Andrew Peel chose….

Spider and scorpion

Spiders and scorpions are hated and feared by many, but I hope to begin to change your mind about them. Spiders are very successful hunters, eating lots of creepy-crawlies. They are the masters of producing silk and building webs. They (almost never) bite people in Britain and if they do, only a couple of them have a painful bite.

The majority of scorpions don't have a powerful sting. Some of them, after they've eaten, don't have to eat for up to a year. They are brilliant parents, protecting their young on their backs. They glow in the dark if you shine an ultraviolet light on them!

Andrew Peel is the Lunt Roman Fort Administrator

What the curator says:

Spider and scorpion

The spider is a male Mexican red-kneed tarantula (Brachypelma smithi). Males can live for ten to 15 years, while females live for up to 20 years. They do not bite to defend themselves, but shoot hairs from their body that cause irritation. These tarantulas used to be caught for the pet trade and the species is now endangered. They are on the CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) list which controls the trade in endangered wild animals.

This emperor scorpion (Pandinus imporator) from Africa is one of the largest scorpions. They were popular pets because they are large and their sting is relatively harmless to humans. They are now endangered and CITES listed. Scorpions and spiders are in a group of animals called arachnids. Arachnids are easily identified because they all have eight legs.