Transcript Spiders - Pacoima Charter School

Mr. Harper’s science mini lesson
with audio read along
Spiders
Many people think that a spider is an
insect. Spiders are not insects.
Spiders are arachnids.
Insects
Arachnids
• 6 legs
•
• 2 antennae
•
No antennae
• 3 body segments
•
2 body segments
• have wings, most can fly
•
No wings, none can fly
• few make silk, no webs
• make silk, many make webs
8 legs
The arachnid family includes ticks, scorpions, and all
the thousands of different species of spiders.
Spiders don’t have antennae to gather information
about their surroundings like insects do.
All insects have
antennae on
their heads.
Some arachnids have things near their mouth that may
look like small antennae, but those are pedipalps that
help them eat or move.
pedipalps
Spiders have 4 pairs of eyes.
Spider have much better vision than insects.
No spiders have wings for flying but
many spiders have a special way of
moving through the air.
All spiders can make a very thin but very
strong silky thread. They sometimes escape
from danger by dropping down quickly as
they make silk behind them.
Many spiders make large webs with their silk.
The webs act like big nets that can catch flying
insects that spiders like to eat.
The web silk is very sticky so insects that
touch it become trapped.
When the spider feels the movements of the insect trying
to get free, it rushes in to wrap the insect with more silk.
Spiders all have venom that they can inject
with their fangs to quickly kill their prey.
All spiders are carnivores, which means they only eat
animals. They never eat plants.
All spiders are predators, which means they catch and
kill the animals they eat.
The animals that predators catch are all called prey.
Some people get afraid whenever they see a spider,
but spiders will never attack a person.
Most spiders’ venom is only strong enough to
kill an insect but there are a few spiders that
have powerful venom that can hurt people. ave
powerful venom that can hurt people.
Black Widow spider
Brown Recluse spider
Bites from those spiders can
cause pain and injury.
People get bitten when a spider thinks they are
trying to hurt it. If you don’t touch it, a spider
won’t hurt you.
Spiders come in many different shapes.
Spiders come in different sizes.
Spider on a
fingernail
Some people have spiders as pets. This tarantula
would only bite if you hurt it.
To learn more about spiders, check out these
Brainpop cartoons:
Brainpop.com
• Spiders
• Arachnids
Brainpopjr.com
• Classifying
Animals