During this experiment, spiders were exposed to a variety of drugs to help determine their effect on the brain.

Spiders who had been given marijuana started out well enough, but were unable to maintain focus.

Benzedrine (speed) produced spiders who spun enthusiastically, though no great thought or care was put into the web design.

Caffeine, one of the most common stimulants taken by humans, produced an erratic web.

Chloral hydrate, an ingredient in sleeping pills, made the spiders doze off after barely getting started on the web.

Though this 1995 experiment sought to determine toxicity of drugs, it was a continuation of experimentation of spiders on drugs that had started in 1948 by P. N. Witt. ...

Collected from the Ross Sea shelf in southern Antarctica, this 9.8-inch-long (25-centimeter-long) giant sea spider was one of 30,000 animals found during a 35-day census in early 2008. The marine arachnids, which prey on hydroids and bryzoans - branching, coral-like animals - are larger and more common in Antarctic waters than anywhere else on Earth. Cold temperatures, few predators, and high levels of oxygen in seawater could explain their gargantuan size.

This gorgeous creature is Typhochlaena costae, a species of spider recently discovered in Brazil.

Simaetha sp. is a gorgeous gold and purple jumping spider recently discovered in the Sraburi Province of Thailand.

Eresus is a genus of velvet spiders comprising several species, including Eresus cinnaberinus and Eresus sandaliatus, both of which are sometimes known as the "Ladybird spider".

As its scientific name suggests, the Antilles pinktoe tarantula (Avicularia versicolor) changes color as it matures. The spider’s abdomen turns from blue to pink or red and the carapace becomes metallic green.

Antilles pinktoe tarantulas are native to Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique in the Caribbean Sea. They are arboreal (tree-dwelling) species, and can spin elaborate funnel webs in which they spend most of their time. Though these tarantulas are naturally docile, they are quick and can jump up to 30 cm far or high! ...