Filippo Nucifora/ BIA / Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) male, Zurich, Switzerland

Morley Read / Slow motion clip of a Spiny orb-weaver (Micrathena sp.) weaving a silk nest to protect its eggs, the nest is suspended from a thread to isolate it from predators, Amazon rainforest, Ecuador. Filmed at...

Nick Upton / Running foliage spider / Spiny-legged sac spider (Liocranum rupicola), a nationally scarce species in the UK, hunting at night in an old stone wall, Wiltshire, UK, September.

Paul Bertner / Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha falcicornis), Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania

Linda Pitkin / 2020VISION / Spiny spider crab (Maja brachydactyla / squinado) pair on rock covered with red algae, Lundy Island Marine Conservation Zone, Devon, England, UK, May.

Toby Roxburgh / 2020VISION / Fishermen aboard a small fishing boat packing a container full of Spiny spider crabs (Maja Squinado), caught using tangle nets, Cornwall, England, UK, June 2011

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Aggregation of Spider crabs (Maja squinado) in shallow water off Burton Bradstock, Dorset, UK, August. 2020VISION Book Plate.

Graham Eaton / Spiny Spider Crab (Maja squinado) with claws raised in an aggressive posture, in a fast tide, Abersoch, Wales, UK, May.

Wild Wonders of Europe / Zankl / Spiny spider crab (Maja squinado) on seaweed, Malta, Mediteranean, May 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / Zankl / Spiny spider crab (Maja squinado) Malta, Mediteranean, May 2009

Piotr Naskrecki / Spiked Spider (Gasteracantha sp) their abdomen, or opisthosoma, is heavily sclerotized and armed with hard spines possibly to protect against birds and lizards, Solomon Islands

Morley Read / Slow motion clip of a Spiny orb weaver (Micrathena) biting a flying ant caught in its web prior to eating it, Napo Province, Ecuadorian Amazon. (non-ex)

Morley Read / Slow motion clip of a Spiny orb-weaver (Micrathena sp.) weaving a silk nest to protect its eggs, the nest is suspended from a thread to isolate it from predators, Amazon rainforest, Ecuador. Filmed at...

Morley Read / Slow motion clip of a Spiny orb-weaver (Micrathena sp.) weaving a silk nest to protect its eggs, the nest is suspended from a thread to isolate it from predators, Amazon rainforest, Ecuador. Filmed at...

Pascal Kobeh / Spiny spider crab (Maja brachydactyla), Sulu sea, Philippines

Derek Galon / Spiny Orb Weaver (Gasteracantha sp) Dominica.

Derek Galon / Spiny Orb Weaver (Gasteracantha sp) Dominica.

Nick Upton / Male Running foliage spider / Spiny-legged sac spider (Liocranum rupicola), a nationally scarce species in the UK, hunting at night in an old stone wall, Wiltshire, UK, September.

Emanuele Biggi / Spiny orb-weaver spider (Gasteracantha diardi) on white background. Borneo.

Emanuele Biggi / Spiny orb weaver spider (Gasteracantha sp), Madagascar.

Paul Bertner / Spiked Spider (Gasteracantha sp), Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Paul Bertner / Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha falcicornis), Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania

Paul Bertner / Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha versicolor), Ranomafana National Park, Antananarivo, Madagascar

Sue Daly / Close-up of a Spiny Spider Crab (Maja squinado), Sark, British Channel Islands, UK, August.

Lorraine Bennery / Spinybacked orb weaver spider (Gasteracantha sp.) Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar, November.

Chris Mattison / Thorn-back spider (Gasteracantha cancriformis) on white background, Costa Rica.

Chris Mattison / Spiny-back spider (Gasteracantha cancriformis) egg sac Costa Rica. Focus-stacked image.

Sue Daly / Spiny Spider Crab (Maja squinado) L'Etac, Sark, British Channel Islands.

Sue Daly / Spiny Spider Crab (Maja squinado) Guillaumesse, Sark, British Channel Islands.

Alex Mustard / Spiny spider crab (Achaeus spinosus) reaching up and scratching its head, while climbing on purple soft coral bush (Dendronephthya sp.) Sinai, Egypt. Red Sea.

Piotr Naskrecki / Spiked Spider (Gasteracantha sp), Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

Nick Upton / Female Common spider crab (Maja brachydactyla / Maja squinado) standing on a boulder in a rockpool low on the shore, Rhossili, The Gower Peninsula, UK, June.

Nick Upton / Female Common spider crab (Maja brachydactyla / Maja squinado) well camouflaged in a rockpool among Coralweed (Corallina officinalis), Rhossili, The Gower Peninsula, UK, June.

Nick Upton / Male Common spider crab (Maja brachydactyla / Maja squinado) in defensive posture exposed on rocky shore on a very low spring tide, Rhossili, The Gower Peninsula, UK, June.

