How Much Spiders Are in the World?

Spiders are arachnids, and are considered to be one of the most diverse groups of animals on the planet. There are at least 45,000 different species of spiders on Earth, with a total of about 50,000 undiscovered varieties. They are commonly found in forests, grasslands and shrublands. They can also be found in urban areas.

Although spiders can be venomous, they are harmless to humans. They can survive in extremely cold or hot temperatures, and can be found in almost all terrestrial environments on the planet.

Despite their widespread presence, researchers have struggled to accurately estimate how much food spiders consume. Various approaches have been used. Some estimates are based on observations made in the field, while others are calculated using sophisticated estimation methods.

Two recent studies have estimated the global prey consumption of spiders. A study by a team of researchers at Brandenburg University Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg in Germany estimates that spiders consume 400 to 800 million tons of prey annually. This is a number that could exceed human animal population’s food intake.

The study also estimated the number of spiders in seven biomes. These areas include forests, grasslands, savannas, tundra, deserts and urban areas. The team compared the average number of spiders per square meter of habitat to the amount of prey the species could eat in a given year.

Using this method, researchers came to an estimated global spider population of 25 million metric tons. They also estimated the annual death toll from spiders.

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