Gallery: Live Spider Exhibit Will Make Your Skin Crawl
Roderick MIckens01funnel-web-wolf-spider
Regardless of whether you love them or fear them, spiders are pretty much always fascinating. A new exhibit called [Spiders Alive!](http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/spiders-alive) at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City opening July 28 will give visitors the chance to see spiders and their relatives live and up close. The exhibit will feature important information about spiders, detailing their anatomy, defensive behavior, [hunting strategies](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/05/spider-attack-gallery/ "Spider Attack: Clever, Scary Arachnid Hunting Strategies"), life cycles, and diversity. Approximately 20 different species will be on display alongside spider models, videos, and fossils. For those who aren’t too squeamish, museum staff will be handling live arachnids, giving museum-goers a chance to see them up close. On display will be some of the most impressive arachnid species, including the Goliath bird eater, one of the largest spiders in the world, and the western black widow, one of the most venomous spiders in North America. For those not traveling to New York anytime soon or who are too arachnophobic to check out the spiders live, we’ll take a look at these species from the comfort of your computer. *Captions courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History* __Above:__ Funnel-web wolf spider ---------------------- This spider spins a sheet-like web attached to a narrow tube, or funnel. Sitting at the mouth of the tube, the spider waits to strike after feeling vibrations of prey crossing the web. *Image: AMNHR. Mickens*
Roderick MIckens02golden-orb-web-spider
Golden orb-web spider --------------------- Found throughout parts of Asia, this large spider has yellow on its abdomen and spins a golden web. *Image: AMNHR. Mickens*
Roderick MIckens03western-black-widow
Western black widow ------------------- One of the few species harmful to people in North America, a black widow often features a red hourglass shape on its underside. *Image: AMNHR. Mickens*
Roderick MIckens04goliath-bird-eater
Goliath bird eater ------------------ One of the biggest spiders in the world, it preys on snakes, mice, and frogs but, despite the name, rarely birds. *Image: AMNHR. Mickens*
Denis Finnin05fishing-spider-2
Fishing spider -------------- *Dolomedes okefinokensis* *Image: AMNHD. Finnin*
Roderick MIckens06mexican-red-knee
Mexican red knee ---------------- *Brachypelma smithi* *Image: AMNHR. Mickens*
Denis Finnin07regal-jumping-spider
Regal jumping spider -------------------- *Phidippus regius* *Image: AMNHD. Finnin*
Roderick MIckens08orb-weaver
Orb weaver ---------- Members of this genus are found all around the world and spin large webs that often contain striking designs. *Charlotte’s Web* author E.B. White, who consulted with a Museum curator while writing the classic children’s book, named the main character Charlotte A. Cavatica after a common orb weaver, *Araneus cavaticus*. *Image: AMNHR. Mickens*
Roderick MIckens09gooty-sapphire
Gooty sapphire -------------- *Poecilotheria metallica* *Image: AMNHR. Mickens*
10spider-in-amber
Spider in amber --------------- This spider was trapped in tree resin about 20 million years ago. Over time, the resin fossilized into amber, preserving the animal inside. *Image: AMNHD. Grimaldi*
Roderick MIckens11tailless-whip-scorpion
Tailless whip scorpion ---------------------- Not actually a scorpion, this arachnid waves its first pair of legs around to feel its way. A tailless whip scorpion makes a cameo appearance in the movie *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*, in which one character wrongly suggests that its bite is lethal. *Image: AMNHR. Mickens*
Roderick MIckens12wolf-spider
Wolf spider ----------- *Hogna antilucana* *Image: AMNHR. Mickens*
