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In addition to preserving spiders' anatomy in very fine detail, pieces of amber show spiders mating, killing prey, producing silk and possibly caring for their young. In a few cases, amber has preserved spiders' egg sacs and webs, occasionally with prey attached; [ 93 ] the oldest fossil web found so far is 100 million years old. [ 94 ]
Prey is captured when insects, other arthropods, or small vertebrates disturb the 'trip' lines the spider lays out around its trapdoor, alerting the spider to a meal within reach. The spider detects the prey by vibrations and, when it comes close enough, leaps out of its burrow to make the capture.
Archaeidae, also known as assassin spiders and pelican spiders, is a spider family with about ninety described species in five genera. [1] It contains small spiders, ranging from 2 to 8 millimetres (0.079 to 0.315 in) long, that prey exclusively on other spiders. [ 2 ]
Deinopis, also known as net-casting spiders, gladiator spiders and ogre-faced spiders, [2] is a genus of net-casting spiders that was first described by W. S. MacLeay in 1839. [3] Its distribution is widely tropical and subtropical. They catch their prey using a specially spun "net".
Scorpions, spiders and pseudoscorpions secrete venom from specialized glands to kill prey or defend themselves. [29] Their venom also contains pre-digestive enzymes that helps breaking down the prey. [ 30 ] [ 31 ] [ 32 ] The saliva of ticks contains anticoagulants and anticomplements, and several species produce a neurotoxin .
Latrodectus mactans, known as southern black widow or simply black widow, and the shoe-button spider, [citation needed] is a venomous species of spider in the genus Latrodectus. The females are well known for their distinctive black and red coloring and for the fact that they will occasionally eat their mates after reproduction.
Spiders are compelled to retrieve snagged prey upon vibratory cues. [11] The Stegodyphus dumicola have been found to follow a “shy” and a “bold” personality, where shy spiders are latent and do not respond to prey capture stimuli, and bold spiders are active and seek to forage. Smaller spiders tend to have a bold personality.
To feed, the spider's mouth pulses digestive juices over the prey, which liquifies, which the spider internalizes by capillary action, sucking the slurry into its mouth. [ 18 ] [ 19 ] Their prey consists of small insects such as flies, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars. [ 19 ]