Night Search for Whip Spiders | Explorers In The Field

While whip spiders are arachnids that fall under the arthropod phylum, they're not actually spiders. Whip spiders have eight legs, but the front two have evolved into antenniform legs that extend up to two feet long. These legs wiggle around like whips to gather sensory information, earning whip spiders their name. The arachnids also have appendages called pedipalps, which behavioral neuroscientist and National Geographic grantee Verner Bingman describes as being like "pliers with sharp teeth."

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Night Search for Whip Spiders | Explorers In The Field

National Geographic

[NatGeo]

What do you find most fascinating about whip spiders?

[BHGMediaGroup]

"They're very aggressive and can draw blood" said nobody that has ever kept one as a pet and quite frankly, just the exact opposite is said of these animals that they are scary looking but over all docile.

[AzlianaLyana]

Not a spider, but enough to have a mini heart-attack to see one up close suddenly in the wild. 😅

[oranjmusemeyer]

They make great pets, and if handled well are quite docile.

[calebknox]

I like how god made sure this spider wasn’t too OP

[crusaderjunior]

Whip Spiders are one of the many 'reasons' I love Arachnids so much.

[iteerrex]

Reminded of the Harry Potter movie, Goblet of fire, when the professor with a glass eye performed the Cruciatus Curse on an insect like this.

[OviHentea]

3:08 for the close-up everyone was waiting for

[GUMMRUCHK]

It's times like this I'm glad they aren't big enough to hunt Humans.

[realfactsscience]

Random Fact:

Children of identical twins are genetically half siblings, not cousins.

-RealFacts

[djspeed]

I'd totally love one of these as a pet! So freaking cool

[wildlifeisthewealthofnatur]

Costa Rica rainforest is amazing. So little land but so much biodiversity.

[theworthysoul]

‘They’re very aggressive, they can draw blood’
That’s cap.

[AnkurRoy-biyz]

Isnt this the bug in Harry Potter (Goblet of Fire) ?
Mad-Eye Moody (Bartemius Crouch Jr.) practiced all three unforgivable curses on this creature.

[Wuud]

This reminds me of a time I was at a party. A large orb weave spider was building a web on the deck. We moved the spider from the deck to a fence across the yard. About 3 hours later, I saw the spider working its way across the rain gutter back to its original location.

[robertvince]

That dude tried to catch the spider with his BARE HANDS!!

[totalrobot]

These little guys are making a comeback.

[GUNS_jk]

Scientist: Its actually not a spider.
Me: oh ok. I am no longer afriad of that thing.

[infamoushiphop]

These guys are awesome pets, especially when housed communally:)

[Richie]

Extensive scientific research on small creatures leads to phenomenal conclusions.