Do you find daddy longlegs fascinating, scorpions cute, and think that spiders get a bad rep? If so, you may be suited for a career as an arachnologist - a scientist who studies the biology of these animals.
The Arachnid family is a huge one, consisting of over 90,000 discovered species, including spiders, scorpions, daddy longlegs, camel spiders (or solifugids), ticks, and mites. Arachnologists study the life cycles, behaviour, ecology and/or diversity of these species as a job or intense hobby.
Your subjects in school should include math and one science subject (biology or physics and chemistry) in order to be accepted in the course, which you can study at most universities. You’ll first need to attain a degree in Entomology and then specialise in the field of arachnology.
- Visit the Entomological Society of Southern Africa
- Study entomology at any one of the following institutions:
- Forensic entomology specifically deals with the study of insects and related arthropods in relation to legal evidence. Think CSI using insects as evidence. Interested? Apply to study this course at Rhodes University
- Most people can hardly look at a spider - let alone eat one! Cambodians prefer fried spiders to ice-cream...
- In 1973 two spiders called Arabella and Anita spun their webs in space
