Spiders are mysterious creatures that inspire curiosity and sometimes fear. If you’ve ever wondered, “Do spiders scream?” you’re not alone. Many people find spiders creepy and wonder if these eight-legged creatures make sounds.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Spiders do not scream or make audible sounds like humans and many animals do. Most spiders are incapable of making noises that humans can hear.
In this nearly 3000 word guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about spider sounds and noises. You’ll learn why spiders don’t scream audibly, how some spiders can make sounds in ways we can’t hear, and much more.
Why Spiders Don’t Scream Audibly
Anatomy Limits Spider Sounds
Spiders lack the anatomical equipment necessary to produce sounds that are audible to humans. They don’t have vocal cords or lungs, which are needed to create the airflow required for screaming or vocalizing. Their bodies are simply not designed to make noises we can hear.
While spiders can’t scream, some species can produce sounds by rubbing body parts together or vibrating special organs. Most of these sounds are outside the range of human hearing, but some have been recorded using special high-frequency microphones.
For example, the purring spider rubs its legs and pedipalps to create a soft purring sound. Jumping spiders are also known to generate ultrasonic noises for courtship displays.
Spiders Lack Vocal Cords and Lungs
Vocal cords are folds of tissue in the larynx that vibrate as air passes over them, producing sounds. Lungs provide the airflow needed to vibrate the vocal cords. Since spiders don’t have lungs or larynxes, they lack the biological equipment to produce sounds via vibration of vocal cords like mammals do when screaming.
Some insects like crickets or cicadas can make loud noises by rubbing body parts together to produce stridulations. But most spiders lack these specialized anatomy to generate sounds audible to human ears.
While spiders can’t scream in a way we hear, some can create vibrations that travel through spider webs and other surfaces. These low-frequency vibrations are a form of spider communication we can’t hear.
A Spider’s Noisy World
Just because spiders can’t scream for us to hear doesn’t mean their world is silent. Spiders have sensitive hairs on their legs that can detect vibrations from prey or mates moving on their webs or nearby surfaces. These act like ears, allowing them to “hear” low-frequency noises.
Some spiders like the purring spider and jumping spiders can produce ultrasonic sounds for courtship. While we can’t hear these noises, they form an important part of a spider’s world. Research has shown male spiders may produce specific patterns of vibration to serenade potential mates.
So while spiders don’t scream in horror movies, their world is far from mute. We may not be able to hear a spider’s love songs, but vibrations and ultrasonic noises play a vital role in their ability to mate, capture prey, and sense predators moving in their environment.
Sounds Spiders Can Make
Vibrations
Spiders don’t have vocal cords, but they can produce vibrations that travel through spiderwebs and solid surfaces. These low-frequency vibrations serve as a form of communication between spiders. For example, male spiders may vibrate webs to indicate their interest in mating with a female spider.
The vibrations are often specific patterns that help spiders identify individuals and species. Researchers have found that some spiders can detect and interpret these complex vibration patterns.
Spider vibrations are typically transmitted through silk threads in a web or through leaves, stems, and other surfaces. Species like jumping spiders and wolf spiders don’t build webs, so they drum their abdomens on dry leaves to create vibrations instead.
These vibrations are essential for courtship, territorial defense, and predator-prey interactions.
Stridulation
Some spiders also make sounds by rubbing body parts together in a process called stridulation. For example, male wandering spiders have ridges on their pedipalps that they rub against the chelicerae to produce stridulations when courting females. Other spiders may stridulate as a defense mechanism.
The sounds serve as a warning to potential predators.
While stridulation is audible to humans in close proximity, it likely evolved as a form of communication detectable by other spiders. The low-frequency sounds transmitted through surfaces enable spiders to send messages through solid substrates.
Researchers have found stridulation is used in mating rituals, territorial displays, and predator-prey interactions in some spider species.
Unique Solutions
Jumping spiders have developed unique solutions to produce sounds for communication. For example, some species in the genus Habronattus lack stridulatory organs but have modified structures and behaviors to allow sound production.
Habronattus dossenus males don’t stridulate. Instead, they produce low-frequency sounds by tapping the ground with specialized front legs that have inflated tips. The taps send vibrations through the ground that females detect with sensory organs on their legs.
Researchers have also observed Habronattus coecatus males producing buzzing sounds during courtship displays. They contract abdominal muscles to deform the hard exoskeleton, forcing air out through small holes and creating a buzzing vibration.
This highlights the flexible and innovative ways spiders have evolved to communicate using sounds.
Spider Sounds Humans Can Hear
The Purring Tarantula
One of the most surprising spider sounds that humans can hear is the purring of certain tarantula species. The purring sound is created when tarantulas rub their abdomen against the substrate, bristles on their legs, or other surfaces.
This behavior is thought to be a means of communication during courtship. The most common purring tarantulas belong to the genera Theraphosa and Acanthoscurria. Pet owners and spider enthusiasts have described the purring as similar to a cat’s purr, just at a lower pitch and volume.
Finger Drumming
Male jumping spiders have a unique courtship behavior where they use vibrations to serenade female spiders. The male jumping spider will drum his pedipalps (small appendages near the mouth) and front legs on leaves and twigs, creating a buzzing sound.
While these vibrations are below the range of human hearing, researchers have recorded and amplified them to reveal an almost musical rhythm and quality. The patterns and pulses differ between spider species, indicating this may be an important way for females to identify suitable mates.
