Hobbies And Interests
Predatory Habits of Spiders
Spiders are predators and prefer fresh meat. Similar to predators such as bald eagles and wolves, spiders do occasionally scavenge. Some spiders aren't particular about what they eat while others eat only a specific food. Pirate spiders specialize in eating other spiders, according to Everything Spiders.info. Certain spiders prefer eating ants only.
Different Hunting Techniques
Most spiders spin a web to catch their prey. They twirl their webs between two trees and wait until something is caught and then crawl over to immobilize their prey with a venomous bite. This isn't the only technique used by arachnids. Tarantulas and wandering spiders use vibrations to alert them to when prey is nearby and then ambush the prey outside of their den. Wolf and jumping spiders hunt on the move and rely on sight to find their prey. Crab spiders rely on camouflage. They wait patiently on a leaf the same color as their body. Some spiders will dive into the poisonous pitcher plant and steal dead bugs killed by the carnivorous plant.
Creepy Sexual Habits
Amelia Tomas suggests the looks and the legs of a spider aren't its only creepy attribute. In an article for MSNBC, she states that the sex life of a spider might be just as creepy as the spider's appearance. "Once a session of quality lovemaking ends, the female of many species will often kill and eat the male after sex," she says. The reason for this is usually about food. Once the deed is done, all bets are off and as far as spiders are concerned, aformer spouse is just as delicious as an ant or a fly that happens to fly into the web. Smaller male spiders run a bigger risk of this automatic method of divorce. It's not always the husband who becomes post-coital lunch. The male blood-drinking jumping spider of East Africa sometimes eats its wife.
Silk and Web Building
Spiders are known for spinning a web. Spider silk is made from glands in the spider's abdomen according to Spider Identification.org. Each spider actually makes different kinds of silk. A sticky silk is used to make spider webs that trap prey while a softer silk protects spider eggs. All webs are built for catching prey although not all spiders spin webs. Even spiders that eschew web making produce silk. Spider webs are made at night and take several hours to finish. Some baby spiders use silk to disperse. When born, they climb a plant and issue silk and create a spider parachute or hang glider. The wind catches them and they fly off to a different location.