What are young spiders called?

Young spiders are called spiderlings. They hatch from eggs inside a silk egg sac and emerge as tiny, sexually immature spiders that already resemble adults in overall body shape.

Unlike many insects, spiders do not pass through a larval or pupal stage. Their development is closer to a miniature version of adulthood: spiderlings have eight legs, a cephalothorax, an abdomen, and the basic equipment needed to hunt and grow. They become larger through repeated moulting, shedding the rigid exoskeleton that cannot expand.

The word “hatchling” can describe an animal that has recently emerged from an egg, but it is not the usual specific name for a young spider. “Larva” and “nymph” are also associated with different developmental patterns: larvae are often very different from adults, while nymph is commonly used for immature insects and some other arthropods. Spiderlings may remain together for a time, disperse by releasing silk threads in a behavior called ballooning, or receive care from a parent. Wolf spider spiderlings, for example, famously ride on their mother’s back.