Franco Banfi / Spider crab (Maja squinado) and Yellow cluster anemone (Parazoanthus axinellae) Stupiste Out dive site, Vis Island, Croatia, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean

Chien Lee / Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha falcicornis) spinning web, Kibale National Reserve, Uganda

Graham Eaton / Spiny Spider Crab (Maja squinado) mating in Kelp, Abersoch, Wales, December

Cyril Ruoso / Spiked Spider (Gasteracantha sp) in web, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Piotr Naskrecki / Spiny Spider (Micrathena cyanospina), Suriname

Linda Pitkin / 2020VISION / Spiny spider crab (Maja brachydactyla / squinado) pair on rock covered with red algae, Lundy Island Marine Conservation Zone, Devon, England, UK, May.

Linda Pitkin / 2020VISION / Spiny spider crab (Maja brachydactyla / squinado) pair on rock covered with red algae, Lundy Island Marine Conservation Zone, Devon, England, UK, May.

Linda Pitkin / 2020VISION / Spiny spider crab (Maja brachydactyla / squinado) pair on rock covered with red algae, Lundy Island Marine Conservation Zone, Devon, England, UK, May.

Linda Pitkin / 2020VISION / Spiny spider crab (Maja brachydactyla / squinado) pair on rock covered with red algae, Lundy Island Marine Conservation Zone, Devon, England, UK, May.

Linda Pitkin / 2020VISION / Spiny spider crab (Maja brachydactyla / squinado) pair on rock covered with red algae, Lundy Island Marine Conservation Zone, Devon, England, UK, May.

Linda Pitkin / 2020VISION / Spiny spider crab (Maja brachydactyla / squinado) pair on rock covered with red algae, Lundy Island Marine Conservation Zone, Devon, England, UK, May.

Toby Roxburgh / 2020VISION / Fisherman with a full basket of Edible crabs (Cancer pagurus) and Spiny spider crabs (Maja squinado), caught using pots, with an old tin mine on cliffs in the background, Trewavas Head, Cornwall, Engl...

Toby Roxburgh / 2020VISION / Fisherman sinking a basket of freshly caught Spiny spider crabs (Maja squinado) from 'Rhiannon', a crabber based in Porthleven, he will retrieve the basket later when the buyer is ready to collect, Co...

Toby Roxburgh / 2020VISION / Fisherman removing a Spiny spider crab (Maja squinado) from a tangle net on a small fishing boat, St. Ives, Cornwall, England, UK, June 2011 Model released

Toby Roxburgh / 2020VISION / Fishermen catching a Spiny spider crab (Maja squinado) using a tangle net on a small fishing boat, St. Ives, Cornwall, England, UK, June 2011 Model released

Toby Roxburgh / 2020VISION / Basket of Edible crabs (Cancer pagurus) and Spiny spider crabs (Maja squinado), caught using pots, Cornwall, England, UK, April 2011

Toby Roxburgh / 2020VISION / Bucket of Spiny spider crabs (Maja squinado), caught by tangle net, St. Ives, Cornwall, England, UK, June 2011

Toby Roxburgh / 2020VISION / Fisherman putting a Spiny spider crab (Maja squinado) into a seawater storage container on a small fishing boat, St. Ives, Cornwall, UK, June 2011 Model released

Toby Roxburgh / 2020VISION / Fisherman removing a Spiny spider crab (Maja squinado) from a tangle net on a small fishing boat, St. Ives, Cornwall, England, UK, June 2011 Model released

Toby Roxburgh / 2020VISION / Fisherman heading back to port with a full basket of Edible crabs (Cancer pagurus) and Spiny spider crabs (Maja squinado), caught using pots from 'Rhiannon', a crabber based in Porthleven, Cornwall, E...

Toby Roxburgh / 2020VISION / Fisherman removing a Spiny spider crab (Maja squinado) from a tangle net on a small fishing boat, St. Ives, Cornwall, England, UK, June 2011 Model released.

Piotr Naskrecki / Spiny Spider (Micrathena schreibersi), Sipaliwini, Surinam

Piotr Naskrecki / Spiny Spider (Micrathena clypeata), Sipaliwini, Surinam

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Discarded exoskeletons following moulting of aggregation of Spider crabs (Maja squinado) in shallow water off Burton Bradstock, Dorset, UK, August

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Aggregation of Spider crabs (Maja squinado) in shallow water off Burton Bradstock, Dorset, UK, August

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Aggregation of Spider crabs (Maja squinado) in shallow water off Burton Bradstock, Dorset, UK, August

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Aggregation of Spider crabs (Maja squinado) in shallow water off Burton Bradstock, Dorset, UK, August. Did you know? Spider crabs camouflage themselves by allowing algae and other marine plants to gro...

