Page 285 - (DK) I Can’t Believe It! 2

TRUE OR FALSE? 283
We swallow THE DIVING BELL
FAST FACTS

eight spiders a SPIDER CAN STAY SPIDERWEBS CAN SOME
SPIDERS
UNDERWATER FOR
LOVE
24 HOURS
GASOLINE
year in our sleep The only spider known to SPAN RIVERS The yellow sac spider likes the smell of
The largest spiderweb crafted by a single
live entirely underwater, the
spider measured 82 ft (25 m). It was
diving bell spider weaves
a silk container to trap air on made by a Darwin’s bark spider in 2010 gasoline so much that it builds webs in car
engines. Over time the webs could cause
and crossed a river in Andasibe-Mantadia
the surface, which it then uses to National Park on the island of Madagascar. blockage and a buildup of pressure. In 2014
breathe when it’s underwater. Mazda recalled 42,000 cars over fears the
Their supply usually lasts a day. webs could clog fuel tanks, causing fires.
The female redback
spider’s colorful markings
warn would-be predators
The adult female not to attack it, and for
black widow is the good reason. The bite of
most poisonous spider this Australian spider is
in North America. deadly, even to humans.
Spiders are part of the arachnid family—
eight-legged invertebrates with hard exoskeletons
but no wings. Statistics estimate that 50 percent
of women and 10 percent of men are scared of
spiders, but the fear outweighs the reality of these
eight-legged critters. All spiders are venomous,
but only some are harmful to people. Some
species hunt their prey, while others lie in
wait for it to become entangled in their web.

The golden silk orb
weaver spider, also
know as the banana
spider, weaves beautiful,
gold-tinted webs.
How long
does a Goliath
bird-eating
spider live?

US_282_283_309600_Spiders.indd 283 19/12/17 3:49 pm