How Many Spiders Does a Spider Give Birth to?
WouterThere are 170 different types of spiders and arachnids. Among these are 137 species that live outside and nineteen that live indoors. The average life span of a spider is a year. However, some species have a life expectancy of 30 years or more.
Many spiders lay a few hundred eggs at a time. These eggs vary in size from tiny pearly white to green and may be arranged in a silk sac. When they hatch, they form spiderlings. Spiderlings are usually brown or grey and look like miniature adult spiders. They are vulnerable until they have developed a new exoskeleton.
Female spiders store sperm for a while before they are ready to reproduce. They then create an egg sac from strong silk. This is a “blanket” that protects the eggs. Some female spiders also carry the egg sac in their jaws. Others hang the egg sac in a safe place until the babies hatch.
After hatching, the spiderlings stay in the nest for a few weeks. During this time, they are dependent on their mother for food. If the mother is killed, the young will feed on the corpse. But most spiderlings survive on their own.
As the baby spiders grow, they undergo many molts. Once they complete their molts, they disperse. Often, the ballooning of the spiderlings makes them very large, and they can travel long distances.
Wolf spiders are a common species that enter homes in autumn. Their egg sacs are attached to spinnerets in their abdomens. Baby spiders climb on their mother’s back until they are able to fend for themselves.
