Bird-eating spider A South American tarantula. The bird-eating spider is the largest known spider by weight, with a body 7.5 centimetres (3 inches) long and a leg span of up to 30 centimetres (1 foot). It chases its prey across the rainforest floor. It feeds mainly on insects or lizards and frogs, but rarely on birds.

Black widow spider A tiny, black spider with red markings. It spins a web to catch flying insects. After mating, the female eats the male, a practice for which the spider is named. Black widows only bite if provoked, but their venom can easily kill humans.

Bolas spider A small spider that hunts moths using a lasso-like thread of silk with a sticky “bola” at one end. It attracts male moths by making a similar smell to that given off by female moths.

Chelicerae The mouthparts of a spider. They are hollow and are used to inject venom into prey. At the tips of the chelicerae are fangs, which fold away when they are not in use.

Crab spider A spider that holds up its front legs in a similar way to a crab wielding its pincers. It hides in flowers or under bark to ambush its prey. Some species change colour to blend in with their background.

Fishing spider A spider that skates across water in search of tadpoles and fish. The fishing spider lures prey by dangling a leg in the water. When a creature investigates, it snatches it up and drags it on to land to feed.

Funnel-web spider A spider that builds funnel-shaped webs at the entrance to its burrow. The spider lurks at the narrow end of the web, waiting for an insect to stumble into its trap. Funnel-web spiders live in Australia and Asia. They are aggressive and their bite can be fatal.

Huntsman spiders A family of more than 1500 species, found mostly in warm or tropical climate regions of the world. They catch their prey by hunting rather than in webs. Many species are quite large, with the giant huntsman having a leg span of up to 30 centimetres (12 inches), making it the world's largest spider by this measure. Huntsman spiders can be distinguished from tarantulas by their crab-like legs. 

Jumping spider A small spider that jumps from spot to spot in pursuit of its prey. A jumping spider has large eyes for spotting prey and judging distances. It eats mostly moths and flies, but may attack larger creatures. Males may be brightly coloured in order to attract a mate.

Nursery web spider A small spider that builds a protective, tent-like web in which to raise its young.

Ogre-faced spider A slim spider with stick-like legs. One pair of its eyes are very large, giving it an ogre-like appearance. The ogre-faced spider spins a small web, which it throws over insects like a net to trap them.

Orb-weaver A small spider that spins spiral-shaped webs between branches. It may eat its web at the end of the day, recycling nutrients in order to build a new one.

Pedipalps Feelers near a spider’s mouth, used to grab prey and pull it to the mouth. They are also essential during mating, for delivering sperm to the female.

Pirate spider A small spider that raids the webs of other spiders. It may steal prey caught in the web, but more often feeds on the web-owner, feigning insect movements in order to lure it out.

Sheet-weaver spider A small spider, also known as the money spider, that builds horizontal webs. It spends most of its time hanging upside down under the web, waiting to catch tiny insects.

Silk A strong thread, made from liquid produced in a spider’s abdomen. As it is drawn out through the spinneret, it becomes solid. Spiders use silk to build webs, contain their eggs, wrap up prey or form a safety line when jumping.

Spinneret The silk-spinning organ of a spider. Located on the abdomen, the spinnerets (most spiders have six) pull liquid silk from internal glands and presses it through microscopic tubes, called spigots, to form fine silk threads. The liquid hardens on contact with air.

Spitting spider A small spider that catches its prey by squirting poisoned silk at it. Its aim is deadly accurate. As soon as an insect is entangled, the spitting spider moves forward to paralyze it with its bite.

Tarantula A large, hairy spider. It feeds mostly on insects, but larger species can kill lizards or rodents. Tarantulas use their hairs to detect vibrations. They can also flick them at attackers to cause itching.

Trapdoor spider A spider that ambushes its prey from a burrow. The entrance to the burrow is sealed by a lid, with a hinge made from spider silk. The trapdoor spider rushes out when it detects vibrations made by its prey.

Water spider The only spider that lives underwater. Tiny hairs on its body trap bubbles, which the spider arranges into an air-filled underwater web. It darts out of its web to snatch prey, such as aquatic insects.

Web A net made of spider silk and used to catch prey. Once an insect is caught, a spider can find it by sensing the vibrations it makes. Spiders walk on the claw-like tips of their feet to avoid becoming entangled.

Wolf spider A small spider, also known as the wandering spider. It stalks its prey on the ground. It has large eyes for spotting its prey, which it may ambush or even chase over a short distance.

Consultant: Chris Jarvis