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A collective web of Agelena consociata in Uganda.. A social spider is a spider species whose individuals form relatively long-lasting aggregations.Whereas most spiders are solitary and even aggressive toward other members of their own species, some hundreds of species in several families show a tendency to live in groups, often referred to as colonies.
They are distinguished from true spiders by their two pairs of book lungs, vertically oriented chelicerae, and urticating setae. However, like all members of Psalmopoeus , P. irminia lack these urticating hairs but make up for it by having stronger venom compared to other New World tarantulas.
Spiders have been observed to grab onto the prey's leg and move away into an area when none of the spiders can see it eating first. Otherwise, all the individuals in the nest eat together, breaking away different portions to jointly divide the meal. Communal feeding occurs even with spiders who may not have taken part in the prey capture.
What do tarantulas eat? Tarantulas normally hunt by staying in their burrows and waiting for their prey to come to them, according to a Texas A&M field guide. Their prey includes crickets, beetles ...
Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. [2] As of December 2023, 1,100 species have been identified, with 166 genera. [3] The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although many other members of the same infraorder (Mygalomorphae) are commonly referred to as "tarantulas" or "false tarantulas".
The gravity hypothesis suggests that some species of spiders may favor smaller body sizes because they enable them to climb up plants more efficiently and find a mate faster. [29] Also smaller males may be favored because they hatch and mature faster, giving them a direct advantage in finding and mating with a female. [ 30 ]
Luckily, spiders eat mostly insects -- especially the ones you may also find in your home. But as spiders get bigger, so do their prey, and larger arachnids feast on lizards, birds and small mammals.
But Rod Crawford, arachnid curator at the Burke Museum, said "spiders probably find sleeping humans terrifying" because we "create vibrations that warn spiders of danger."