Spiders are predatory invertebrate animals that have two body segments, eight legs, no chewing mouth parts and no wings. They are classified in the order Araneae, one of several orders within the larger class of arachnids. Spiders have two body segments a cephalothorax and an abdomen. The abdomen and cephalothorax are connected with a thin waist called the pedicle, a trait that allows the spider to move the abdomen in all directions. This waist is actually the last segment of the cephalothorax and is lost in other members of the Arachnida class.

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Photo Credit: Kay Robinett, Holts Summit