HAVE you heard of daddy longlegs? Do you know about black widow? Recognise the name tarantula? Have you met charlotte?

No? Then I will give you a clue. They all have eight legs. And many a time, they are called creepy-crawlies. I suppose you will have guessed by now… yes, they are all spiders!

Daddy longlegs belongs to the opiliones (an order of arachnids commonly known as harvestmen). Interesting info about them is that in some places these harvestmen are also called ‘granddaddy longlegs’!

Opiliones are known for their exceptionally long legs relative to their body. Their legs are long and spindly so it’s no wonder they are popularly called daddy longlegs.

The black widow spider is an extremely poisonous arachnid. This is because it has very large venom glands. In fact, this spider’s bite is much feared because its venom is reported to be 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake’s!

A tarantula is a large, hairy spider, but who is charlotte? Well, let’s discuss this one at the end. As is known, many of us are fearful of spiders but an abnormal, irrational fear of them is called arachnophobia.

Tarantulas are large, hairy arachnids and even though they appear deadly, they are actually harmless. Their bite may be painful, but it is not venomous. It is a popular pet among arachnid enthusiasts.

Now the class ‘arachnida’ includes a diverse group of arthropods — spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, harvestmen and their cousins. Believe it or not, but scientists describe over 75,000 species of arachnids, the majority of them spiders.

By the way, did you know there are also jumping spiders? Interestingly, there are more than 500 different genres of spiders that fall into the ‘jumping spider’ category and they make up about 13 per cent of all spiders on earth. Jumping spiders are able to jump up to an incredible 50 times their own length. Wow!

And that is just what the super hero Spiderman is excellent at — jumping and whizzing from one place to another in record time. His movie has proved to be a favourite among youngsters.

Another movie which has portrayed spiders in a positive way is Charlotte’s Web. Yes, charlotte is a spider! Do read the book, with the same title, written by E.B. White. It is considered a classic of children’s literature, an enjoyable read for adults as well as children.

Some interesting facts about spiders

• Their blood is light blue in colour,

• When a spider is moving, there are always four legs on the surface and four legs off it,

• The largest spider is the ‘giant bird eating spider’ and the smallest is the ‘patu digua’ spider.

• Spiders have eight legs while insects have six.

• Spiders don’t have antennae while insects do.

• Spiders are found on every continent of the world except Antarctica.