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Spiders that spin webs typically have three claws, the middle one being small; hunting spiders typically have only two claws. Since they do not have antennae, spiders use specialised and sensitive setae on their legs to pick up scent, sounds, vibrations and air currents. [6] Some spiders, such as the Australian crab spider, do not have claws.
Carnivores have chelicerae that tear and crush prey, whereas herbivores can have chelicerae that are modified for piercing and sucking (as do parasitic species). In sea spiders, the chelicerae (also known as chelifores) are short and chelate and are positioned on either side of the base of the proboscis or sometimes vestigial or absent.
They also grind food with the bases of their pedipalps, as arachnids do not have the mandibles that crustaceans and insects have. To avoid being eaten by the females, which are typically much larger, male spiders identify themselves as potential mates by a variety of complex courtship rituals.
Almost all spiders have venom glands and can inject the venom through openings near the tips of their fangs when biting prey. The glands that produce this venom are located in the two segments of the chelicerae, and, in most spiders, extend beyond the chelicerae and into the cephalothorax. [ 2 ]
However, in sea spider and arachnids, the pedipalps are more or less specialized for sensory [12] or prey-catching function [10] – for example scorpions have pincers [20] and male spiders have bulbous tips that act as syringes to inject sperm into the females' reproductive openings when mating. [16]
Chelicerae appear in scorpions and horseshoe crabs as tiny claws that they use in feeding, but those of spiders have developed as fangs that inject venom. Myriapods comprise millipedes, centipedes, pauropods and symphylans, characterized by having numerous body segments each of which bearing one or two pairs of legs (or in a few cases being ...
Spotting a spider in your immediate vicinity can be a little intense, especially if you have a major fear of the creepy crawlers. And, when one shows up in your home, it can be downright freaky.
In spiders, the coxae frequently have extensions called maxillae or gnathobases, which function as mouth parts with or without some contribution from the coxae of the anterior legs. The limbs themselves may be simple tactile organs outwardly resembling the legs, as in spiders , or chelate weapons (pincers) of great size, as in scorpions .