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Those Creepy Crawlies...the Secret World of Spiders - Part 2

The Jumpers Jumping spiders are fascinating leaping stars of the spider world. The observe using their big eyes and have excellent eye site. Like all spiders they have four pairs of eyes giving them 360 degree eyesight. Their eyes are also capable focusing by moving out or inwards as well as turning up and down, left and right. Furthermore, the spider can turn its carapace (breast) to look around. Both images: Boreal Jumping spiders Phidippus sp.
		You'll find these spiders almost everywhere on sunny days, lurking on flowers, shrubs, grasses and rocks. Once prey is spotted, they track, stalk and calculate the jumping distance, suddenly leaping out, propelled by their strong back legs. If you observe a jumping spider, you'll see that it always releases a life-line when it leaps or drops down. Although Jumping spiders are generally small (up to 12 mm) they can be fun to observe as they have an inquisitive nature, often striking colours and of course amazing jumping abilities.
The Web Builders Everyone has seen a cobweb in the garden or often mysteriously appearing dusty, forgotten corners in the house. Building webs is the third hunting method of spiders. A web is carefully constructed with the hope that something tasty wanders along or flies in and gets trapped. Sometimes, web builders will wrap its prey up to immobilize it before administering a fatal bite. Here are two web builders:
Cross spider, Araneus diadematus This garden spider builds large webs often two to three feet across, hanging from shrubs three to six feet off the ground. Webs are usually built after dusk as the spider likes to hide away in leaves or trees during the day. Undamaged webs will be left for the next night of hunting.		Hackled-mesh Weaver,  Amaurobiidae sp. You'll notice how the web of this spider is fluffy and not sticky. It's believed that the silk is charged with static electricity and the thready fluffs tangle the prey as it tries to escape.
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