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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing velvet spiders. These arachnids are known as velvet spiders because their bodies are covered in hair-like structures that give them a velvety appearance. They have eight eyes, which may cause someone to mistake them for a jumping spider, though these groups aren’t closely related. There are currently over 100 described species in the velvet spider family.

Velvet spiders are most commonly found in Africa, Europe, and Asia; some, however, live in South America. Nearly all of the members of this family are ground dwelling spiders and many are found in dry, arid regions including deserts. Some stand out from the rest, however, and are observed in rainforests. One genus is arboreal, meaning they live in trees and other plants.

The family can be separated by how they construct their nests as well as their social behavior. Some live alone until they meet up with a mate. Ladybird spiders are well known velvet spiders due to their bright, ladybug-like appearance. In these spiders, much the opposite of what their name might suggest, the males are the individuals that display the bright red colors that give them their common name; females are mostly black and are rarely seen because they rarely leave their burrows. Velvet spider burrows may be constructed under rocks, logs, or even a dense sheet of their own silk.

Other members of this family are social and construct nests together. These groups consist of closely related members who even catch prey and consume prey with one another. This means that they can catch larger prey than individual spiders! The social colonies, which may contain hundreds of members, remain together for life and don’t have territorial disputes.

Velvet spiders average about half an inch (1.3cm) in length and most often catch flying insects in their webs or ground insects that walk by their burrows. They may live to be five years old depending on the species. Females can take up to four years to reach maturity but they’ll perish after laying their eggs. This is not unlike an octopus mother who dies shortly after her eggs hatch. Velvet spider mothers sacrifice themselves to feed their young. After producing an egg sac, the female velvet spider’s insides will begin to liquefy. She’ll vomit up her own liquid innards to feed her newborn children. When she’s out of organs, she’ll die, and the babies will eat her remains. It may sound gruesome but it’s a huge help in ensuring that her children survive to adulthood

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