Tarantulas, the longest living spider, can live for more than 30 years. That's 10 times longer than a black widow spider and almost 15 times longer than a brown recluse. They do show the signs of aging, however, and many of them go bald on their bodies as they get older.
More facts about spiders:
- The biggest species of spider is the Goliath spider, which can be more than 11 inches (almost 30 cm) in diameter and have a body length of more than 3 inches (9 cm).
- Jumping spiders can solve simple three-dimensional puzzles, and they can learn the behavior patterns of other animals in order to capture them.
- The story that most people swallow four spiders in their sleep during a lifetime has no basis in scientific fact and only a little bit of anecdotal evidence. It is likely, however, that most people are no more than 10 feet (3.05 meters) away from a spider at any time during their lives.