What Is a Group of Spiders Called?

Spiders are fascinating and diverse animals that can be found in almost every habitat on Earth. We all know about spiders, but how much do you know about their social lives? Today, we are going to explore what a group of spiders is called, how different spider species are named, and which spiders live in groups. Let’s get started.

What is a Group of Spiders Called?

Spiders are usually solitary creatures that avoid contact with other spiders. However, sometimes they can be found in groups, especially when they are young or mating. A group of spiders is called a cluster or a clutter, depending on how close they are to each other. A cluster is when the spiders are touching or very near, while a clutter is when they are more spread out. Although we usually only see spiders by themselves, there are some types that group up! Whether you are seeing a group of related spiders or just a group of unrelated spiders who happen to be in the same area, the name for the group remains the same.

Are Different Spider Species Called Different Things?

There are more than 45,000 species of spiders in the world, and they belong to different groups or genera. Each group has its own characteristics and behaviors, such as the type of web they make, the way they hunt, and the venom they produce. That being said, each group of the many thousands of spiders does not have a specific name for when (or if) they are found in a group. In other words, finding a group of black widows is still a cluster or clutter, not some other name (although calling them a lethal lattice or venomous vortex could be rather cool).

Some common groups of spiders are orb-web spiders, funnel-web spiders, wolf spiders, and jumping spiders. Each group may have different names for its members, such as cobweb spiders, grass spiders, fishing spiders, and zebra spiders. When referring to them specifically, just saying their species name in a plural form is probably the easiest option.

Do Any Spiders Live in Groups?

Most spiders prefer to live alone and only interact with other spiders for mating or eating. However, there are some exceptions to this rule, and nature always likes to show off.

Some spiders live in groups or colonies where they cooperate on things like hunting and defense, similar to a colony of ants. These types of spiders are known as “social spiders.” A social spider is a spider that lives in a group or colony with other spiders of the same species. They share food, care for the young, and protect each other from predators. As cool (or terrifying) as they are, social spiders are rare and only represent about 1% of all spider species.

Some different interesting types of social spiders are Theridion nigroannulatum which builds colonies that can contain thousands of individuals that cooperate in resource sharing. Another interesting type is Leucauge species, a spider that establishes territories within a larger colony and has special webs that are narrowly connected to other webs to stay in the “interweb?” That being said, it isn’t really a fully cooperative behavior since there is little nest maintenance or brood care between spiders. A third example is Stegodyphus species, which are subsocial spiders that tolerate a low level of inbreeding, suggesting a possible stepping stone toward a fully inbred mating system of social spiders.

There are certainly some strange spiders out there!

The Evolution of Social Spiders

Spiders can have different levels of social behavior, ranging from solitary to something called “quasi-social.” Solitary spiders are aggressive and can even be cannibalistic, while quasi-social spiders form long-lasting colonies that cooperate in all sorts of tasks like food gathering and web building. Some spiders are “facultative social,” meaning they can switch between social and solitary depending on the environment (much like some humans!). Some spiders are sub-social, meaning they lack fixed or complex social organization and may only show social behaviors seasonally. Social spiders have evolved multiple times independently in different families and genera of spiders, showing that it has some value evolutionarily in many instances!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Ivan Semenovych/Shutterstock.com