Fun Six Eyed Sand Spider Facts For Kids

Some people have a phobia of spiders, this is called arachnophobia. If this is you, you might want to look away now as we are about to introduce you to one of the deadliest spiders in the world, the Six-Eyed Sand Spider!

These Sicarius spiders are also known as the Six-Eyed Crab Spider and they are found in the deserts of Southern Africa. Due to their reddish-brown color, they are experts in camouflaging and attacking any prey that comes around. Their body is covered in tiny hairs called setae and these small hairs hold onto sand particles that provide excellent camouflage, even though the spider is not buried. Its six eyes are arranged in two groups, and with three eyes in each group, they miss a principal pair of eyes. Read through this article to get to know more about the Six Eyed Sand Spider if you dare!
 

What type of animal is a Six Eyed Sand Spider?

The Six Eyed Sand Spider is a spider that belongs to the Sicariidae family.

What class of animal does a Six Eyed Sand Spider belong to?

Six Eyed Sand Spiders belong to the arachnids class, a class of arthropods. They are invertebrate animals with eight legs and six eyes.

How many Six Eyed Sand Spiders are there in the world?

The exact number of Six Eyed Sand Spiders is hard to evaluate. As a secretive animal, thousands of these spiders are spread across Africa and South America.

Where does a Six Eyed Sand Spider live?

Six Eyed Sand Spiders are primarily seen in remote desert areas and some coastal regions.

What is a Six Eyed Sand Spider's habitat?

Six Eyed Sand Spiders are mostly found in deserts and other sandy places, this is their preferred habitat.

Who do Six Eyed Sand Spiders live with?

Six Eyed Sand Spiders live alone, they often even get aggressive towards their own species.

How long does a Six Eyed Sand Spider live?

A Six Eyed Sand Spider (Sicarius hahni) can live for up to 15 years. They are well hidden from predators in caves, beneath rocks, and most often buried in the sand.

How do they reproduce?

All spiders reproduce sexually and lay eggs. The Six Eyed Crab Spider lays eggs in egg sacs which are made of silk bundles.

What is their conservation status?

The conversation status of the Six Eyed Sand Spider is currently Not Evaluated. Despite this, it is believed that there are a considerable number of Six Eyed Sand Spiders in the deserts of Southern Africa.

What do Six Eyed Sand Spiders look like?

These camouflaged spiders are 10 to 17 mm in body length and an approximate leg span of 60 mm. They look very flat in reddish-brown to yellow colors. They are often camouflaged in sand particles wedged between the body hair.

* Please note that this image is not specifically of a Six Eyed Sand Spider, just of a general sand spider. If you have an image of a Six Eyed Sand Spider please let us know at [email protected]

How cute are they?

Spiders don't appeal to everyone, and these spiders look more fierce than cute!

How do they communicate?

Most spiders are not social animals but they do communicate with their own species and with their prey using different levels of vibrations. This is called seismic communication.

How big is a Six Eyed Sand Spider?

A Six Eyed Sand Spider is about 0.4-0.67 in (10-17 mm) long, and they are considered a medium-sized spider. To give a comparison, the desert locust is four times the size of a Six Eyed Sand Spider.

How fast can a Six Eyed Sand Spider run?

Most spiders can run fast, but the Six Eyed Sand Spider has a poor sense of direction so they only run short distances before burying themselves in the sand. The exact speed of Six Eyed Sand Spider is unknown.

How much does a Six Eyed Sand Spider weigh?

The exact weight of Six Eyed Sand Spider is unknown.

What are their male and female names of the species?

Male and female spiders do not have specific names. They are simply referred to as a male Six Eyed Sand Spider and female Six Eyed Sand Spider.

What would you call a baby Six Eyed Sand Spider?

Baby Six Eyed Sand Spiders are called spiderlings. The Six Eyed Sand Spider lays eggs in sacs, the eggs develop through all of the larval stages inside the egg sac, and tiny baby spiders emerge.

What do they eat?

They are in no hurry to hunt due to their ability to survive without food for a long time. They wait calmly in the camouflage and strike on insects or scorpions that wander close by.

Are they poisonous?

Whilst the Six Eyed Sand Spider is not poisonous, it is venomous. Though they are not one of the biggest and scariest-looking spiders, their venom is considered deadly. A Six Eyed Sand Spider bite can cause serious and life-threatening wounds.

Would they make a good pet?

No, being a venomous spider it is not safe to keep the Six Eyed Sand Spider (Sicarius hahni) as a pet.

Did you know...

Most spiders have eight eyes, and these Six Eyed Sand Spiders as the name suggests, have only six eyes.

Six Eyed Crab Spiders are close relatives to Recluse spiders which are found worldwide.

So far, the identified number of different species of Six Eyed Sand Spider is over 38,000. However, as they have excellent ability to hide, there could be around 200,000 species that are yet to be discovered.

The Six Eyed Sand Spider's survival techniques

Spiders are known to catch their prey by spinning a web, but Six Eyed Sand Spider is different. They hunt through ambush by burying themselves in the sand and waiting for prey to pass by. Using their venom, they then kill their prey and eat it.

An adult Six Eyed Sand Spider can also survive without food or water for more than a year!

The Six Eyed Sand Spider's venom

Many spiders are venomous. If the Six Eyed Sand Spider bites a human, the toxins in its venom can cause blood vessel leakage, tissue destruction, and thinning of the blood. As of now, there isn't a known anti-venom treatment for a Six Eyed Sand Spider bite and these bites can be deadly.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Six Eyed Sand Spider coloring pages.