Spiders and other arachnids


Spiders are arachnids not insects, but both spiders and insects belong to the largest group of animals on Earth, the arthropods (Ancient Greek: arthro = joint, podos = footed) - animals with hard external skeletons and jointed limbs.

Discover the sticky world of spiders and learn more about some of the most venomous spiders in the world in our factsheets and links to webpages below!

Find out how spiders feed, reproduce, develop and protect themselves.


Discover the highly developed range of tools spiders use for sensing the world.

Spider Factsheets

49 Fact Sheets in this section

Australian spiders image gallery

Australia's spiders come in a startling variety of colours, shapes and sizes. Some species make distinctive webs and many make silken retreats for protection or for their egg sacs and some even dig holes with elaborate silken triplines around the entrance.