Trap Door Spiders (Ctenizidae)
This name refers to several genera of the primitive family Ctenizidae. Using a special rake on their chelicerae (jaws), these relatively large spiders dig burrows as deep as three feet. The spider lines the burrow and lid with thick silk, then cuts around the opening, leaving one side still attached, to fashion a snugly-fitting door which is almost invisible--even to arachnologists. A trapdoor spider uses its large,
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downward-facing fangs to hold the hinged door shut until it feels the vibrations of an approaching meal. Able to distinguish between bugs with amazing accuracy, the spider rushes out, gathers its prey into its legs and pulls it back inside the burrow. Trapdoor spiders can also hold their doors tightly shut to keep predators out. Mature males may wander looking for females, but female trap door spiders normally never leave their burrows.
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Spitting Spiders (Scytodidae)
Spitting spiders are found mostly in the warmer regions of the world and have only six eyes and a curiously domed cephalothorax under which are two large glands. One gland produces venom, the other a gooey secretion that is squirted from the tips of the fangs with great force, as they rapidly move from side to side. The prey is immobilized by two sets of ten to twenty sticky threads. The spider then bites its victim and dines at leisure.
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