The anatomy of a spider, an arachnid, includes four pairs of legs and a body divided into two regions, the cephalothorax and the abdomen.
The spider produces silk from spinnerets located in its abdomen and uses the silk to spin webs, to line its burrow, to wrap its eggs in cocoons, and to lower itself by a single strand to the ground. Its scientific class, Arachnida, is named for the Greek tapestry weaver Arachne, who was turned into a spider by the goddess Athena.
See the Spider Information page for more detailed information about a spider’s body.
Spider Anatomy