Piotr Naskrecki / Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha sapperi) in web, Papua New Guinea

Chien Lee / Spiked Spider (Gasteracantha sp), Semengoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia

Chien Lee / Hasselt's Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha hasselti), Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Chien Lee / Jumping Spider (Salticidae) mimicking Spiny Ant (Polyrhachis armata), Gunung Penrissen, Borneo, Malaysia

Bernard Castelein / Spiny Orbwever Spider (Gastheracantha cancriformis) on web, Jozani Chwaka Bay NP, Zanzibar, Tanzania

Pete Oxford / Spiked Spider (Gasteracantha sp), Kanuku Protected Area, Rupununi, Guyana

Graham Eaton / Spiny Spider Crab (Maja squinado) on a kelp covered pinnacle, in a rockpool, Abersoch, Wales, UK. May.

Tim Laman / Spiny-backed orb-weaver spider (Gasteracantha sp) on rainforest leaf in Gunung Palung National Park, Borneo, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

Chien Lee / Curved Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha arcuata) showing unusual tubercles with unknown function, Lambir Hills National Park, Borneo, Malaysia

Chien Lee / Curved Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha arcuata) with unusual tubercles with unknown function, Lambir Hills National Park, Borneo, Malaysia

Alan Watson / Spider / Flat tailed tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides) in spiny forest, Reniala Reserve, SW Madagascar, Critically endangered

Graham Eaton / Spiny Spider Crab (Maja squinado) amongst kelp, Cardigan Bay, Wales, UK, June

Tim Laman / Spiny backed spider (Gasteracatha sp) on dew covered web, Tari Valley vicinity, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea

Sue Daly / Spiny spider crab {Maja squinado} close up of mouthparts, Channel Islands, UK

Sue Daly / Spiny spider crab {Maja squinado} on seabed, Channel Islands, UK

Scott Leslie / Spinybacked Orb-weaver Spider (Gasteracantha cancriformis) on web, Everglades National Park, Florida

Scott Leslie / Spinybacked Orb-weaver Spider (Gasteracantha cancriformis) on web, Everglades National Park, Florida

Thomas Marent / Curved Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha arcuata) on web, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Borneo, Malaysia

Tim Laman / Spiny-backed Orb-weaver (Gasteracantha sp) spider in the rainforest, Sierra Madre National Park, Luzon, Philippines, September

Alan James / Spiny spider crab {Maja squinado} with Pulmose anemone, UK

Pete Oxford / Spider / Flat tailed tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides arachnoides) in 'spiny' forest between Itampolo village and entrance to Tsimanampetsotsa Reserve in south-west MADAGASCAR, endemic

Pete Oxford / Spider / Flat tailed tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides arachnoides) in 'spiny' forest between Itampolo village and entrance to Tsimanampetsotsa Reserve in south-west MADAGASCAR, endemic

Sue Daly / Shiny spider crab {Maja squinado} Jersey, Channel Is, UK St Aubins bay

Piotr Naskrecki / Spiny Spider (Micrathena obtusospina) hanging from silk tread, Dominican Republic

Piotr Naskrecki / Spinybacked Orb-weaver Spider (Gasteracantha cancriformis) their abdomen, or opisthosoma, is heavily sclerotized and armed with hard spines possibly to protect against birds and lizards, Dominican Rep...

Piotr Naskrecki / Spinybacked Orb-weaver Spider (Gasteracantha cancriformis) their abdomen, or opisthosoma, is heavily sclerotized and armed with hard spines possibly to protect against birds and lizards, Solomon Islan...

Piotr Naskrecki / Spiked Spider (Gasteracantha sp) portrait, Costa Rica

Michael & Patricia Fogden / Orb-weaver Spider (Micrathena sp) on Erythrina flowers, cloud forest, Costa Rica

Michael & Patricia Fogden / Orb-weaver Spider (Micrathena sp) camouflaged on plant, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica

Alan James / Spiny spider crab pair {Maja squinado} UK

Nick Upton / Moulted crarapaces and legs of Common spider crabs / Spiny spider crabs (Maja brachydactyla / Maja squinado) and moulted carapaces washed up on Rhossili Bay, with the Worm's Head in the background, Th...

Nick Upton / Moulted carapaces and legs of Common spider crabs / Spiny spider crabs (Maja brachydactyla / Maja squinado) washed up on sandy beach. Rhossili Bay, The Gower Peninsula, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Moulted carapace and legs of Common spider crab / Spiny spider crab (Maja brachydactyla / Maja squinado) washed up on sandy beach. Rhossili Bay, The Gower Peninsula, UK, July.

Piotr Naskrecki / Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha taeniata) male, Papua New Guinea

Piotr Naskrecki / Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha taeniata) female in web, Papua New Guinea

Dan Burton / Spiny spider crab {Maja squinado} Scotland UK