It looks like something out of a horror movie-a spider bigger than an adult's hand, with long legs and no face, creeping along the dark, silent ocean floor in search of its next victim. When it finds one, it latches on and begins sucking out its prey's juices like soda through a straw. This is the giant sea spider, and it's much scarier than the eight-legged creatures that live in your basement!
What's in a Leg? Because the giant sea spider has such a small body, many of its organs run through its four sets of long, skinny legs. Parts of its digestive tract, respiratory system and reproductive organs are actually inside its legs!
Hey, Four Eyes! A giant sea spider has four very small eyes on top of its flat "head," at the front of its body. Its eyes sit on top of a small raised area and are used to detect light and motion.
Suck It Up[]
Soft-bodied creatures such as sea anemones make up most of the giant sea spider's diet.
The giant sea spider has a creepy way of feeding. It doesn't spin a web, but like land spiders, it latches on to its prey and draws out whatever fluid is inside! The sea spider uses a long tube hanging from the front of its body called a proboscis, which connects to the body of the prey with three tiny teeth. After the giant spider is full, it detaches itself and moves off. Sometimes the prey animal dies after the feeding, but some creatures-including anemones-will usually survive this bizarre attack.
Mr. Mom: The male giant sea spider-not the female-protects and cares for the eggs after mating. He has two tiny legs, located between his larger "walking legs," that hold and carry the eggs until they begin to hatch.
Picky Eater: A giant sea spider's diet as an adult is often based on what it ate when it was young. If, for example, a sea spider fed upon nothing but jellyfish in its early stages, it may eat only jellyfish in its later years.
Creepy, Crawly Cousins[]
- The common sea spider is one of the hundreds of sea spider species that inhabit the world's oceans. It lives along the coasts of Britain and Ireland, usually in shallow waters under rocks or in the tangles of underwater plant life. It is much smaller than the giant sea spider, rarely growing over a quarter of an inch.
- Evans' sea spider has a brown body and bright blue legs. It is native to Australian waters and grows to about a half-inch in length. One of its favorite meals is tiny sea slugs, which it catches with small claws on its front legs. Adults hide in seaweed beds when caring for their young.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The mini heading on the back, "Mr. Mom", is a reference to the 1983 comedy movie of the same name.
- The species featured on the front is possibly a Colossendeis colossea.
- The giant sea spider is featured in Toxic Trouble on Monster Mania 91.