Spider

The spider was the second mob added to the game. The spiders' eyes glow red and can be seen in the dark, making their appearance rather creepy. Unlike most other hostile mobs (1x1x2 box), the spider is a flat mob (2x2x1 box). It cannot enter the same narrow spaces that zombies and other tall mobs can, but it can crawl into places where the ceiling is too low for any other mobs. Seeing as they are much larger than zombies, they can be hit rather easily with arrows. A lone spider is easy enough to deal with, but a pack can quickly close distance on the player due to their jumping ability.

During the day, Spiders become neutral, not becoming aggressive until they are attacked. When the spider is in a passive condition, their eyes do not glow red. The player will not receive damage if they touch them. Neutral spiders become aggresive again as soon as night falls or player moves into darkness. If they were chasing the player during night they will usually continue.

Damage

Easy  - 0.5 heart (1 armor)

Normal - 1 heart (2 armor)

Hard  - 1.5 hearts (3 armor)

Spiders make a sound somewhat like someone slurping a straw or a mix of a screech and paper rustling and their distinctive noises can warn the player of their presence.

Spiders can be mounted by skeletons.

Hunting
Spiders can prove difficult to hunt, but because they drop strings, they can be found as a very rewarding kill. Proper equipment for hunting spiders would include a weapon, like sword or bow and form of armor. However due to their great ability to close distances, bows are preferred by many players as spiders present a large target. When attacking packs it is suggested to pick off the ones that wander away from where they came from to avoid startling any other spiders. Spiders are one of the most aggressive mobs in Minecraft, and should never be underestimated.

History
Spiders were in the game since Survival Test and they haven't changed much. During that time, they moved at the same speed as today but they could not jump as far. Killing this mob nets 105 points. Spiders were once brown.

Drops
Survival:
 * 0-2 brown mushrooms
 * 105 points

Alpha:
 * 0-2 pieces of string