The anatomy that gives a spider away
Two body parts, eight legs, up to eight eyes and silk on demand. Learn the blueprint and identification stops being guesswork.
Two body sections
A spider's body splits into the cephalothorax (head + thorax) and the abdomen, joined by a narrow waist. Unlike insects, spiders have no wings and no antennae.
- Cephalothorax carries the eyes, fangs, pedipalps and all eight legs
- Abdomen houses the internal organs and silk glands
- Relative size of the two parts is a top identification signal
Eight legs, seven segments
Each leg has seven segments — coxa, trochanter, femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus and tarsus — and does far more than walk.
- Legs detect vibration, capture prey and aid climbing
- Spiders have no muscles to extend legs — they use hydraulic pressure
- Length, thickness and stance separate hunters from web-builders
Up to eight eyes
Most spiders have eight eyes, but ability varies enormously. Their number and arrangement is a key feature for AI identification.
- Jumping spiders see colour and fine detail with two huge eyes
- Web-builders rely mostly on sensing vibration
- A brown recluse breaks the rule with six eyes in three pairs
Markings that matter
Body markings are often the fastest way to flag a high-risk species — and the model weighs them heavily.
- A red hourglass underneath points to a black widow
- A violin shape on the back hints at a brown recluse
- Banded legs, spots and a cross are common, telling patterns
The five signals that give a spider away
Tap a signal to see what the model reads. Together, these features narrow thousands of species to a confident shortlist.
Read the web, narrow the spider
Not every spider builds a web — but the ones that do leave a signature you can recognise at a glance.
Orb web
The classic circular wheel of garden spiders — sticky spokes radiating from a hub.
Garden & golden orb-weavers
Funnel web
A flat sheet leading to a tube-shaped retreat at ground level where the spider waits.
Funnel weavers, hobo spider
Sheet web
Dense, flat horizontal layers, sometimes with a tangle of threads above to knock prey down.
Sheet weavers
Cobweb
An irregular three-dimensional tangle built into corners — messy but highly effective.
House spiders, widows