Spiders - They Just Look So Disagreeable

“Spiders just look so disagreeable with their little heads and long legs.” I smiled to myself. Look so disagreeable? Yeah, that’s what makes people afraid of spiders. When the host uttered that gem, I was driving down the freeway listening to a radio talk show about spiders. It seemed odd that someone would use the word disagreeable to describe spiders.

It’s common for people to attribute human qualities to animals, especially pets or even domesticated farm animals. However, attributing human personality characteristics to insects or insect-like creatures seems bizarre.

Little Miss Muffet

I want to quote a famous nursery rhyme that all kids know, at least kids of my generation, called Little Miss Muffet.

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider and sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

Okay, so we have this little girl sitting on a clump of grass eating cottage cheese, which in itself is unusual. Who does that? But then, along came a spider and sat down beside her. So, do we assume that this spider started an argument with this Muffet kid about cottage cheese? That seems very unlikely.

There’s also no indication that Little Miss Muffet was unwilling to share her curds and whey with the spider. Neither was there disagreement on whether they should eat it with green onions and salt and pepper or canned peaches, which is how I like my curds and whey.

The nursery rhyme clearly states that Miss Muffet was frightened by the spider. Let’s look at spiders and why L.M.M. and many non-nursery rhyme people fear them.

Arachnophobia

You know a fear is significant when mental health professionals name a phobia in its honour. The fear of spiders can be severe because there can be debilitating consequences for someone with this fear if they unexpectedly encounter a spider. Arachnophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of spiders.

Extreme fear is much more significant than just a mere dislike. This fear of spiders, if unchecked, can lead to life-changing situations. Irrational refers to the fact that there is no reason to be afraid of these creatures. Still, there doesn’t have to be a reason for a phobia to exist. And, in this case, perhaps the fear is justified.

Bully Female Spiders

It appears that it’s not only humans that may have arachnophobia. Male spiders can also fear the females of the species. The females are in control of spider relationships. Male spiders use fancy courtship rituals to please the females. They may hypnotize the females with their natural spidey charm to avoid being eaten by the larger females after they are no longer needed.

Most spiders live for only one or two years, and for the males of the species, less than that because the females of the species no longer need them after they have fulfilled their role in reproduction. However, some tarantulas in captivity have lived for up to 25 years, probably because they are bachelors in captivity.

Spiders of the World

Taxonomists have recorded 49,623 species of spiders as of August 2021. That’s a lot of different kinds of spiders to generalize about in one short post. So, I will attempt to record only the main similarities and differences among the various species. Any more than that would make this post long and tiresome; besides that, I’m a very busy guy.

The most significant difference in the various kinds of spiders is size, with the smallest being a spider native to Columbia with a body length of only 0.37 mm. Then there are tarantulas, which can have body lengths of up to 90 mm and leg spans of up to 250 mm. However, size doesn’t make much difference to someone with arachnophobia. A spider is a spider is a spider, and they all look threatening (but probably not disagreeable).

Five Characteristics Common to Virtually All Spiders

Five physical characteristics are common among spiders:

air-breathing
eight legs
fangs, which are generally able to inject venom
spinnerettes that extrude silk
unlike insects, spiders do not have antennae

Spider Silk

Spiders have many reasons for the silk they can produce. A few of the more common uses are:

To disable and capture prey
I’m sure most people have seen a spider web with a big, juicy bluebottle fly or some other delectable insect stuck and waiting in panic for the spider to eat them.
Reproduction
Male spiders cover their eggs in a silken cocoon
Transportation
Smaller spiders spin thin strands of silk to enable them to float through the air.
Nests
Silk can be used in the construction of spider nests.
Guidelines
Spiders can leave a silk trail behind them to find their way back to their shelter.
Between two objects
Spiders spin thin, almost invisible webs and wait for some human to walk into them mindlessly face first.

Tarantulas

Tarantulas are some of the biggest spiders. Many people fear tarantulas, even though movies are their only exposure to these creatures. These big fellas have no lines in the movies, only cameos. They come crawling into the scene ever so slowly and then, without warning, race up someone’s arm to their shoulder and then to their face. It’s enough to send shivers up your spine. But then what? Nothing. The camera goes to the next scene, and your imagination takes over.

Physical exposure to something isn’t necessary to fear it. Fear of the unknown is powerful, and your mind can imagine much more frightening scenes than reality. Just ask Stephen King.

My Personal Experience With a Tarantula

If you’ve never been close up and touchy with a tarantula, you don’t know what it’s like. It can be uncomfortable and scary the first time, but it’s not bad once you get used to it. You must be careful, move slowly, and pick it up from above.

You may have seen me mention in other posts that we used to own a pet shop many years ago. It was a money-losing venture, but that’s a story for another time.

