Arachnids

H is for Harvestman

Harvestmen are a group of arachnids with long, spindly legs. They look very similar to spiders, and like spiders they come in a huge variety of colors and sizes.

Charles Lam / CC BY-SA

M is for Mite

Arachnids

Mites are small, generally parasitic arachnids very closely related to ticks. Some mites are so small you need a microscope. Some mites infest animals, including insects, others infest plants. The mite in the picture is on a bee's head.

Gilles San Martin / CC BY-SA

S is for Scorpion

Arachnids

Scorpions are arachnids found all over the world except for New Zealand. They live in all kinds of areas, from rainforests to deserts and can vary in size from a few centimetres to a few inches long. They are related to the spider. All scorpions are venomous, but only some scorpions are big enough and poisonous enough to kill a person.

jon.hendry / CC BY-SA

S is for Spider

Arachnids

Spiders are a kind of animal known as an arachnid, and they are related to the scorpion. All spiders have a head, body, eight legs and no wings. Spiders come in a variety of colours, but most are brown or grey. They range from so small you can hardly see them, right up to the size of a plate.

gailhampshire / CC BY-SA

T is for Tarantula

Arachnids

A tarantula is the name for a group of several species of spider. Tarantulas are very large, and very hairy - they are big hairy spiders! Some people keep them as pets.

Beatrice Murch / CC BY-SA

T is for Tick

Arachnids

Ticks are parasitic arachnids. The live off the blood of animals. They often spread diseases as they move from host to host.

David Fulmer / CC BY-SA