John Clark Jr., age 10, of Prescott, Arizona for his question:

HOW DEEP IS A TRAP DOOR SPIDER'S HOLE?

Trap door spider is the common name for a number of large, hairy, harmless tropical spiders that nest underground. A species that is common in the southwestern part of the United States digs holes that are about one inch in diameter and sometimes about 12 inches deep.

Trap door spiders make long burrows in the earth, line them with silk, which they spin, and then fashion at the entrance a bevel edged, hinged, accurately fitting trap door made of alternate layers of earth and silk. The upper surface of the door is covered with earth or gravel, thus disguising the entrance.

The nests of trap door spiders are generally in pairs, but whether they are occupied by different sexes is not known. The young hatch in the burrow of the mother and live there for a few weeks. Then they leave the nest and begin small underground burrows of their own.

Trap door spiders eat ants and other insects.