laura Baisas

Dead humback whale on beach from aerial view

Dead whales and dinosaur eggs: 7 fascinating images by researchers

By Popular Science Team

These species were discovered in museum collections. They might already be extinct.

These species were discovered in museum collections. They might already be extinct.

By Katarina Zimmer / Undark

Siler collingwoodi is a colorful, ant-mimicking spider found in China and Japan.

This spider pretends to be an ant, but not well enough to avoid being eaten

By Laura Baisas