Spiders

Archive for July, 2009

arachnid tick tick tick
Can I say that arachnids are a carnivorous family?

i mean spiders, scorpions, ticks, and mites all are carnivorous right? I need guidance right away.

First, Arachnids are a CLASS, not a family.
Spiders, Scorpions, and the ticks and mites, belong to different Orders.

Second, most arachnids are carnivores. Almost all spiders and scorpions are carnivores (there is an exception). The rest of the arachnid groups are generally carnivore as well.

Ticks and Mites are a different story. Calling a tick a carnivore is misleading. They do not prey on animals and do not scavenge dead animals, they feed off of living animals, making them parasites. Mites are not predators either, and can be parasites (of both plants and animals) or detrivores, which are animals that feed of decaying organic matter.

There are also the Opiliones, commonly called harvestmen or daddy long legs, and species of them can be carnivores or herbivores. Many harvestmen live off fungus, prey on aphids, or scavenge dead animals.

Dog Tick of Wenatchee Dermacentor variabilis