Arachnids on Pitara Kids Network

Do centipedes really have 100 feet?

Wed, 05 Dec 2001 13:50:22 +0000

They are called centipedes because it is believed that they have 100 feet. Actually, they don’t. Of the 3,000 different types of centipedes on our planet, none have 100 feet. Some have 50 and some as much as 350.

The extremely venomous Peruvian Giant Yellow-leg or Amazonian Giant Centipede. These eat everything from insects to birds!

All centipedes have an odd number of body segments, and each segment has two legs attached to it. So, that magic number 100 has never been reached.

Why Don't Spiders Get Caught in Their Webs?

Sun, 30 Dec 2001 11:34:30 +0000

Spiders are not insects but are classified by biologists as arachnids. Arachnids are different from insects as they have eight legs and no antennae. There are over 40,000 species of spiders and some of them build webs while others rely on speed to catch their prey.

A spider building its web is extremely fascinating to watch. Some spin these webs by squirting silken threads from modified excretory glands in their body. Each silk gland (some species have up to five) produces a different type of silk. Some silk glands produce a liquid silk that becomes dry outside the body; while other glands produce a sticky silk that stays sticky.

Spiders and their Magical Web

Wed, 11 Apr 2001 21:42:27 +0000

Most of us have come across cobwebs that accumulate in our walls, and ceilings when we dust our homes. The webs are under tables, cellars, and sometimes across branches and leaves at the park. All these cobwebs are the work of spiders.

Spider webs are fine silken threads. Originally spiders spun silk to protect their eggs and to line their nests. But later they adapted to use this silk to weave a web and trap their prey. Sometimes it is also used to provide a safety line so that if they fall, they get suspended in the air.