• Email Us: [email protected]
  • Contact Us: +1 718 874 1545
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Medical Market Report

  • Home
  • All Reports
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Spider Crickets Are Like A Prehistoric Throwback To The Age Of Dinosaurs

April 23, 2025 by Deborah Bloomfield

Spider crickets are intriguing insects that often surprise homeowners with their long, spindly legs and sudden jumps. Don’t fear, though; they might look a bit creepy, but these creatures are harmless and do not bite humans.

What Are Spider Crickets?

Spider crickets – also known as cave crickets, cave wētā, land shrimp, sand treaders, jumping, and camel crickets – generally refer to a family of insects known as Rhaphidophoridae. They’re comprised of at least 1,100 species and are distributed across every continent on the Earth except Antarctica (the freak continent).

Species vary slightly in appearance, but they are all wingless, have long antennae, and possess large hind legs that enable them to jump significant distances. The most common genus in North America is Ceuthophilus. 

They’re typically found in caves, burrows, cellars, and under logs, preferring dark and humid environments. This is why you can occasionally come across spider crickets in a basement or old buildings. 

Research has shown that spider crickets are basically cave-dwelling scavengers that will eat anything, from peanut butter and jelly to rancid liver and American cheese.

Despite their nickname, they are not spiders – they are insects. Spiders are arachnids, so they don’t even fit in with the taxonomic class of Insecta. On the other hand, Rhaphidophoridae are firmly in the bracket of Insecta, fitting in with the same order as grasshoppers, locusts, and other crickets.

If you think they look like a prehistoric relic from the age of the dinosaurs, you’re not wrong. A 2024 study found that Rhaphidophoridae originated 138 million years ago throughout the Pangea supercontinent. As the landmasses moved apart, different lineages of Rhaphidophoridae evolved on each continent, flourishing into the diverse group we still today. 

So, it’s likely that dinosaurs walked side-by-side with an ancient ancestor of spider crickets. Given their archaic features, it’s likely they haven’t changed too much from this time. The same 2024 study argued that this family evolved winglessness in response to the low temperatures in the Mesozoic era.

Another species of spider cricket, Pachyrhamma edwardsii, pictured in New Zealand.

Another species of spider cricket, Pachyrhamma edwardsii, pictured in New Zealand.

Are spider crickets dangerous?

No, spider crickets are not dangerous. They do have a tendency to jump directly at things that startle them, like a human moving boxes in their basement. This is a defense mechanism designed to frighten potential predators. It might give you a scare, but they’re fairly harmless to humans as they don’t have fangs or a venomous bite.

How to get rid of a spider cricket

If you want to get rid of spider crickets, the  Farmers’ Almanac has this advice:

Indoors:

  • Seal gaps and cracks: Use caulk to properly seal your home’s foundation and close off potential entry points for spider crickets.
  • Control humidity: Moisture is a major attractant. Run a dehumidifier in damp areas. While it might take some time, reducing humidity can encourage them to move on.
  • Declutter damp spaces: Keep basements, garages, and other dark areas tidy. Removing clutter limits hiding spots, and adding lighting can help deter them as well.
  • Ensure good ventilation: Make sure crawl spaces are well-ventilated to prevent damp conditions.

Outdoors:

  • Relocate woodpiles: Store firewood at least 6 meters (20 feet) away from your home to discourage pests from lingering.
  • Keep trash bins away: Position garbage cans as far from your house as possible to minimize attraction.
  • Cut tall grass: Regularly mow your lawn to eliminate potential cover for crickets.
  • Consider reducing mulch: As a final step, you might want to remove or at least thin out mulch, which can retain moisture and offer shelter.

Deborah Bloomfield
Deborah Bloomfield

Related posts:

  1. Bolivian president calls for global debt relief for poor countries
  2. Five Seasons Ventures pulls in €180M fund to tackle human health and climate via FoodTech
  3. Humanity’s Journey To A Metal-Rich Asteroid Launches Today. Here’s How To Watch
  4. Unexplained And Deadly Heat Wave Hotspots Are Showing Up Across The Planet

Source Link: Spider Crickets Are Like A Prehistoric Throwback To The Age Of Dinosaurs

Filed Under: News

Primary Sidebar

  • Martian Mudstone Has Features That Might Be Biosignatures, New Brain Implant Can Decode Your Internal Monologue, And Much More This Week
  • Crocodiles Weren’t All Blood-Thirsty Killers, Some Evolved To Be Plant-Eating Vegetarians
  • Stratospheric Warming Event May Be Unfolding In The Southern Polar Vortex, Shaking Up Global Weather Systems
  • 15 Years Ago, Bees In Brooklyn Appeared Red After Snacking Where They Shouldn’t
  • Carnian Pluvial Event: It Rained For 2 Million Years — And It Changed Planet Earth Forever
  • There’s Volcanic Unrest At The Campi Flegrei Caldera – Here’s What We Know
  • The “Rumpelstiltskin Effect”: When Just Getting A Diagnosis Is Enough To Start The Healing
  • In 1962, A Boy Found A Radioactive Capsule And Brought It Inside His House — With Tragic Results
  • This Cute Creature Has One Of The Largest Genomes Of Any Mammal, With 114 Chromosomes
  • Little Air And Dramatic Evolutionary Changes Await Future Humans On Mars
  • “Black Hole Stars” Might Solve Unexplained JWST Discovery
  • Pretty In Purple: Why Do Some Otters Have Purple Teeth And Bones? It’s All Down To Their Spiky Diets
  • The World’s Largest Carnivoran Is A 3,600-Kilogram Giant That Weighs More Than Your Car
  • Devastating “Rogue Waves” Finally Have An Explanation
  • Meet The “Masked Seducer”, A Unique Bat With A Never-Before-Seen Courtship Display
  • Alaska’s Salmon River Is Turning Orange – And It’s A Stark Warning
  • Meet The Heaviest Jelly In The Seas, Weighing Over Twice As Much As A Grand Piano
  • For The First Time, We’ve Found Evidence Climate Change Is Attracting Invasive Species To Canadian Arctic
  • What Are Microfiber Cloths, And How Do They Clean So Well?
  • Stowaway Rat That Hopped On A Flight From Miami Was A “Wake-Up Call” For Global Health
  • Business
  • Health
  • News
  • Science
  • Technology
  • +1 718 874 1545
  • +91 78878 22626
  • [email protected]
Office Address
Prudour Pvt. Ltd. 420 Lexington Avenue Suite 300 New York City, NY 10170.

Powered by Prudour Network

Copyrights © 2025 · Medical Market Report. All Rights Reserved.

Go to mobile version