14 Horrible Spider GIFs & Some Quite Interesting Spider Facts (arachnophobes look away)
Some scientists say, fear of spiders is a self-preservation response that’s hard-wired, genetically in us. Others theorise it’s social conditioning passed on through learned behaviour, such as a child witnessing an adult react in a frightened manner.
Fear of spiders can become so built up for some people they get scared just looking at pictures of them. Try though, because it’s fun to s**t yourself up every now and then. Plus these facts are quite interesting.
1. Yeah, it’s a massive spider crawling down a woman’s face. Also, did you know: “Web-weaving spiders have two or three claws at the tip of each leg that they use to swing from strand to strand without getting stuck in the sticky part of their web. Additionally, a spider’s body has a special oily substance that keeps it from getting stuck in its web.”? Live Science
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2. Okay, you never want to be in this position in your own home. Ever. BUT according to Scientific American “It is a myth that a human will swallow an average of four (or any number) of spiders while sleeping during his or her life. It is highly unlikely a spider will ever end up in a sleeping human’s mouth.”
Youtube @Leokimvideo
3. This is a real life nightmare and you’ll probably never eat bananas again. However, according to Science Daily: “Scientists found that the glue spirals on [spider] webs distort Earth’s electric field within a few millimetres of the web.” Which kind of makes them magicians, right? Now go throw out all your bananas.
4. Sure, this needs to not exist but just hold on a sec, because you may care to know: “Mother spiders can lay as many as 3,000 eggs at one time. Baby spiders are called spiderlings. While most mother spiders do not stay with their babies, the wolf spiders carry their babies on their backs.” Spiders (Creepy Creatures), Valerie Bodden
Now go spit out that sick you just did in your mouth.
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5. Shut the front door! “Giant trapdoor spiders are considered living fossils because they are similar to spiders that lived over 300 million years ago. They are found in southeastern Asia, China, and Japan and are over 4 inches across, including their legs.” Deadly Spiders & Scorpions, Andrew Soloway
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6. Is this the worst gif on the internet? Probably. “Hundreds of years ago, people put spider webs on their wounds because they believed it would help stop the bleeding. Scientists now know that the silk contains vitamin K, which helps reduce bleeding.” Spiders (Creepy Creatures) Valerie Bodden
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7. “Some species of jumping spiders can see light spectrums that humans cannot. Some can see both UVA and UVB light.” Smithsonian Science News. Guess that’s why this one was so keen to get out of the toilet then.
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8. Want to know how all these spider babies are gonna eat their dinner? Well: “Spiders do not have teeth, so they cannot chew their food. Instead, they inject digestive juices into the innards of their meal. Then the spider sucks up it innards.” I Didn’t Know Spiders Had Fangs, Claire Llewellyn
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9. In case you were wondering: “Spiders have blue blood. In humans, oxygen is bound to hemoglobin, a molecule that contains iron and gives blood its red color. In spiders, oxygen is bound to hemocyanin, a molecule that contains copper rather than iron.” Spiders (Creepy Creatures), Valerie Bodden
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10. Let’s just hope none of us are ever in the position where the only thing we can use to get rid of a huge spider is a VACUUM CLEANER. Sheesh. Now listen up, because: “A spider’s muscles pull its legs inward, but cannot extend its legs out again. Instead, it must pump a watery liquid into its legs to push them out. A dead spider’s legs are curled up because there is no fluid to extend the legs again.” Amazing Animal Hunters, Spiders, Sally Morgan
Youtube/Leokimvideo
11. “The most deadly spiders in the world include the black widow, funnel web, and brown recluse spiders. One of the most feared spiders in the world, the tarantula, actually has surprisingly weak venom and a bite that feels more like a wasp sting.” Deadly Spiders & Scorpions, Andrew Soloway
Oh hello, do you want to hold a spider that’s slightly smaller than a kitten? It’ll only hurt about as much as a wasp sting.
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12. Ever wondered how those beefy brown bad boys get everywhere? “House spiders, are able to run up walls because their feet are covered in tiny hairs that grip the surface. They can’t get out of a bathtub, however, because the surface is too slippery.” I Didn’t Know Spiders Had Fangs, Claire Llewellyn
13. Is this real? I don’t know. This is though: “Spiders have inspired scientists to make space robots. For example, the “Spidernaut” is a mechanical spider that is designed to crawl over the outside of a spacecraft to carry out repairs. Its weight is spread evenly over its eight legs to avoid damaging the surface of the spacecraft. Scientists have also designed miniature pieces of equipment with parts that move just like a spider’s leg.” I Didn’t Know Spiders Had Fangs, Claire Llewellyn
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14. This is a Brazilian wondering spider trapped in a bag of bananas. I know, I know. According to Live Science “The bite of the Brazilian wandering spider can cause long and painful erections, as well as other symptoms, in human males.”
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