Who knew spiders could be such talented instrumentalists?
Aggressive Hissing
Defensive hissing is common in spiders like tarantulas when they feel threatened. The hissing sound results from the spider forcefully expelling air from the book lungs or trachea. This serves as an auditory warning for predators to back off.
The hissing may be accompanied by a threat pose where the spider rears up and displays its fangs. Some tarantula species, like Theraphosa blondi (Goliath birdeater), can be heard hissing from over 15 feet away!
The volume can be surprising for unfamiliar humans interacting with large, hairy spiders up close.
While most spider sounds are outside our perception, technological advances allow us to hear the secret acoustic world of spiders. From amorous serenades to warnings, spiders have a complex form of sound-based communication we are only beginning to understand.
Paying attention to vibrations and low-level noises in nature can reveal surprisingly musical spiders hidden nearby.
Meanings Behind Spider Noises
Communication & Courtship Displays
Spiders use a variety of noises to communicate with each other. Male spiders will make sounds and vibrations to attract females during courtship rituals. They shake their bodies rapidly to create vibrations that can travel through the spider’s web and alert females.
Some male wolf spiders even tap their legs on dry leaves to generate acoustic signals for potential mates! Female spiders also make light tapping noises on the web in response to let the males know they are interested.
In addition to courtship, spiders use sounds and web vibrations to mark their territory and send alarm signals about prey or predators. Many spiders will pluck the silk strands on their web to warn others of danger or intruders.
The vibrations can signal the type and location of the threat to the rest of the colony.
Sounds of Predators & Prey
Spiders do not make noises when actively hunting, as the goal is to sneak up on prey quietly. However, their prey certainly makes noise during a spider attack! Crickets, cicadas, and other insects will kick, chirp, and struggle when caught in a web.
The sounds of the trapped prey attract the waiting spider to deliver its venom. Some spiders even wrap their prey in silk first to muffle any loud noises that might startle them off.
Conversely, many larger predators make quite a racket when threatening spiders. Wasp buzzing, bird chirping, and snake hissing are all auditory cues for spiders that danger is nearby. Some spiders will rapidly vibrate or drop from their webs when hearing these predator sounds.
Reacting to Threats
Interestingly, hissing is one defensive sound spiders make when confronted by predators. The hiss occurs as spiders quickly rub their legs or abdomens against their other body parts or the ground. This rubbing motion pushes air out through their stiff hairs and creates the hissing noise. According to one study, over 80% of ground spider species produced audible hisses when threatened.
The hiss serves as an auditory warning sign to try and scare off attackers. Other spiders also pluck and snap their silk threads when detecting threats nearby. This plucking behavior generates vibrations that warn the rest of the colony. It tells other spiders to retreat or prepare to defend against the intruder.
So while spiders may not scream in the traditional sense, they have a diverse array of sounds and vibrations for communication. From courtship displays, to predator alerts, to defensive hisses, spiders produce meaningful noises that are essential for their survival.
Frequently Asked Questions About Spider Sounds
Can jumping spiders make noise?
While most spiders are silent, jumping spiders are an exception and can actually make some noises. Jumping spiders have the ability to stridulate, which means they can rub together certain body parts to produce sounds. The main purpose of these noises is to attract mates.
Male jumping spiders will stridulate to get the attention of females during courtship. The sounds they produce have been described as sounding like buzzes, purrs, or chirps.
In one study published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology, researchers found that male jumping spiders have specialized abdominal scales that they rub together to produce vibrations. Using laser vibrometry, they found that these spiders could create audible purring sounds in this manner.
So while most spiders creep around silently, male jumping spiders serenade potential mates with their own unique spider songs!
What is the loudest spider?
The purring of jumping spiders may be the most notable spider sound, but the loudest spider sound comes from the tiger spider. Tiger spiders are ground-dwelling spiders found in places like Australia and the United States.
When disturbed, they can make a loud popping or hissing noise by forcing air out of their respiratory system.
Researchers have measured these explosive sounds at around 80 decibels from a distance of 50 cm away. That’s about as loud as an alarm clock! The spiders make these noises as a defense mechanism to scare off predators.
So if you ever hear a hissing sound coming from a spider, it’s best not to get too close, unless you want your eardrums to take a beating!
Do black widow spiders make noise?
The infamous black widow spider doesn’t stridulate or hiss like other spider species. However, they can make very faint sounds by rubbing their legs across their abdomens andacross certain body parts like their pedipalps.
Using sensitive laser vibrometry equipment, researchers have picked up these extremely quiet vibrations that are likely inaudible to humans and most predators. The sounds measure at only 9 decibels from a distance of 1 cm away.
For comparison, 10 decibels is about the level of a mosquito flying 3 meters away.
So while black widow spiders aren’t totally silent, any noises they make are so faint that you’re not likely to hear them. Their sounds help minimize detection from prey rather than act as a defense mechanism like the sounds of tiger spiders.
For black widows, not being heard appears to be better for predation and overall survival.
Conclusion
While spiders may not scream like humans or dogs, these fascinating creatures have developed unique ways to sense vibrations and even make some noises. Understanding why most spiders stay silent while a few can purr or hiss provides insight into their mysterious world.
The next time you see a spider and wonder “can it scream?” remember that its anatomy prevents loud noises. But those nearly silent spiders have plenty to say, even if we can’t hear them.
