Few groups of animals are as feared as spiders. Doctors estimate at least 5% of people are arachnophobic, meaning they are terrified of the eight-legged critters. But such fear is largely misplaced. Of the nearly 47,000 species of spider on the planet, only 200 or so can actually bite through our tough skin and deliver venom that causes any kind of reaction. And of those, only a few are considered truly dangerous. Rather than fearing them, we should be in awe of just how incredibly diverse, successful, and unique these animals are.
But turning fear into fascination is no easy feat. Hopefully, a new paper in PeerJ can help. Stefano Mammola and his colleagues have meticulously summarized these octo-appendaged wonders, documenting dozens of incredible facets of their diverse anatomies, behaviors, and lifestyles. Continue reading “From Longest Name to Loudest Sound, Scientists Catalog Over 100 Spider World Records”
