How do they detect prey?

By feeling vibrations near the door

How do they catch prey?

Bursting out of the door to ambush

Trapdoor Spider Quiz: Silk-Lined Burrows and Hidden Doors

This trapdoor spider quiz lifts the lid on one of nature's best ambush homes. Play 10 interactive questions on burrows lined with silk, hinged doors made of silk and soil, sensing vibrations at the entrance, lightning ambushes, mygalomorph fangs, females that stay home for decades, an Australian spider that lived 43 years, wandering males and why burrows matter.

Start Trapdoor Spider Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Home
Where do trapdoor spiders live?
Lining
What lines their burrows?
Door
What covers the entrance?
Sense
How do they detect prey?
Attack
How do they catch prey?
Group
Which spider group do they belong to?
Fangs
How do mygalomorph fangs move?
Life
How long can female trapdoor spiders live?
Record
How long did a famous Australian trapdoor spider live?
Males
What do adult males do?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Where do trapdoor spiders live?
Answer: In burrows in the ground
Burrows can be quite deep.
Q2: What lines their burrows?
Answer: Silk
Silk keeps walls firm.
Q3: What covers the entrance?
Answer: A hinged door of silk and soil
It blends with the ground.
Q4: How do they detect prey?
Answer: By feeling vibrations near the door
Some lay silk trip lines.
Q5: How do they catch prey?
Answer: Bursting out of the door to ambush
Then they drag prey inside.
Q6: Which spider group do they belong to?
Answer: Mygalomorphs
Tarantulas are relatives.
Q7: How do mygalomorph fangs move?
Answer: Up and down
Unlike many other spiders.
Q8: How long can female trapdoor spiders live?
Answer: Many years, even decades
They rarely leave the burrow.
Q9: How long did a famous Australian trapdoor spider live?
Answer: 43 years
She was known as Number 16.
Q10: What do adult males do?
Answer: Leave burrows to find females
Wandering is risky.

A Door to an Ambush

Trapdoor spiders live in burrows in the ground lined with silk, which keeps the walls firm. The entrance is covered by a hinged door made of silk and soil that blends with the ground. The spider waits just below, holding the door with its fangs and legs.

When an insect walks past, the spider feels vibrations, sometimes through silk trip lines spread around the entrance. It bursts out, grabs the prey and drags it inside, all in a fraction of a second. Trapdoor spiders are mygalomorphs, relatives of tarantulas, with fangs that move up and down.

Females rarely leave their burrows and can live for many years. In Australia, a female studied for decades, known as Number 16, lived 43 years, a record for a spider. Adult males leave their burrows to find females, a risky journey. Undisturbed soil is important for these long-lived spiders.

What This Quiz Teaches

Spider fans will enjoy these questions.

Where they live
How the door works
How they catch prey
How long they live
What males do

Did You Know?

Doors can be thick corks or thin wafers.
Some burrows have side tunnels.
Floods are a danger to burrows.
Spiderlings dig their own burrows near home.
They are mostly harmless to people.