The global family of trap-door spiders, relatives of tarantulas, are also fond of burrowing. They have a special row of teeth that are adapted to help them dig holes to make a home even in very dry soil and sturdy legs to assist with the excavation.
They construct a tunnel, around 15cm (6in) in length, which sometimes includes a branch tunnel, and line it with the silk other spiders extrude to make webs.
They then fashion a ‘door’ to cover the entrances to one or both of the tunnels. This door has a hinge made of the same silk.
Some species of trap-door spider make a lid for their tunnel that resembles a cork in a bottle, formed from soil and plant material mixed with spider silk. Others make do with just the silk, but weave it into a delicate circular flap that works just as well as a seal.
Radiating from the woven tunnel lining, the spider lays thin strands of silk that act like trip wires. As it lurks behind the door a twitch on the wire alerts it to the fact that something which might make a tasty meal has just walked past.
The spider then flings back the door, pounces on the prey and drags it back into the tunnel to consume. Female trap doors stay in their tunnel for most of their lives. Males venture outside to search for a mate.
This article by Sheena Harvey was first published by Discover Wildlife on 30 May 2026. Lead Image: Oxford Scientific / Getty Images.
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