How Do Spiders Keep Growing?
WouterThere are thousands of different species of spiders. Some of them have unusual color patterns and body shapes. While some of them can be dangerous, others are quite harmless. If you’re not sure which types of spiders you have in your home, there are some ways to distinguish them.
Some spiders can enter your home through holes in the foundation or gaps around doors and windows. Some may even live in your closet or in your window-wells. Depending on the type, they can eat pest insects or lay eggs.
Male spiders usually die shortly after mating. However, female spiders can live for two or three years. They lay several hundred eggs, depending on the species. After the eggs hatch, the young spiders are called spiderlings. These are small, light-colored creatures.
During the early stages of growth, a spider’s exoskeleton softens and stretches to form a new, larger one. This exoskeleton can be deformed, which can make the spider vulnerable to predators. Once the new exoskeleton hardens, the spider can move into adulthood.
Some spiders have special shapes, such as a webbed abdomen, that help them to deceive prey. Others have only six or eight eyes, or fewer. Spiders are also able to re-grow lost appendages.
Most adults stop growing after about a year. Before this, they go through several moults. During each of these, the old exoskeleton is pushed off the body.
Spiders can become so big that they can span a dinner plate. As they grow, they become less efficient at pumping hemolymph.
