How Many Eyes Do Spiders Have?
Most people think of spiders as having eight legs and eight eyes, but how accurate is that assumption? While it’s true that most spiders have eight eyes, not all do, and the number of eyes can vary depending on the species. Some spiders have more or fewer eyes, while others might have no eyes at all. Additionally, the arrangement and function of these eyes are far more complex than most people realize.
So, how many eyes do spiders really have, and why does it matter when it comes to their behavior and ability to catch prey? Let’s explore the fascinating world of spider vision and how it affects their survival and interaction with their environment.
How Many Eyes Do Common House Spiders Have?
There are several common types of house spiders. Each has its own unique characteristics and eye configuration.
Domestic House Spider
This spider has a typical color scheme from dark orange to brown. Also known as barn funnel weavers, these spiders have eight eyes. This allows them to sense the slightest movement from their prey or potential threats. Their sight is unclear, so they tend to sense movement more than anything else.
Brown House Spider
This spider, also called a cupboard spider, is found worldwide and is another common spider you may see in your home. These spiders can be confused with black widow spiders because of their similar shape and size. Their color tends to be brown, but they can sometimes appear to be black.
The main thing that separates them from black widow spiders is that they lack the red hourglass markings on their abdomen that signify a black widow spider. These spiders also have eight eyes.
Black House Spiders
These are also common house spiders, but they are typically found in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. These spiders are venomous, but as with most spiders, they aren’t considered dangerous to humans.
In most cases, they are only dangerous to their prey, not humans. Interestingly, the female spiders of this species tend to never leave the web unless threatened and forced to leave. These spiders are typically dark brown to black and occasionally have a reddish-brown color for their legs. As with most spiders, these ones have eight.
Giant House Spiders
These spiders typically dwell in caves and the outdoors. However, they are becoming more common in homes as well. The giant house spider originally inhabited Europe, Asia, and Africa. They are common in parts of the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
The giant hose spider also has eight eyes, arranged in two sets of four. In addition to having many eyes to track down prey, the giant house spider is also one of the fastest spiders on record, so chasing down their prey is no problem.
Southern House Spiders
These are found in the southern United States and Central and South America. The females of this species tend to be dark brown to black and are usually larger than the males, who have been thought to look like tiny tarantulas.
Females rarely leave their webs, while males typically wander in search of food and mates. For this reason, males are usually the spiders you will encounter in passing in your home. Unfortunately, these spiders look much like the dangerous brown recluse spider.
A few key differences are that the southern house spider lacks the violin-shaped markings and coloration that all brown recluse spiders have. These southern house spiders have eight, but brown recluse spiders only have six eyes.
Brown Recluse Spider
This house spider can be anywhere from about a quarter of an inch to three-quarters of an inch in length. It has a light to medium brown color and a violin-shaped marking on its body. This, however, is not the only thing that distinguishes the brown recluse spider which is why other spiders are often confused with them.
In this case, you always need to check for both the violin pattern and look for how many eyes the spider has. As most spiders have eight eyes, the brown recluse is one of few spiders that has only six eyes arraigned in pairs.
Some Spiders Don’t Have Eyes at All
One such spider, called the Sinopoda scurion, lives its entire life in complete darkness and has evolved to have no eyes at all. Similar things have happened with fish that live in incredible depths in the ocean where sunlight never reaches. You might think that having no eyes would make it challenging to capture food, but in most cases, spiders have very poor eyesight.
Even with most spiders having eight eyes, they usually can only see movement and low-quality shapes. Many spider eyes have only one lens, which makes sight weak and undefined. One exception to this is jumping spiders. These spiders typically have a few larger eyes that can do a better job visually than most.
Spiders rely on their more attuned senses, such as touch and sensing vibrations in their webs and surroundings.
Spiders in the Caponiidae Family Have Varying Numbers of Eyes
While many spiders have eight eyes, this family can have anywhere from two to eight eyes. The number of eyes can change based on the life cycle stage the spiders are in. These can be found throughout the lowest parts of the United States, as well as South America and parts of Africa.
Most spiders have eight eyes, but their vision isn’t great. As humans, we can see at a higher level than spiders, even though we only have two eyes. Many spiders are also classified according to how many eyes they have, as well as the placement of the eyes.
Contact a Pro for Spider Identification and Control
It can be hard to determine specific spider species, even for trained professionals, as many species share similar characteristics or appear in various stages of development. This makes it challenging to identify the right treatment without proper expertise.
If you’re dealing with a spider infestation in your home, it’s best to consult with a pest control expert who can accurately identify the species and recommend the most effective treatment. Contact Rove Pest Control online today for expert spider pest control services to keep your home free of unwanted pests.