by Jonte Rhodes

Created on: February 05, 2009

Spiders are one of the most fascinating predatory species that can be commonly observed in everyday life, and have evolved very specialized ways of hunting for their prey. However what many people don't know is that there are actually many different ways which spiders use to hunt, which aren't always limited to the use of a web.

Spiders tend to be put into one of two categories dependent on the way that they hunt, although there are also those which use a mixture of both methods. The two categories used are either hunting spiders, which actively look for their prey, or web spinning spiders, who tend to lie in wait for their prey to come to them. Although the web sinning spiders are thought by many to be the most common type, they are in fact probably equal in terms of numbers, Web spinning spiders only appear to be more plentiful due to the fact that they are more visible.

Hunting spiders are categorized by the fact that they actively seek out their prey rather than building a web, and are generally more robust than web spinning spiders. Hunting spiders do not lack the ability to produce silk, however they more commonly use it to line their burrows rather than for use with catching prey. Wolf or zebra spiders are good examples of hunting spiders, both of which are common in most parts of the world.

Most hunting spiders hunt by simply rushing their prey and inflicting a poisonous and usually fatal bite. If the prey is large, then the spider may retreat and give the venom time to weaken it before they attack it further, decreasing the risk of them being injured trying to subdue it. If the prey is small enough, then a spider will often simply hold on to it until it is killed, and very often eats it then and there.

Web spinning spiders are what most people tend to think of when spiders are mentioned, although this is by no means the only method that spiders use for hunting. There are two distinct types of webs that different species of spider make, the first is the typical orb shaped web. These can be identified by the fact that the strands are spread fairly far apart, and they are also sticky, trapping things that land on them.they are most commonly seen in gardens, and need two surfaces as starting points.

The second type of web that many other spiders produce is more of a finely woven sheet, which although isn't sticky, has loose strands, making the feet of the prey fall through. Because these kinds of webs are easier to escape from for larger prey, most often the

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