Directions: Spiders may be a little scary — but they are also amazing creatures that play an important role in the cycle of life on earth. Learn more about them with the interactive hunt, below. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper, or on the reproducible provided by your teacher.

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Name: ___________________________________________

1. Although they creep and crawl, spiders aren't insects. Spiders are actually a type of animal called arachnid. Insects have six legs. How many legs do spiders have? _________________________

7. Underneath spiders' abdomens are _________________, special glands where they produce the silk to use for their webs and to catch insects.

8. Some spiders use their silk to travel through the air on one long silk string. This process is called ballooning. Another kind of spider can walk on water! It is called the _______________________________.

9. Although many people are afraid of spiders, there are only two kinds of American spiders considered dangerous to humans. Both rarely attack humans and prefer to live in dark, dry places. Name these spiders. _____________________________________________________________________

BONUS:

Spiders benefit humans in a lot of ways, including greatly reducing the population of disease-carrying insects that can harm us. Name two other ways spiders are beneficial. __________________________________________________________