Spooky Season: All About Spiders

Hello, Adventurers! Welcome back to the Coastal Expeditions blog! If this is your first time visiting our blog, we’re happy to have you here. We are all about nature, adventure, and making the most out of the beautiful outdoors of South Carolina. If you enjoy all things hiking, paddling, kayaking, and spending time outdoors, you’ve come to the right place! Here on the blog, we dive deep into different habitats, excursions, conservation efforts, and nature programs. Our site is filled with interactive maps, destination guides, and educational resources. Since the weather is incredibly warm, we want to help you get out there and take advantage of all that the Lowcountry has to offer! We offer guided tours of the beautiful Lowcountry by kayak, paddleboard, ferry, boat, and private charter. We also have hands-on workshops taught by highly-trained guides on wilderness skills, birding, identifying native plants, sustainability, and camping. Anything you want to learn about, we teach! If you haven’t already, we encourage you to take a look around our site to learn more about our offerings. In our last post, we compiled a list of the best places to grab dinner before or after a tour in St. Phillips and Beaufort. Today, we’ll be shifting gears and getting into the spooky spirit by discussing some creepy crawly creatures– Spiders! These creatures tend to have a bad reputation, but they are great for our ecosystem. If you are interested in learning more about spiders, you’re in the right place. Let’s get started.

 

Spiders are arachnids, a class of arthropods, which are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Besides spiders, other members of the arachnid family include ticks, mites, and scorpions. There are over 45,000 known species of spiders in the world, and they can be found in a wide variety of habitats. Although spiders are often feared by humans, only a small number of these species are harmful to humans. There are approximately 54 species of spiders in South Carolina, with only four venomous species– We’ll take a look at those later. 

 

When most people think of spiders, a large, hairy one may come to mind. Commonly known as tarantulas, they are the largest species of spider and are called mygalomorphs. Tarantulas can be found in warm climates, mainly in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central and South America. However, most spiders in general can be found on all continents besides Antarctica. They tend to be more abundant in the tropics rather than in temperate regions, and are more active during the spring and fall months. Most spiders are terrestrial, meaning they live on land, but some species are adapted for life on or around water. 

 

Arachnids are related to insects, but they differ by having eight legs rather than six, and having the body divided into two segments instead of three. Let’s take a closer look at the anatomy of a spider. 

 

A spider’s body is divided into two parts: The cephalothorax and the abdomen. The cephalothorax, also called prosoma, consists of a dorsal carapace and a ventral sternum. The external appendages of the spider are generally attached to the cephalothorax, such as the legs and eyes. Spiders have eight legs that they use to walk, and a pair of appendages called pedipalps that are located in front of the legs. They may be mistaken for a pair of “small legs”, but they are actually not used as legs. Instead, pedipalps are an organ of touch and are used in a similar way that insects use their antennae. Since spiders do not have antennae, their pedipalps help them sense objects that they encounter. They also use bristle-like hairs on their legs known as setae to pick up sounds, scents, and vibrations. A spider’s legs are broken into seven segments or joints, known as the coxa, trochanter, femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, and tarsus. On the end of the tarsus are claws, which can vary in number and size depending on the species of spider. Generally, spiders that spin webs tend to have three claws, while hunting spiders have two.

 

Most spiders have eight eyes, and they differ from that of insects as they are simple eyes, rather than compound. Most insects have compound eyes that consist of multiple units, while each spider’s eye consists of a single lens. 

 

On the abdomen, also known as the opisthosoma, there are two hardened plates on the ventral side known as epigastric plates. These plates cover the book lungs, which is a respiration organ used for atmospheric gas exchange. The abdomen is usually home to one to four spinnerets, which are silk-producing organs. Spiders can have two or three pairs of spinnerets with tiny spigots that help them release the material.

 

Spider silk is one of the most versatile materials on Earth. The silk is actually made up of chains of amino acids that form silk proteins. All spiders can produce silk, but only some spiders can produce more than one type of silk. This is what spiders use to make their infamous webs, but why? Spider webs have a variety of uses, but they are mainly used to capture and trap prey for food. Webs can also be used to travel from one place to another, to protect the entrance of their dwellings, or to encase egg sacs. Both male and female spiders can create silk, but not all spiders create webs– Some spiders hunt or wait for prey, rather than trying to catch them in a sticky web.

