A Venom of Spiders

There are over 38,000 species of spiders that inhabit every continent except Antarctica. They are arachnids and they are vital to a healthy ecosystem, eating more insects than birds and bats combined. All spiders spin silk but not all spin webs. Spider silk by weight is stronger than steel, and scientists are trying to copy it for a variety of uses, like bulletproof vests. Spiders have no teeth, and instead inject digestive juices into their prey, turning them to liquid to be sucked up. Most spiders live up to a year, but tarantulas can live up to 20 years. It has been said that you are usually no more than six feet away from a spider.