These Spiders Are Real Halloween Characters

I think most of us can agree that spiders are inherently creepy – it’s something about all the eyes and wiggly legs. But as creepy as they may be, they are still essential to a healthy ecosystem and should be appreciated and not killed outright. Re-homing or ignoring them is the way to treat these beneficial arachnids.In the spirit of appreciating the creepiness, I have five spiders to present to you. And these beauties are all dressed and ready for Halloween.

The Pumpkin Spider (Araneus marmoreus) 

This bootylicious babe is a Marbled Orbweaver), harmless arachnids found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The distinctive orange abdomen belongs to the female and by the time October comes around, it will be globular in shape and packed full of developing eggs. After the females deposits her eggs in late fall, her abdomen will be droopy and soft. Any new mother can relate to that feeling. Learn more here.

The Vampire Spider (Evarcha culicivora) 

This is a rare species of jumping spiders that is found only around Lake Victoria in Kenya and Uganda. There are many spiders that have vampire-like fangs, but this guy is an actual blood-feeder and craves the blood of vertebrates. This tiny (averaging 5 cm.) spider does not approach the vertebrate directly; instead, it feeds on the blood of female mosquitoes that have fed on the larger animals. It chooses its prey based on the smell of blood on the mosquitoes. Scientists say it is the only known animal that finds prey in this manner. Learn more here.

The Frankenstein Spider (Damarchus Inazuma) 

This unusual spider was discovered in 2021 in the deep forests of western Thailand and exhibits a rare biological phenomenon known as gynandromorphism. It presents as half female and half male. And like its namesake, Frankenstein, it does not seem to be put together too well. The females are lager and orange in color, while the males are grey and smaller. To see both on one animal is jarring at best and I would not want to have one coming at me. The scientist who discovered these spiders named them after Inazuma, a character from the Japanese manga One Piece that has the ability to change between male and female personas. Learn more here. 

The Skeleton/Jack Skellington Spider (Maratus sceletus) 

This jumping spider (2-6mm) is part of the peacock spider family and hails from Queensland, Australia. It’s clear to see how its dramatic black and white markings got its nicknames, but most peacock spiders are way more colorful. What cements its place among its colorful peacock relatives is the male’s exuberant and flashy mating dance that shared by all males of the family. There are a great number of peacock spiders, and it seems that they are consistently finding new ones – with their diminutive size they can be hard to spot. Here is a humorous video showing 51 different peacock spiders dancing to the Bee Gee’s song “Staying Alive”. Learn more here.

The Jason Mask Harvestman (Simambea sp.)  

This interesting little fellow from the rainforests of Ecuador is not technically a spider, it’s an arachnid. Specifically, it’s an opilionid like all daddy long legs. They lack the fangs and venom that true spiders have and don’t spin silk. Nevertheless, I am including this guy on this list because he looks spider-ish and I find him truly creepy. I’m not sure why he’s wearing the Jason mask, but that makes him creepier still. Speaking of harvestmen, here’s one that wears its bunny mask all year long. Learn more here.

Take care out there – there’s creepy creatures about.

Pam