See Real Footage Of The 3-Foot-Wide Spider That Looks Straight Out Of A Sci-Fi Movie

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What looks like a spider but isn’t one, lives underwater and breathes through its legs? That would be the mysterious sea spider. With over 1,300 species living in every ocean, these marine arthropods can have a leg span ranging from .04 inches to nearly three feet long.

The video above was filmed by ocean explorers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA scientists have sent their remotely operated vehicles to depths of 19,700 feet to investigate far reaches of the ocean where humans have never been. This fascinating creature was found at 2,300 feet deep. As the video explains, the deeper you go, the larger sea spiders can get. Watch the amazing close-up detail the video catches of the unique sea spider.

Are Sea Spiders Really Spiders?

Sea spiders look like arachnids living underwater, but they are not the same. They are marine arthropods in the class Pycnogonida and are called pycnogonids. However, they are related to spiders and share a common ancestor. But sea spiders evolved separately from spiders that live on land.

Where Do Sea Spiders Live?

There are over 1,300 species of pycnogonids found in oceans around the world. They live in all kinds of ocean temperatures and depths from the tropical seas to polar oceans and from shallow water to the Abyssal Zone. Many sea spiders are found in the Antarctic Ocean and 20% of all sea spiders species (that we know of) live in the cold depths of the Antarctic Ocean.

About Sea Spiders

These unique underwater creatures have long spindly legs holding up a tiny body. Their mouth is a proboscis, which sucks the juices from the soft-bodied animals they eat. Sea spiders eat a diet of worms, jellyfish, sponges, soft corals, and other soft-bodied sea creatures.

The most unique feature of the sea spider’s anatomy is its legs. A sea spider’s legs house its vital organs, including reproductive organs. The female carries her eggs on her legs and they even use their legs to breathe. Sea spiders don’t have lungs or gills but still need oxygen. They get the oxygen they require by letting it diffuse over their leg’s surface area and enter their body through their tissues.

Another unusual feature is that these spiders use their gut to pump oxygen through their body. Their hearts are not strong enough to be able to send oxygen all the way through their long legs.

What is the Largest Species of Sea Spider?

Although there is much we don’t know about the deepest ocean depths, the largest species of sea spider we know of is the giant sea spider, from the Colossendeis group. The giant sea spider lives at depths from 7,200 to 13,100 feet below the surface.

Scientists believe the giant sea spider is a result of a phenomenon called polar gigantism when species grow larger near the North and South Poles. Giant sea spiders can have a leg span as long as three feet across.

Do Sea Spiders Bite?

Sea spiders are harmless to humans. Unlike many land spiders, they don’t contain venom and won’t bite. Unless you are a soft-bodied sea creature, like an anemone, you have nothing to fear from a sea spider.