In this article, you will learn all about whether spiders make noise and what kind of sounds they are able to produce.
Do spiders purr, hiss, or scream? This article discusses all that and more.
You might even be surprised that there are spiders in the world that have the ability to make sounds similar to a dog’s bark.
Let’s get into the sounds spiders make!
Do Spiders Make Noise?
The majority of spiders make no noise at all, but there are some spider species that have the capabilities for producing vibrations and sounds.
Spiders don’t have vocal cords and don’t have the ability to produce sounds through their mouths, so they rely on their bodies to produce sounds through vibration.
Since spiders can’t produce vocal sounds, the ones that do make noise are able to produce sounds by stridulation.
In many cases when spiders make noise, these sounds won’t be loud enough for the human ear to hear.
The spiders that are capable of making noise are able to do so by rubbing the tiny hairs or bristles on their forelegs and pedipalps together. Some also use bristles on their hind legs.
When rubbing these tiny hairs or bristles together, the friction produces sounds.
Stridulation is the process of rubbing specific body parts together to produce vibrations and sounds that can be heard.
Stridulation is how many insects such as crickets and grasshoppers make sounds.
But it isn’t seen or heard in many spider species and most spiders make no noise at all.
What Sounds Do Spiders Make?
Since the majority of spiders found around the world make no sounds at all, it isn’t likely that you will encounter too many spiders making noise, especially in your house.
But if you do encounter a spider that makes noise, you may hear some odd sounds and may not be able to pick up on exactly what you are really hearing.
Below is a breakdown of all types of sounds you may or may not hear a spider making so you can better understand the noises you might hear coming from a spider.
Do Spiders Hiss?
Some spiders are known to make a hissing sound. The sound varies from species to species and the reason they make the sound varies as well.
Some spiders make a hissing sound to communicate during mating while other spiders hiss as a natural defense and warning to ward off predators.
Do Spiders Purr?
Some spider species produce sounds that are similar to a purr. However, these sounds are not produced in the same way a cat purrs.
Spiders purr by producing vibrations that hit dried leaves around them, which causes the leaves to vibrate.
The vibrating leaves produce a purring sound that can be audibly heard at a low frequency.
Do Spiders Squeak?
Females of short-bodied cellar spiders (Physocyclus globosus) emit high-frequency sounds that sound like squeaks during sex.
Females make these squeaky sounds by scraping their pedipalps against the surface of their fangs.
The female communicates squeaking sounds to the male if he is being too rough while mating or if she wants the male to pick up the pace and finish mating.
Do Spiders Scream?
Spiders definitely know what screams sound like due to all of the people around the world that have arachnophobia and freak out at the sight of a spider.
It is well-known that humans know how to scream at spiders, but are spiders capable of screaming at humans?
No, spiders do not scream. Spiders don’t have the ability to scream because they have no way to vocalize anything that would sound remotely close to a scream since they don’t have vocal cords.
Do Spiders Chirp or Chitter?
Palpimanus spiders, also referred to as palp-footed spiders, were found to chirp or chitter possibly as a defense mechanism to avoid being cannibalized by another spider of the same species – a study suggests.
The study used spiders with poor eyesight that normally preyed on other spiders to determine if the sound was used for defense.
They produce the sounds by rubbing their mouthparts with their front appendages.
The study found that when two spiders of the genus were placed together, it was unlikely that they would attack each other if they emitted chirping sounds after touching.
The spiders that didn’t make chirps were usually killed by the other spiders they were placed with.
Do Spiders Buzz?
The sounds that Palpimanus spiders make also sound like a series of buzz sounds. In the study, buzzing and chirping were heard coming from the spiders.
It was described as a buzzing chirping sound when the spiders were alerting the other spiders of their presence.
Other spiders that make noise may have sounds that sound similar to buzzing.
When spiders make noise, these sounds are typically produced by rubbing body parts together and making vibrations. These vibrations can have a buzzing sound.
Can Spiders Bark?
