sea spider

noun

1. any member of the arthropod class Pycnogonida, marine invertebrates with eight long walking legs attached to a small body consisting of a cephalothorax and vestigial abdomen.

sea spider

noun

1. a small marine arachnid, having four pairs of legs and somewhat resembling a spider, unusual in that the male carries the eggs once they are laid and cares for the offspring

Word History and Origins

Origin of sea spider¹

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

In January, for example, researchers found corals, sponges and even giant sea spiders some 750 feet under the waves — all suddenly unearthed when a glacier broke free during a Schmidt Ocean Institute voyage.

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The reproduction of giant sea spiders in Antarctica has been largely unknown to researchers for more than 140 years, until now.

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Most notable among them was Charles Wyville Thomson, a Scotsman who in the 1860s hauled up glass sponges, sea spiders, and other curiosities—thus debunking a theory that the deep ocean was lifeless.

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An unprotected clutch would prove an easy snack for predators like starfish, polychaete worms and sea spiders, Dr. Cheng said.

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The results showed which body parts evolved when, and revealed that the ancestors of modern sea spiders are much older and hardier than previously thought.

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