Arachnids

Camel Spiders: The Photo and the Speed Nobody Measured

The 2004 email that made camel spiders famous, why the photo misleads, why they have no venom, and why the 10 mph speed figure has no measurement behind it.

Wolf Spider: 45 Confirmed Bites, Not One Necrotic Ulcer

A prospective study of 45 confirmed wolf spider bites found pain and redness, never the necrotic wounds the family has long been blamed for.

Orb Weaver Spider: The Web Doesn't Survive the Day

Orb weavers rebuild their web nightly, one relative spins the toughest silk ever measured, and their bite isn't dangerous. What the research actually shows.

Black Widow Spider: Only 3.4% of US Bites Got Antivenom

A decade of poison-center data shows most bites resolve without a hospital visit, a placebo trial found antivenom no better than saline, and the mate-eating myth is species-dependent.

Vinegaroon: No Venom, No Sting, and an 84% Acid Spray

It has no venom glands and no stinger, sprays acid concentrated enough for its own poison-center study, and one "species" turned out to be seven in 2018.

Trapdoor Spider: The Door That Can Resist 38 Times Its Weight

A Guinness-certified test found a trapdoor spider can resist 38 times its own body weight bracing its burrow door shut, and one wild female lived an estimated 43 years underground.

Pseudoscorpion: A False Scorpion With Real Venom in Its Claws

The name means "false scorpion," but most species really do have venom in their claws, and studies from 2018 to 2025 have been working out what that venom is made of.