Arachnids are the group of arthropods that
include spiders, scorpions, ticks and mites. All arachnids have eight legs. Arachnids
evolved about 500 million years ago. That's about 50, 000 times longer than humans have
been on earth.
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Spiders are arachnids. Their bodies are in two parts, the head and
the abdomen. They do not have feelers. Most spiders have eight eyes, but some have six,
four or two. Many spiders trap their food in webs. Not all spiders make webs. Some are
hunters. Some spiders dig homes under the ground. Some spiders can live most of their
lives under water in bubble webs. Some spiders have claws at the end of each leg. Spiders
live in all sorts of environments. |
| Scorpions and spiders are predators of other insects. Not all
scorpions, and very few spiders, are dangerous to man. All scorpions have:
 | a sting, which they use to subdue prey; |
| pincers, which they also use to subdue and to handle prey. |
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There are far more species of ticks and mites than other orders of
arachnids. Ticks and mites are mostly parasitic; scorpions and spiders are not. |
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Where can I
find out more information about arachnids?
Where
can I find lots of web pages about arachnids?
Why
doesn't a spider get stuck in its own web?
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