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What are spiders?

Maori

  • Spiders are animals belonging to the class known as Arachnida.
  • They have 2 parts to the main body:
    • hard front part, the head and thorax, called the cephalothorax or prosoma;
    • soft hind part, the abdomen, called the opisthosoma.
  • They have a narrow stalk or waist called the pedicel joining the cephalothorax and opisthosoma.
  • They always have 8 legs and 2 palps (used for grooming and feeding) attached to the cephalothorax.
  • They have no wings or antennae, although the palps at the front act like antennae.

    Diagram of spider

    Spider diagram for printing (73 k) Open immediately by left-clicking mouse.
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Spiders are the largest group of predators in the world.

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