African Wildlife & Environment Issue 77 FINAL ISSUE

THE 8 MOST INTERESTING SPIDERS YOU WILL EVER MEET Orb weaver spiders

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The male and female can differ greatly in size.The female can be up to 1000 times bigger than the male. He has to be super careful that he does not end up as a meal for the female. Crab spiders Certain spiders live in flowers. Here they wait, ambushing their prey.They have the amazing ability to slowly change their colour depending on the colour of the flower. Trapdoor spiders Trapdoor spiders hide under the ground.They dig a burrow which is protected by a hinged tight-fitting lid.When threatened by a predator the spider hides in the burrow walls and the undersurface of the lid. Spitting spider Spitting spiders are hunters.When they find their prey they eject fine poisonous sticky secretion from their venom glands in their head to ensnare their meal. Net casting spider The spider hangs from a silken scaffolding that it has made, facing downwards a few cm above the ground.The web is held between the first two pair of legs and when the prey walks underneath the spider the web is thrown over it! Daddy long legs These spiders have legs almost four times as long as their bodies! They are useful spiders to have around the home as they prey on ants and other household pests. Community nest spiders – These are large groups of spiders living in an untidy nest in a tree. Prey that is caught in their webs are killed by a party of spiders and dragged to the nest for everyone to share. Kite spiders kite spiders are almost impossible to miss with their kite-shaped bright red,orange, yellow, white and black abdomen.

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Go outside and see how many different spiders you can find (it would help to have a magnifying glass). Early morning is often the best time to see the webs.What are the spiders doing? Do they all have webs?What does the spider look like? Sit quietly and observe. It’s not important to know the name of the spider, just enjoy watching it! Think of it as spider cinema! Can you think of any other helpful things that we can learn from the spider? Remember to just look, no need to touch and disturb the spider. SPIDER CINEMA SPIDER SAVIOUR

Become the spider rescuer when everyone runs for cover. Keep a clear container (round is best) even a glass will do and a piece of cardboard handy.When a spider needs to be gently moved to outside, simply cover the spider with the clear container, make sure to not catch its legs and slide the cardboard underneath the spider.Then relocate outside.

52 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)