How to Classify Spiders

Spiders are eight-legged organisms that live all over the world. Over 30,000 variations of spiders exist on planet Earth, all of which are hatched from eggs, possess fangs and/or spin silk webs. Spiders catch insects in their webs and feed off of those trapped that cannot get away. Identifying spiders by their physical appearance, characteristics or behavior, and natural habitat is the best way to classify spiders.

Things You'll Need

  • Magnifying glass
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Instructions

    • 1

      Identify hunting spiders by their vibrant energy and aggressive motion. Notice the eyes of hunting spiders -- water spiders and tarantulas for example -- positioned atop the head and the sharp, furry bristles along the back and legs. Observe the dark gray, black and brown patches of skin along the hump of the body and their capability to move fast after prey and jump over 40 times the length of their bodies.

    • 2

      Identify web-spinning spiders by their slender appearance. Look for web-spinning arachnids in caves, foliage or dark corners of the house. Classify the creatures -- tangled-web weavers and cellar spiders, for instance -- by their weak vision and dense silk webs. Notice the black and brown colors of web-spinning spiders, some of which are striped with orange or red shades of color.

    • 3

      Pick out a bolus or angling spider by its ability to drape individual strands of webbing to catch prey. Identify the spiders by the their thick, round bodies, the food they prefer -- moths, for example -- and their atypical pink, yellow or brown body coloring.

    • 4

      Find dwarf spiders near water bodies -- rivers or lakes -- throughout North America and Europe. Classify a dwarf spider by its short body length -- never exceeding 1.3 millimeters long -- and the thick, right-angled webs they spin.