Who has eight legs: a spider, a beetle, or a tick? - briefly
Spiders and ticks each have eight legs, while beetles have six.
Who has eight legs: a spider, a beetle, or a tick? - in detail
Spiders belong to the class Arachnida, a group defined by having four pairs of walking legs. Each pair consists of a single jointed segment, giving a total of eight legs. The leg arrangement is uniform across all spider species, from tarantulas to garden spiders, and serves both locomotion and prey capture.
Ticks are also arachnids. Adult ticks exhibit the same eight‑leg configuration as spiders. During the larval stage a tick has only six legs, but after the first molt it becomes a nymph with eight legs, and the adult retains this count. Thus, in their mature form, ticks possess eight legs.
Beetles are insects, classified in the order Coleoptera. Insects characteristically have three pairs of legs, totaling six. Beetles follow this pattern regardless of size or habitat. Their legs are attached to the thorax and are adapted for walking, digging, or swimming, but never exceed six.
- Spider: eight legs (consistent throughout life)
- Tick: eight legs in nymph and adult stages
- Beetle: six legs (throughout life)
Consequently, the eight‑legged organisms among the three are spiders and adult ticks; beetles have six legs.