The World of Spiders
A spider waits on a web between two branches. When a fly bumps into the sticky threads, the spider feels the web shake. It moves toward the trapped insect. This is just one way a spider finds food.
Spider Bodies
Spiders are arachnids, a group of animals that also includes scorpions and ticks. Unlike insects, spiders have eight legs and two main body sections. Most spiders have eight eyes, but some have six or fewer. Their eyesight varies. Jumping spiders can see well, while some other spiders mainly sense the world through movement and vibrations.
A spider does not have bones inside its body. Instead, it has a hard outer covering called an exoskeleton. As the spider grows, it sheds this covering. A new, larger covering underneath has room to harden.
Places Spiders Live
Spiders live on every continent except Antarctica. Different kinds make homes in forests, grasslands, deserts, and wetlands. Some live close to people in gardens, sheds, and houses. A spider might hide under a rock, rest on a leaf, or shelter in a crack in a wall.
- arachnids:
- A group of animals that includes spiders, scorpions, and ticks.
- vibrations:
- Small movements that shake something back and forth.
- varies:
- Is different or changes.
- shelter:
- A protected place to stay or hide.
- prey:
- An animal hunted by another animal for food.
- survival:
- The act of staying alive.
- trapped:
- Caught and unable to escape.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the main idea of the report? Give two details that support it.
- 2How does a web help a spider find and catch food?
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About this report passage for 3rd Grade
“The World of Spiders” is a report reading passage about Spiders, written for 3rd Grade. It takes about 3 minutes to read (447 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.