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sea spider
noun
: any of various small long-legged marine arthropods (class Pycnogonida) that superficially resemble spiders
Examples of sea spider in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But despite how prevalent sea spiders are, many researchers say the species is largely understudied.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
Living in the frigid waters off the coast of Antarctica, the giant sea spider has hatched its young in secrecy for over 140 years.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024
This reproduction strategy was unlike that exhibited by the majority of sea spiders.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024
Most notable among them was Charles Wyville Thomson, a Scotsman who in the 1860s hauled up glass sponges, sea spiders, and other curiosities—thus debunking a theory that the deep ocean was lifeless.
—Amy Brady, Scientific American, 20 June 2023
Now, the eight-legged sea spider Pycnogonum litorale — think of a marine creature related to terrestrial arachnids like spiders, scorpions and mites — has shown that anthropods can recover entire parts of their body, too.
—Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 6 Feb. 2023
In the study, scientists genetically sequenced all living sea spider families (spanning 89 species, all distantly related to land spiders) to create the first comprehensive family tree.
—Raleigh McElvery, Science | AAAS, 15 Sep. 2020
On the Beagle’s second voyage to Tierra del Fuego, in 1832, Charles Darwin was amazed at the variety of life found in the sea off the relatively barren archipelago: snails, starfish, sea spiders, and fish abounded in rafts of seaweed.
—Lucy Jakub, Harper's magazine, 2 Mar. 2020
Looking at the genomic sequencing of 53 species of arachnids, horseshoe crabs and sea spiders, Ballesteros' team found overwhelming data putting Xiphosura within the anarchid family.
—David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 28 Feb. 2019
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Word History
First Known Use
1855, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near sea spider
Cite this Entry
“Sea spider.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sea%20spider. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.
More from Merriam-Webster on sea spider
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sea spider
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