This document is a 4th grade report about spiders. It contains sections on what spiders are, describing their two body segments and features. It also discusses whether a big hairy spider is a tarantula, noting they can grow as big as dinner plates. The report details what spiders and tarantulas eat, such as small fish, insects and frogs. Additional facts provided are about spiderlings, webs, and other spider characteristics. The document ends with a glossary defining terms and suggesting websites and books for further research on spiders.

1. By Emily Plevritis
Grade 4
Mrs. Schwartz’s class
SPIDERS!!

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
 What are spiders?....................................page 3
 Is that a big hairy spider?........................page 4
 What do spiders eat?...............................page 5
 Other facts………………………………….……..page 6
 Glossary…………………………………….………page 7
 Index………………………………………….……..page 8
 To find out more………………………….…..…page 9

3. WHAT ARE SPIDERS?
 Spiders belong to a group called arachnids. Arachnids are
creatures with 2 body segments: 8 legs, no wings, no
antennae, and are not able to chew. Arachnids belong to a
group called arthropods. There are more than 30,000
different types of spiders. Spiders even eat other spiders!
Spiders have 2 body segments; the front is called the
cephalothorax, the spider’s
fangs, eyes, mouth, stomach, brain, the glands where the
poison is made, and the legs are on this part of the body.
The second part or the back of the body, is called the
abdomen. On the back of the abdomen, there are these
things called spinnerets. The spinnerets produce the silk
that spiders use to make the spider webs you usually see in
your yard.

4. IS THAT A BIG HAIRY SPIDER?
 If you see a big spider that is hairy, it is a spider;
but most people call it a tarantula. A tarantula is
a very close relative to a spider. A tarantula is
way bigger than a spider, in fact some tarantulas
are even the size of dinner plates! This might be
a little scary; tarantulas have been known to bite
humans.

5. WHAT DO SPIDERS EAT?
 Spiders may eat a lot of things and I will tell you
them. Spiders eat small
fish, butterflies, flies, and many other insects.
But now I will tell you what tarantulas eat; small
fish, frogs, spiders, little birds, flies, and many
other insects.

6. OTHER FUN FACTS!!
 Baby spiders are called spiderlings.
 Spiderlings use silk to travel along air currents, this is called
ballooning.
 A spider’s web is very sticky; that is how they catch insects.
 A spider’s body is covered in an oil to keep it from sticking to
it’s own web.
 Some tarantulas dig holes in the ground, spin webs all
around in there, and live there.
 Some people think a ‘Daddy Long Legs’ is a spider; but it is
not.

7. GLOSSARY
 Arachnids are creatures with 2 body segments.
 An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an
exoskeleton (external skeleton), a segmented
body, and jointed appendages.
 The cephalothorax is the united head and thorax
of an arachnid or higher crustacean.
 Spinnerets are organs located on the abdomen
of the spider from which spider web silk is made.
 A tarantula any of several big hairy spiders of the
family Theraphosidae, it has a very painful but
not poisonous bite.

8. INDEX
Arachnids................................................
page 3
Arthropod................................................
page 3
Cephalothorax........................................
page 3
Spinnerets………………………………………
.. page 3
Abdomen.................................................

9. TO FIND OUT MORE
 Brain Pop.com
 Brain Pop Jr.com
 Hamtwoslices.net/spiders.htm
 Books
THANK YOU!!!