Although ''jorougumo'' literally translates to "woman spider", and despite incorrectly-held beliefs and urban legends claiming otherwise, jorougumo are not an all-female species; their sex distribution is roughly 50/50, like most creatures in the Mazes.
In lieu of humanoid legs, the jorougumo possesses an arachnid half, in such a configuration that the humanoid half is placed onto where the thorax would be. The arachnid half is usually shades of brown, sometimes black, and covered in light patches of black hair, reminiscent of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recluse_spider recluse spiders]. It possesses 8 legs and an abdomen, but lacks spinnerets, and indeed the ability to fabricate silk or spider webs. Instead, the tips of each leg secrete a glue-like substance which helps them grip onto any surface, and allow them to walk, run, hop over short distances, and generally traverse any kind of terrain. With sufficient agilitypractice, a jorougumo can "wall-run" over very short distances, with all eight legs running briefly on a vertical surface. Some have claimed the ability to stand or even walk upside down, on the ceiling, but these are exaggerated claims with no basis in reality.
Jorougumo are immune to most known poisons and venoms, including their own, and have the ability to recognize when something is poisonous by licking it or eating it (describing the taste as "metallic" and generally unpleasant). This seemingly innocuous ability makes it easier for them to survive on their own, particularly in the Uncivilized Area, but it is also very helpful to complete a [[hakutaku]]'s abilities; if the former can identify mushrooms on sight, the latter can eat and sustain themselves off of the poisonous ones. As such, jorougumo have been traditionally given scouting, scavenging, reconnaissance, and other exploratory roles.