close
Sea Spider: The Very Real Creepy Creature of the Waters

Sea Spider: The Very Real Creepy Creature of the Waters

Written by Leisure Pro Staff
|
Published on March 12, 2014
sea spider

While the concept of a giant sea spider might sound a little unbelievable, we’re happy (or sorry?) to inform you that it is an absolute reality. Giant sea spiders do indeed exist. At the beginning of 2008, a colossal invertebrate was uncovered during an expedition that lasted for 35 days. This large creature turned out to be a giant sea spider. The sighting took place in southern Antarctica’s Ross Sea shelf. These spiders as a group are particularly prevalent in the waters off Antarctica.

This unfamiliar spider was undeniably large, with a body length of just under 10 inches. When the spider was spotted, many people compared it, size-wise, to a dinner plate. As far as the spider world goes, giant sea spiders are conspicuously big. Some smaller types of spiders grow to merely .02 of one inch, after all.

Sea Spider Species

Completely unrelated to terrestrial spiders or Arachnids, despite resembling them in appearance, Sea Spiders belong to the marine species known as Pycnogonida. This species have long legs in contrast to a very narrow and small body size and unlike terrestrial spiders, have varying pairs of legs depending on the species ranging from four pairs (Eight Legs), five and even six pairs (twelve) of legs!

There are over 1300 known species of Sea Spider, ranging in size from 1 to 10 millimeters to over two feet in length. However most range in the 1-10mm size range which makes them difficult to spot.

sea spider
Image via Shutterstock

Where can you find sea spiders?

Sea Spiders are especially prevalent in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas and the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans and most of the smaller ones live in relatively shallow depths while those found in deeper waters around the poles are considerably larger.

While you may not get the chance to spot these Giant Sea Spiders in the depths of the oceans around the poles, your best chance of capturing the smaller sea spiders is probably around the rock pools during low tide. Scuba divers passionate about underwater macro photography simply cannot resist the draw of capturing one these tiny bizarre creatures on camera if they manage to spot them. With over 1300 different species of Sea Spider, no wonder they are adored by photographers and divers alike.

How did sea spiders get their shape?

While the exact reason for their immense physiques isn’t confirmed, there are some hypotheses. The marine spiders don’t have many predators, for one, or perhaps low temperatures in their native grounds could also contribute to their their unusual size. There is so much we don’t know about the deep sea environment that scientists are unable to confirm any of their hypotheses until better research is facilitated.

These unique marine dwelling creatures have two pairs of feeding appendages with pincers and a proboscis mouth at the ends and stab and suck the nourishment out of their victims which mainly comprise of small marine worms and sea-anemones, sponges and bryozoans.

Quite unusually, the seaspider has no respiratory system, owing to its tiny body size, and gases are taken in and out through diffusion.

sea spider
Image via Shutterstock

What do sea spiders eat?

Although predators aren’t a big problem for the giant sea spider species, the tough arachnids are predators in their own right. They regularly feed on bryzoans and hydroids alike. They feed on their prey by inserting a proboscis into their prey slurping up fluids from their bodies — just like every horrific nightmare you’ve ever had.

These spiders weren’t the only exciting animals spotted during the 2008 sea voyage; they were in rather good company. Explorers caught glimpses of roughly 30,000 other distinct creatures, from large shrimp to enormous crabs and worms. They came across many totally baffling deep sea species. These animals reside more than one mile down from the water’s surface. While these marine giants are a sight to behold, they’re not particularly astounding in the Antarctic. Gigantism actually abounds in these frigid waters.

Leisure Pro Staff

Leisure Pro Staff

Marketing Director for LeisurePro