 

Although people tend to have an unfavorable view of spiders, they are actually vital to a healthy environment. They are natural predators and help keep the populations of many insect pests in check. They consume pests that may cause damage to your garden, including to any fruits and vegetables you may be growing. This is great news for gardeners, farmers, and others in the agricultural field! Additionally, a variety of animals including birds and lizards depend on spiders as an important source of food for themselves. 

 

Here in the Lowcountry, it’s not uncommon to come across a spider outside. The spiders in our area can range in size and color. Some of the most common species are jumping spiders and orbweavers. Perhaps the most common species of the orbweaver spider is the golden silk spider. Sometimes called the golden silk orbweaver or the banana spider, this species was first documented in Charleston all the way back in 1863. Their bodies average between 1.5 and 2 inches long for females, with males being a little less than 1 inch long. What makes these spiders unique is their web– The chemicals that make up the silk spun by these creatures make it golden in color, thus giving the spider its name! 

 

As mentioned before, the majority of spiders are not harmful to humans. However, there are four species of venomous spiders in South Carolina that you should be aware of, especially if you spend time outdoors. These include black widow and brown recluse spiders– Three of the four species are in the black widow family! They are the southern black widow, the northern black widow, and the brown widow. The fourth spider to be aware of is the brown recluse. As with most spider species, females tend to be larger than males. 

 

  • Southern black widow: Females tend to have a shiny black body with red markings that may look like an hourglass. Males are usually brown or gray with small red spots. 
  • Northern black widow: These female spiders also have the hourglass shape on their abdomen, but it is usually incomplete or split in the middle. Some may have a series of lateral white stripes on the abdomen.
  • Brown widow: These spiders are brown with black accents, with females usually having an abdominal stripe.
  • Brown recluse: These spiders range from tan to dark brown in color and are known for their violin-shaped marking on their back.

 

These spiders are venomous and are known for their painful and deadly bites. The good news, however, is that spider bites are pretty rare. Generally, these spiders will not bite unless provoked or startled. With that being said, if you spot a spider of any kind, we encourage you to keep your distance as you would with any other wildlife! 

 

As you can see, spiders aren’t as bad as you may think! We hope you found this post informative. As always, we thank you for reading and we hope to see you back on our blog soon! We encourage you to check out our current tours and trips if you haven’t already. If you have any questions about our guided tours, reach out to us! At Coastal Expeditions, we are committed to introducing people to the wonders of the ecosystems of the Charleston area by providing guided tours and educational opportunities. If you’re looking to explore all that the Lowcountry has to offer, check out our offerings on our website to find the adventure which suits you best! We also offer kid-friendly tours as well as kids’ programs, camps, and kayak lessons. Our tours are led by knowledgeable, approachable naturalists and sea captains who are eager to answer your questions! Until next time, readers. Get out there and explore! Adventure awaits!

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@coastalexpeditions

St. Phillips Island & Beaufort Rentals

Offering Kayaks and Paddleboards

Take in the stunning beauty of local creeks and waters from one of our kayaks or SUPs. Walk-ups are welcome or call / text to book and we’ll be ready when you are. All gear and instruction provided.

Call or text 843.884.7684 to book.

Outpost Location

Need A Guide?

If you really want to get a feel for the local history, identify the native wildlife, and get to special places, you'll need someone experienced to show you the way. We'll get you there.

Check out our St. Phillips Island & Beaufort tours.

Rent a Kayak or Paddleboard Click to Book via Text

Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant Rentals

Offering Kayaks and Paddleboards

Take in the stunning beauty of local creeks and waters from one of our kayaks or SUPs. Walk-ups are welcome or call / text to book and we’ll be ready when you are. All gear and instruction provided.

Call or text 843.884.7684 to book.

Outpost Location

Need A Guide?

If you really want to get a feel for the local history, identify the native wildlife, and get to special places, you'll need someone experienced to show you the way. We'll get you there.

Check out our Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant tours.

Rent a Kayak or Paddleboard Click to Book via Text