In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Trapdoor Spider in 8 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.
The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.
Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.
At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Trapdoor Spider.
Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.
How to Draw a Trapdoor Spider - Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: Let's start drawing a trapdoor Spider by drawing it's home, which is a nest in the ground. Draw the entrance by making a oval shape with a few bumps on it.
Step 2: Next, continue drawing the nest by adding a large curved line underneath.
Step 3: Add the first legs on the top by drawing a few pointy lines. These spiders hide inside their nest until prey comes close by. They are poisonous, but not harmful to people.
Step 4: Now a few more legs on the left by drawing a few more pointy lines.
Step 5: To draw the body of the Trapdoor Spider, make two small curved lines under the legs. They stay out of sight most of the time.
Step 6: Next, draw the head of the spider, which is very small.
Step 7: Draw some long lines coming from the end of the legs to make the sensory lines. The can sense when prey walks over these and come out to grab them. If it is a predator, the Spider runs out a second exit to the nest.
Step 8: Lastly, draw a few small lines inside the body to make the body spots. All done! Now color the Trapdoor Spider black.
Interesting Facts about Trapdoor Spiders
Trapdoor Spiders live in the ground and wait for prey to come to them. They build nests deep in the ground and line the hole with threads. When the prey walks over the nest, the spider feels the vibration through its silk. It rushes out to catch the food or to see if it is a predator. If there is a predator, the spider leaves its nest through a back door it has made. Trapdoor spiders live all over the world and measure to about 1-3 centimeters long. They are black or brown in color and try to stay out of sight.
Did you know?
- Trapdoor spiders are poisonous, but the poison doesn’t hurt people.
- Females live to 20 years old and males live to be 5.
- There are 120 species of Trapdoor Spider.
- The biggest threat to a Trapdoor Spider is the loss of habitat. In Malaysia there is colony of Trapdoor Spiders that are at risk of losing just that. The Gunung Kanthan is a limestone rich area with Trapdoor Spiders living underground. The mining industry wants to mine this limestone, but there are problems with the legal issue of taking the spiders’ home away.
- Females hang their eggs below the nest so that the spiderlings can go out on their own.
Activity: A cute treat for the bug crazy kid in your life is just a sucker, a couple of pipe cleaners, and a pair of google eyes away. Begin by cutting a pair of pipe cleaners into 4 pieces. Then fold the pipe cleaners in two sets of four so it wraps around the sucker’s stick. Turn the sucker over and separate the pipe cleaners into “legs.” Bend the bottoms slightly to make feet. Then glue the google eyes at the center.
How to Draw a Trapdoor Spider – Step-By-Step Tutorial