Spiders are animals of great cultural heft - divisive and evocative. In this episode, we largely eschew this - and instead, give the spiders a chance to just be spiders. Lets worry later about how we feel about spiders, and instead think about what a spider is, and how spiders live. Tom is joined by Professor Mariella Herberstien, behavioural ecologist, arachnologist and Eurovision Song Contest devotee, to discuss the incredible lives of spiders, giving a broad overview of these amazing animals. We discuss social behavior in spiders, the sensory world of spiders, deceptive behaviour, some of the functions of silk and the difficulties of connecting genetics with behaviour. 

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