Arachnids are arthropod animals.
Arachnids are the arthropod animals that make up the class Arachnida . These are species that have a cephalothorax (the head attached to the thorax), four mouth appendages and eight legs. These living beings, on the other hand, lack compound eyes and antennae.
Spiders , scorpions , and ticks are arachnids. Even tiny mites are part of this group. The anatomy of these animals shows that the body of an arachnid is divided into two tagmas: the aforementioned cephalothorax and the abdomen. The legs, for their part, are organized in four pairs. It should be noted that the classification of arthropods refers to the presence of articulated appendages and an external skeleton.
Characteristics of arachnids
Arachnids resort to air respiration, having tracheas, phyllotracheas or both organs simultaneously. Regarding circulation, they have two hearts that are located in a kind of tube.
Although there are differences between species, in general arachnids resort to a carnivorous diet . Once they catch the prey , they cover it with digestive juices and then carry it to a preoral chamber before reaching the mouth. A part of the digestive process, in this way, takes place outside the body.
Regarding reproduction , arachnids usually carry out it through eggs (that is, they are oviparous ), although certain species are ovoviviparous (the eggs develop inside the organism). Animals of this class are unisexed: males transmit their sperm indirectly to the female.
Scorpions are arachnids.
The cultural question
Human beings can form bonds with any species, although the most normal thing is that we limit ourselves to other warm-blooded mammals, perhaps because it is easier for us to see ourselves reflected in them and understand their behaviors. Regarding insects , only a minority of people can approach them without fear or disgust; Of course, arachnids do not belong to this group but, as mentioned above, to arthropods, although in everyday speech a clear distinction is not made.
Arachnids occupy a very important place in human culture, since they are part of countless artistic works and myths of different kinds. Cultural arachnology is responsible for studying these manifestations (we should not confuse it with academic ).
The scorpion is one of the arachnids most feared by our species, but it has also given rise to the creation of various symbols thanks to its peculiar physical appearance. In fact, it is a very common element in most ancient beliefs , and the main reasons are as follows:
- On the one hand, the danger that the toxicity of its poison represents for us (many centuries ago, the absence of modern medical techniques and scientific knowledge greatly enhanced it).
- The ecological preferences of this arachnid, which usually revolve around deserts and steppes, make it a presence that is impossible to ignore in the most inhospitable places on the planet, those in which human beings have fewer tools to defend themselves and survive. an attack
On the other hand, there is the spider, the arthropod with the greatest presence in primitive mythology; It is an animal that has appeared in cultures around the world for more than five millennia , and whose image has been used to represent both divine and evil beings. This arachnid is found in symbols of creation and fertility, as well as in images of war and destruction, an ambivalence that can be seen in very ancient beliefs. Both species continue to enjoy popularity in contemporary works, both in books and drawings, films and video games, among other forms of art.