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Spider Anatomy
Spiders have fascinating anatomy. Here is a list of the key parts of a spider's body!
To start with, spiders have two main body parts. There is the prosoma, which has the eyes and mouth on it. The legs are generally all attached to the prosoma. Then there is a rear half, called the abdomen. Depending on the type of the spider this can be bigger or smaller than the prosoma.
All spiders have eight legs. In addition, there are two things which can often look like "smaller legs" near the spider's front end. These are pedipalps - sometimes called just "palps" for short. Pedipalps are used by male spiders during mating. If you're taking photos of spiders it's good to get sharp images of the palps, as they are often an important part of identifying the spider.
Another part near the mouth is the chelicerae. These are the two short protrusions right next to the mouth. These are used to help the spider eat. If a spider is venomous, this would be where the venom comes out of.
Spiders have an even number of eyes. Most spiders have 8 eyes, but they can also have 6, 4, or 2 eyes. The layout of the eyes differs from family to family of spider, and this is another important part of spider identification.
On the back end of the spider are the spinnerets. These are what release the spider's silk, that the spider uses to make a web from. Spider silk is also called gossamer. The silk is made out of protein. It is stronger than steel!
This is a rear view of an Audax jumping spider. You can even see the spider's silk coming out of the spinnerets.
Look at how different these next two spiders are from each other. The eyes on the top spider are relatively small, while the eyes on the bottom spider are very large.
Spiders in Sutton Massachusetts
Animals and Birds in Sutton Massachusetts
Sutton Massachusetts Photo Collection
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