Spiders
25 Results
My Space: When Lynx Spiders Find Their Niche
How do different lynx spiders share and negotiate living in the same microhabitat?
Wild Vault
Resident Predators: Living With Spiders
Step into the world of five spider families found in urban Indian homes, and learn a little about their complex tactics for catching a wide diversity of prey
Urban Jungle
Arachnophobia: Untangling the Web of Dislike
Is our fear of spiders a phobia or an unfamiliarity with nature? Is getting creeped out or feeling disgust with them shaped by experience and social learning?
Wild Vault
Dhruv Prajapati: India’s Very Own Spiderman
When spider taxonomist Dhruv Prajapati discovers new spider species and names them after famous Indians
Hero
The Spider Next Door: Non-conformists in Camouflage
Spiders can remain inconspicuous, blending seamlessly with the tree they occupy. Their cryptic posture and incredible stillness made their camouflage impeccable
Wild Vault
Raising Spiderlings: The Best of Jumping Spider Brood Care
Though they don’t build nests, jumping spiders are doting parents that carefully wrap their eggs in silk and stand guard to ward off predators
Wild Vault
Angaeus: The Resourceful Crab Spider Mother
Following the life of an eight-legged mama spider as she guards her egg sac until her tiny hatchlings emerge into the world
Photo Story
Poltys: Ingenious Camouflage of an Orb-weaving Spider
After nightly hunts on their orb-shaped webs, Poltys and Cyphalonotus spiders spend the day masquerading as leaves, twigs or even dried seeds
Photo Story
Huntsman Spider: Apex Predator in a Microhabitat
Fast, gravity-defying, and adaptable, these impressive spiders are super stalkers that take camouflage to surreal levels
Species
The Silver Orb Spider and its Masterpiece
Cartoons and illustrations on wildlife, environment, and conservation
Green Humour
Huddle Together: Social Spiders and Their Myriad Guests
While most spiders are solitary and cannibalistic, this group of spiders is social, cooperative, and “tolerates” foreigners
Species
The Spin on the Spider’s Silk Route
The protein fibre produced by spiders has multiple intriguing uses beyond the building of webs
Wild Vault
Fishing Spiders: Riders of the Swamp
A rare peek into the world of this semi-aquatic nursery web spider in a secluded seasonal swamp in Cooch Behar where it catches fish and hunts for other invertebrates in the dead of night
Photo Story
Life on the Vertical: Exploring Nature on City Walls
The ecology of urban walls includes a variety of life, from ferns and figs, to paper wasps, stingless bees, and two-tailed spiders
Urban Jungle
A Naturalist Takes the Phone to the Loo
Cartoons and illustrations on wildlife, environment, and conservation
Green Humour
Web Design: An Orb-weaver’s Sticky Toxic Lair
The orb-weaver’s delicate latticework of silken strands is treacherously loaded with a super glue spiked with toxins
Column
Orb-weaving Spiders in Art and Imagination
These tiny creatures have inspired design, art, and folklore. They manufacture all their own raw materials for knitting orb-shaped masterpieces of silk that are not just geometric and pretty but also very efficient at catching prey
Species
The Jumping Spider Eyes the Kohinoor
Cartoons and illustrations on wildlife, environment, and conservation
Green Humour
Nest of Deception: When Spiders Mimic Weaver Ants
Numerous species of spiders trick weaver ants by mimicking their appearance and behaviour. They steal their identity and larvae, and sometimes even kill and eat them up
Species
Spider Hunting Spider: Portia and the Art of Problem Solving
A peanut-sized jumping spider called Portia concocts complex strategies to catch its prey
Species
Enter the Mysterious World of Camel Spiders
Neither camel nor spider, this hyperactive solifugid is a nocturnal warrior and formidable lover
Species
Snare Traps and Night-vision Goggles: Net-casting Spider on a Hunt
Hunter, scientist, skilled weaver, and meticulous planner — this fascinating arachnid’s nightly action plan reveals it is as intelligent as it is industrious
Species
Leap of Faith: The Magical World of Jumping Spiders
These creatures are a highly adaptable species of spider with advanced vision, and can be found from the freezing-cold high Himalayas to the arid, baking desert of Rajasthan
Species
The Eight-Legged Wolf with Stars in its Eyes
Spotting wolf spiders at night feels like part-arachnology and part-stargazing — their twinkling eyes shine like diamonds on the desert floor
Species
The Spider’s Wharf: Tales of a Freshwater Fishing Enthusiast
From stealthily waiting by the water to prey on fish and tadpoles to females consuming males as a part of courtship ritual, the world of fishing spiders is full of intrigue
Species