Myth: All spiders are male

Myth: All spiders are male.

Fact: Of course, people don't literally believe that there are no female spiders. But they certainly talk as if they did! Nine times out of ten, callers telling me about a spider they found call it "he" or "him." A little reflection should show how silly this sounds. Unless you actually know a spider's sex, it makes more sense to call it "it."

Male spiders of any species are easy to recognize by the enlarged ends of the palps (the male sex organs). 
Illustration: Dictyna sublata female, male