Barking spiders are real and get their names because they make loud barking sounds by rubbing body parts together. The barking sounds are made by these spiders to deter predators.
Can Spiders Growl?
It is believed that certain species of wolf spiders and possibly camel spiders produce sounds similar to what humans would interpret as a growl.
Although wolf spiders are known to make purring sounds, when these sounds are amplified to a louder degree, they can sound more like growls than purrs.
Can Spiders Hum?
Spiders do not hum but scientists have discovered that their webs just might. A study found that certain frequencies were produced by spider webs based on the silk of the spider.
Webs produce vibrations that alert a spider of information including when the prey gets trapped in their web.
These vibrations also alert a spider when its web needs repaired or when intruders get too close.
These sounds, when amplified, can make sort of a humming sound to the human ear.
Can Spiders Whistle?
Barking spiders are also commonly referred to as whistling spiders. One species of barking spider is known as the Queensland whistling tarantula.
Even though they are called whistling spiders, the noise they make sounds more like barking.
There are no known spiders that actually make a sound similar to a whistle.
Do House Spiders Make Noise?
No, common house spiders do not make any noise at all. House spiders are silent and small. They don’t have the capability to produce any sounds.
Instead of having sound as a defense mechanism, they just run for their lives when danger is around them.
Do Wolf Spiders Make Noise?
Some species of wolf spiders make purring or hissing sounds. There is a debate among scientists on whether or not the sounds certain wolf spiders make are a hiss or purr sound.
But scientists do agree that wolf spiders are among the noisier spiders that produce sound.
They make sounds by rubbing the hairs or bristles on their front legs together. While humans can hear these sounds, other spiders don’t because they don’t have ears.
Spiders communicate through vibrations and need to be within close proximity of other spiders to pick up the vibrations through the foliage because they can’t hear the actual noise.
Do Black Widows Make Noise?
Black widows can make vibrations using their abdomens that produce sounds that are intended to communicate with potential partners.
However, these sounds are not audible to the human ear.
Black widow females have a reputation for eating males after mating, so males have to be really careful and need to produce vibrations the female can feel to know they are of the same species and are not potential prey.
However, after mating, some black widow males still get cannibalized by their female partners so the vibrations don’t help them in those instances when they become prey.
Do Brown Recluses Make Noise?
Brown recluses are not capable of making any noise that can be picked up by the human ear. Brown recluses are considered to be silent spiders.
Do Tarantulas Make Noise?
Tarantulas do make noise and they are some of the noisiest spiders in the world.
Some tarantulas emit a hissing or rasping noise as a warning and to ward off predators by rubbing the hairs or bristles of their front pair of legs with their pedipalps (pair of sensory appendages attached to the cephalothorax).
Other species of tarantulas can create similar vibrations and sounds by rubbing specialized bristles together on their hind legs.
Do Spiders Communicate With Sounds?
Yes, spiders communicate with sounds for several reasons. Some female spiders use sounds during mating to communicate with the males if they are ready for the male to finish or if the male is being too rough.
Some spiders that prey on other spiders will also use sounds to communicate with other spiders of the same species so they don’t get eaten.
Other spiders can produce vibrations and sounds when entering another spider’s domain to let the local spider know they are another spider and not prey, although some end up being prey regardless.
However, these sounds are not intended to be heard by other spiders because spiders don’t have ears or eardrums.
Spiders communicate through vibrations that just happen to make noise at times. The noise produced is just the side effects of the vibrations.
Recap
In this article, you learned that some spiders make noise by a process known as stridulation.
Stridulation is the process of rubbing body parts together to produce vibrations and sounds.
Most spiders make no noise at all. Some species of wolf spiders and many species of tarantulas are capable of making noise using their bodies.
When spiders make noise, they usually produce these vibrations and sounds to warn predators of their presence and willingness to fight or to communicate with partners during mating.
Thank you for checking out this article! If you enjoyed this one, check out more interesting articles about spider behavior.
