Spiders are creepy, weird creatures that inspire fear and fascination in everyone from the very young to adults. Some are beneficial yet were still terrified of them. Some are harmless and others can poison much larger species with seeming little effort, but were still intrigued by them. Although most spiders in western Canada are conventional web weavers and ground hunters, some species shoot down prey with bullets of glue, dive underwater to catch fish or communicate through dance. A unique variety of ecosystems and microhabitats for spiders occurs here, and the diversity of species is astounding. Arachnologists John and Kathleen Hancock have spent their lives studying spiders and in this field guide provide insights into nearly 100 of these fascinating creatures, including: over 400 full-colour illustrations and photographs of spiders and their webs, emphasizing key identifying features description of abdomen, carapace and size for each species, as well as the microhabitat is which it is found information about spider anatomy, feeding, reproduction, moulting and web building instructions for how to observe and collect spiders.