Anyway, I had to pick up a tarantula for the store from one of our wholesalers. If I remember correctly, it was a Pink-Toed Tarantula. The supplier put it in a paper lunch bag for me to transport it back to the store. When I returned to the store and opened the bag, there was not one, but two tarantulas. Upon closer examination, I discovered it had shed its skin during the 45-minute trip back to the shop. Now, it looked as though there were two tarantulas in the bag.

People and Spiders

Even though some people have a deathly fear of spiders, there are very few species of spiders that can be harmful to people. The professional spider guy who was the guest on the talk show mentioned above stated, “Most spiders couldn’t bite you even if they wanted to.” That’s very reassuring, but how do you know which one is which? Unfortunately, spiders don’t wear little T-shirts that read, “I’m one of the good guys.” or “Yeah. No, I’ll bite you”.

Spiders will only bite if they are cornered or feel threatened. The last part of the sentence may lead to an accidental confrontation or biting. Most spider bites would not be any more toxic to humans than a mosquito bite or, at worst, a bee sting. However, about 100 deaths from spider bites were reported worldwide in the 20th century. Now, that’s only an average of one per year, not so many unless you are that one. That number seems small compared to about 1,500 deaths from jellyfish stings in the same period. That’s why I don’t play with jellyfish, either.

Why Not Just Step on a Spider When You See One?

Well, that’s a good question, Craig. The main reason not to kill a spider is that it’s cruel to snuff out the life of any living thing for no reason. However, there are more practical reasons not to kill spiders.

Spiders eat insect pests, such as ants, roaches, and flies. No one wants those around their house. They are dirty, carry diseases, and get into anywhere and everywhere in the house. Spiders also have predators. They can be one of the food sources for lizards, birds, and fish. But perhaps the most important reason not to kill spiders is that they are part of a complex ecosystem. If we somehow eliminate spiders, it would set off a series of events of other species becoming overpopulated or, conversely, extinct.

Also, if you step on a spider, it will rain. This saying is an old wives’ tale for all you old wives out there.

And Now For Your Listening Enjoyment

Here is Jim Stafford’s 1974 recording of Spiders and Snakes with lyrics on the screen in English and Spanish. It’s a bit of a novelty song but not too bad,

The above essay is for entertainment and English language study only. For suggestions on how to use this post to improve your English reading and listening comprehension, click here.

Vocabulary

disagreeable – adjective; unpleasant; quarrelsome; rude or bad-tempered; wants to argue
attribute – transitive verb; regard as belonging or appropriate to; to give meaning to
bizarre – adjective; strange in appearance or effect; unusual or not normal
tuffet – noun; a low seat; a clump of grass (in this context)
curds and whey – noun; soft white cheese made from skimmed milk curds; cottage cheese
phobia – noun; an abnormal or morbid fear or aversion; an extreme and irrational fear
debilitating – adjective; made weak or unable to cope
mere – attributive adjective; insignificant, ordinary; only; not more than
bachelor – noun; an unmarried man; a male spider with no mate (in this context)
taxonomist – noun; a scientist who classifies living and extinct organisms; a scientist who studies animals, birds, bugs, etc.
tiresome – adjective; wearisome, tedious; boring
extrude – transitive verb; thrust, force out, or expel; push out
delectable – adjective; (of food) delicious; delicious
cameo – noun; a small character part in a play or film, usually brief and played by a distinguished actor or actress; a small part in a movie
reassuring – adjective; restore confidence to; dispel the apprehensions; to make one feel easy about a situation
toxic – adjective; harmful, unhealthy; harmful or poisonous
snuff out – transitive verb (slang); to kill a person; to kill a living thing (in this context)
ecosystem – noun; biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment; nature
eliminate – transitive verb; remove, get rid of; to terminate so it is no more
conversely – adverb; something that is opposite or contrary; opposite
old wives’ tale – noun; a foolish or unscientific tradition or belief; an unproven story or belief from the past

Comprehensive Questions

What was Little Miss Muffet sitting on?
(a) a chair, (b) a stool, (c) a tuffet, or (d) her butt
What was Little Miss Muffet eating?
(a) a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, (b) cottage cheese, (c) curds and whey, or (d) an apple
What is arachnophobia the fear of?
(a) spiders, (b) chickens, (c) snakes, or (d) butterflies
How many species of spiders were recorded as of August 2021?
(a) 23, (b) 623, (c) 9,623, or (d) 49,623
How many legs do spiders have?
(a) 6, (b) 8, (c) 10, or (d) 12
Have you ever walked into a spider web with your face?
Yes or No
Have you ever had a cameo in a movie?
Yes or No
How many tarantulas were in the paper lunch bag when I got back to the store?
Have you ever stepped on a spider on purpose?
Yes or No
Can you think of any other old wives’ tales?
Yes or No

Answers

Resources

Wikipedia – Spider
Wikipedia – Spider Silk
OPENEDUCATIONONLINE – 10 Reasons Why Spiders Are Important