#class arachnida

“The Bowie spiders are part of a family known as the Ctenidae, or wandering spiders, which mostly live in the tropics. They get their name from their behaviour, forgoing a web in favour of prowling forests for prey such as insects, reptiles and frogs.

When you think of animals, think of this spider, Nephila clavata. The golden orb weaver is found in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China. Females grow as large as 2.5 cm while males are less than half that size. This species spends the winter as eggs, hatching in the spring. In late autumn, the females lay their egg sacks on trees and die. 

When you think of animals, think of this scorpion, Leiurus quinquestriatus. This scorpion is native to North Africa and the Middle East. It exists widely in the pet trade, and often goes by many names including Deathstalker, Palestine Yellow Scorpion, Israeli Yellow Scorpion, and Naqab Desert Scorpion. It is considered a very dangerous species, with neurotoxic venom that has a low lethal dose. It is usually not deadly to healthy adults, but can be to young, old, or otherwise unhealthy individuals.  This venom is being studied for use in treating human brain tumors.

When you think of animals, think of this mite, Demodex folliculorum. The eyelash mite is one of two face mites that commonly occur on humans. They live in hair follicles, and are generally considered commensal. Heavy infestations can cause problems such as mange and is known as demodicosis. A recent study suggests that these mites may have evolved with us as humans evolved and diversified. There are different haplotypes associated with different ethnicities. Close contact is required to transmit these mites, and their life cycle is only 18-24 days.

When you think of animals, think of this arachnid, Hadrobunus grandis. This is a species of harvestman, or daddy long legs from the United States. Though often confused with spiders, they are not the same. Harvestman have a broader connection between the cephalothorax and the abdomen, and they can swallow solid chunks of food instead of having to liquify it first as spiders do. Most species have only a single pair of eyes.