SPIDERS.FYI / The digital spider museum
Myth or reality?
Test familiar claims. Every answer comes with an explanation and a source.
Your choices stay in this tab. Nothing is stored or transmitted. The diagrams show typical features and do not replace species identification.
Simplified learning diagram, not to scale or an identification reference.
All arachnids are spiders.
Spiders form one order within the arachnids. Harvestmen, scorpions and mites belong to other groups.
Australian Museum · Spider structure ↗Simplified learning diagram, not to scale or an identification reference.
Every spider builds a prey-catching web.
Spiders use silk in different ways. Jumping spiders and many others hunt without capture webs; silk also serves as safety lines and egg sacs.
Australian Museum · Silk: the spider’s success story ↗Simplified learning diagram, not to scale or an identification reference.
Long legs reveal how dangerous a spider is.
Leg length does not measure venom effects or actual bite risk. The cellar spider is a familiar counterexample; reliable identification needs more features.
Australian Museum · Spider bites and venoms ↗Simplified learning diagram, not to scale or an identification reference.
Spider silk does more than catch prey.
Correct: egg sacs, retreats and safety lines are examples. Different silks and structures suit different tasks.
Australian Museum · Silk: the spider’s success story ↗Simplified learning diagram, not to scale or an identification reference.
A threat display proves a species pursues people.
A defensive response describes a particular situation. It establishes neither hunting people nor a general ranking of aggression.
Australian Museum · Huntsman spiders ↗