Fun Ground Crab Spider Facts For Kids

Ground crab spiders of the family Thomisidae and genus Xysticus have a short head with a wide, and flat body that looks similar to a crab. The two pairs of front legs are much longer and larger than the other two behind.

These are used to hunt and grab prey. The hind legs are mainly used to move around.

The females are usually twice as large as the males. They have eight eyes that serve as an advantage and help them to observe their predators and prey. The ground crab spider (Xysticus) primarily lives in forests and semi-arid grasslands.

However, they can also be found in woods, farms, gardens, agricultural lands, or even meadows. The ground crab spider are solitary animals.

They prefer to stay alone and hunt alone. The ground crab spider is quite poisonous in nature and the poison produced by the fangs of the ground crab spider can easily kill its prey and predator in a matter of minutes.

Read on to discover more fun facts about this spider. For more relatable content, check out these wolf spider facts and jumping spider facts for kids.

Ground Crab Spider Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a ground crab spider?

Ground crab spiders are a species of spiders belonging to the family of Thomisidae and genus Xysticus.

What class of animal does a ground crab spider belong to?

Ground crab spiders are arthropods that belong to the class of Arachnida and order of Araneae.

How many ground crab spiders are there in the world?

It is not easy to estimate how many ground crab spiders there are in the world currently. However, there are nine other genera of ground crab spiders that belong to the family Thomisidae. There are over 2,000 species of crab spiders across the globe.

Where does a ground crab spider live?

The ground crab spider (Xysticus) primarily lives in forests and semi-arid grasslands. However, they can also be found in the woods, farms, gardens, agricultural lands, or even meadows. These are groud-dwelling creatures and mostly crawl around the ground.

What is a ground crab spider's habitat?

Ground crab spiders belong to the genus of Xysticus and can be found in forests as well as semi-arid grasslands. These little creatures live under tree bark as well as on the forest floor, hiding under leaves, rocks, and decaying logs.

These spiders are invaders of the vegetation and vertebrates of North America. They can barely be seen crawling on the floors of their habitat as their brownish color helps them camouflage. However, this species of crab spider can only be found in regions with pleasant temperatures.

This spider can not withstand extreme weather conditions or temperatures. These spiders are known for their hunting skills.

Who do ground crab spiders live with?

The ground crap spider is a solitary creature. It is spotted living alone and enjoying its own company. It is only during the breeding season that this spider mate or even connect with the female spider.

How long does a ground crab spider live?

The ground crab spider can live for one or two years in the wild. The accurate lifespan of this spider has not been studied yet.

How do they reproduce?

The male spider of this species usually follows the web to reach the female. The female ground crab spider can produce eggs within few weeks of the breeding process.

These eggs are laid into two sacs called silken egg sacs that are usually connected in between. You may expect the eggs to be protected by a web but this species of the crab spider leaves the eggs within the sac in the open but the sac is constantly monitored and protected by the females.

Within a few weeks, the hatchlings arrive and look exactly like tiny versions of their parents.

They have two pairs of small front legs and another two pairs of small hind legs. These little ones are born with eight eyes.

What is their conservation status?

The ground crab spider has been listed as one of the few Critically Endangered crab spider species.

Ground Crab Spider Fun Facts

What do ground crab spiders look like?

Ground crab spiders are a species of spiders that are similar in shape and structure to that of a crab. They belong to the family Thomisidae.

Just like a crab, the Xysticus can walk forward, backward, and sideways which is also how they got their name. These brown crab spiders have a flat head, wide bodies, and eight pairs of legs.

The two pairs of front legs are much longer and larger than the other two behind. These are used to hunt and grab prey.

The hind legs are mainly used to move around. The other fascinating fact about these little brown spiders is that they have eight eyes that help them to spot prey as soon as it's around and also helps them protect themselves from predators or enemies.

How cute are they?

Similar to all other spiders, ground crab spiders can not be considered cute or adorable. They are quite scary looking. These appear to be even scarier than the regular spider specifically because of their crab-like appearance and crab-like movements.

How do they communicate?

Ground crab spiders are solitary animals and they prefer to stay alone and hunt alone. This is why they are barely seen communicating in any way. It is only during the breeding season that they may approach the female spider to start the process of reproduction.

How big is a ground crab spider?

Ground crab spiders are only 0.4 in (1 cm) big and weigh less than 0.04 oz (1 g). The female spider is usually twice the size of the male in this type of species.

Females are approximately 0.2-0.3 in (0.6-0.9 cm) long and males are approximately 0.12-0.16 in (0.3-0.4 cm). This spider is half the size of a water spider.

How fast can ground crab spiders move?

Ground crab spiders usually walk sideways with their hind legs. Crab spiders have generally been known to be extremely quick on their legs and are considered to be swift movers since they are equipped with four pairs of legs. They can even form webs in no time.

How much does a ground crab spider weigh?

Ground crab spiders are as light as a flower. This spider only weighs 0.001 oz (0.03 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

The male and the female versions of ground crab spiders do not have any specific names.

What would you call a baby ground crab spider?

Baby ground crab spiders are commonly called spiderlings.

What do they eat?

Ground crab spiders are most active during the day. They do not sit around in their silk thread, instead, they move around hunting and looking for food.

These creatures camouflage into their surroundings so that they are hard to see and can then catch their prey.

These spiders prey on insects like honeybees, flies, butterflies, moths, a certain type of pest, and insects of a wide range that are usually found buzzing around flowers seeking nectar. Unlike most crab spiders, these spiders can not change color and camouflage with the flower, however, they can do so on logs or garden floors on which they sit.

Are they poisonous?

Yes, ground crab spiders are quite poisonous in nature. A ground crab spider bite can lead to several health complications.

The poison produced by the fangs of the ground crab spider can easily kill its prey and predator in a matter of minutes.

However, this venom is not dangerous to humans and has in fact proved to be quite helpful to humans as most of the insects these spiders eat are considered a pest by people, and so crab spiders help control them by eating them up.

Would they make a good pet?

These spiders are solitary animals. They prefer to stay in their natural habitat within their webs and are naturally scared of human interaction. Their bite has proved to be quite venomous. It is best to let them stay in the garden or let them hide in plants rather than keeping them captive as pets.

Did you know...

Baby ground crab spiders or spiderlings shed their skin a couple of times during the periods of maturing into adults.

Their spider web is often referred to as the silk thread.

The ground crab spider New York and ground crab spider Missouri are kept captive for breeding purposes.

These crab spiders are great to control pests, insects, and many more tiny creatures as this spider bites and kills them.

Are ground crab spider bites harmful?

The ground crab spider bite takes place with their fangs that inject venom into the prey or threat. In comparison to the other species of spiders, their fangs are not very large, but they are quite venomous. The venom is highly effective and efficient. Its venom is the primary reason why humans have declared the ground crab spider poisonous.

Where are crab spiders found?

Crab spiders are found in forests, meadows, gardens, logs, and any place where there is rich vegetation of flora. You can spot them sitting on flowers, plants, and tree bark. Crab spiders are common throughout Europe and North America and they are also found in the western region of Australia.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods from our whip spider interesting facts and giant huntsman spider facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable scary spider coloring pages.