The senses of a Spider
Since the Spider doesn’t have very good vision they rely on other senses to be able to help them out. They do have four pairs of eyes but they are nearsighted. They aren’t able to see very far. What they can see depends on how the eyes are arranged too. They can be very different for the various types of species. Some of the eyes only pick up vision based on the direction from which the light is coming.
It is really quite amazing to see this up close if you are able to through an enhance image where you can see the details of what each set of eyes is taking part in.
There are main eyes that are able to form the images. Yet they can’t see those that are far away. In many instances what they do see can be in the format of shadows. They often rely on vibrations to help them to identify danger or to be able to be aware of when there is prey in their Spider webs.
Spiders are able to tell their direction by their eyes as they have very poor balance or sense of direction. They tend to create webs where they can quickly move down to escape or for prey. This is because it is harder and more time consuming for them to move up. Spiders seem to have a very slow pace but don’t underestimate that some can move quickly and even jump long distances.
Many species of Spiders have very sensitive nails at the end of the limbs. This is going to help them be able to pick up various types of movement around them. They also use this to help them with tasting and smelling.
There are Spiders that give off a type of chemical and then others can pick up the scent. This can serve as a type of warning to other Spiders that they are in a habitat that is already occupied. It can also be used as a means of attracting each other for the purpose of mating.
The sense of smell is very strong for the Spider. They also use that for finding mates. The females usually stay in their habitat and the males venture out to find them, drawn in by such smells around them.
They have senses that tell them when it is going to be too hot or too cold too. This is part of how they are able to find shelter when it is too cold for them to survive in a given location. Most Spiders do better in the warmer regions.
Spiders also use their senses to stay out of each others way. There can be fierce competition among species. Seeing a certain type of web may be all it takes for a given Spider to high tail it out of a particular area.
Even though there has been plenty of quality research about Spider senses, we still have lots of questions. They have a very extreme central nervous system that allows them to rely on all the senses in the way that they do. Without the combination of efforts they wouldn’t be able to survive.
Many experts believe the senses of a Spider can account for why they do attack humans. If they are touched by accident or on purpose it could trigger a natural defense mechanism in them. They only react and that is part of why they get such a bad reputation. However, they aren’t known to just attack humans for no reason at all.
