A spider has eight legs and two body parts. An insect has three body parts. A spider is not an insect. Spiders are arachnids. Most spiders have eight eyes, though some have fewer. Every kind of spider makes silk.

Spiders make silk with spinnerets. Spider silk is very light. It is also strong and bends well. A spider web has sticky threads and nonstick threads. The spider knows which threads are safe to walk on. Many spiders catch flies and other insects in their webs.

Most spiders eat insects. Spiders use venom to paralyze the small animals they catch. Spiders cannot chew solid food. They put digestive fluids into their prey.

Not every spider builds a web. Some hunt for prey or wait for it. Wolf spiders are hunting spiders. They do not build webs to catch prey. A mother wolf spider carries her egg sac under her body. When the spiderlings hatch, she carries them on her back.

Jumping spiders hunt in the daytime, and they can see very well. They can see more colors than people can.

Most spiders are harmless to people. Spiders very rarely bite people. They do not seek people out to bite them. Do not touch a wild spider. If you see one, tell a grown-up.

Words to know

• arachnids: spider group
• spinnerets: silk makers
• venom: paralyzing fluid
• paralyze: stop moving