Fierce and Fragile Things
I seem to have gotten behind on my spiderspam. Again.
Today, I found this spider embattled by cats in the living room. I've been on the lookout for them since I found out they existed; this is the first one I've seen. Unfortunately, it's rather the worse for wear after encountering Winston and Cider, down two legs and possibly punctured on one side.
It's a woodlouse killer or woodlouse spider, Dysdera crocata. Those unreasonably large fangs handily pierce the armor of small terrestrial isopods. They've been known to bite when handled, and (like all brownish spiders that sometimes venture indoors) are regularly mistaken for the brown recluse. At least Dysdera, like Loxosceles, is a six-eyed genus? (Not that you can tell without a pocket microscope.) Still, their bites are reportedly no more severe than any other spider whose venom has no significant effect on humans, despite the awesome fangs.
These spiders are very graceful in shape. They're as strong as you'd expect, being able to overpower armored crustaceans.
Kung fu stylin'.
Having taken some pictures, I put the spider in one of my screen-lid jars. After I took it from the cat, I thought it was a goner for sure, and planned to release it immediately. However, it's perked up a bit and is ambling spiderishly around its jar, pausing to lay silk and clean its legs. So I don't know -- as far as I'm aware, spiders who sustain damage more severe than an automotized leg are doomed. But there's doomed and then there's doomed, you know? If it's still alive in a couple of days, I'll find it some pillbugs.
A few weeks ago, a rather lethargic arboreal salamander said "Put me back, please. It's not spring yet."
After handling the sa'mander a little and getting some pics, I went to Google the likely species -- and found out they're known for painfully biting. Heh. This one wasn't in the mood, fortunately.
Also some weeks ago, up on the ridge, Uroctonus mordax casually saunters out of the way.
It was a little shy about being photographed (or, alternately, about suddenly being exposed to sunlight). Fat, happy little scorp-scorp, always a delight to see one. Apparently it's been a banner year for them up there -- summer_jackel saw three on a walk this weekend, an unprecedented bounty of forest scorpions.
Today, I found this spider embattled by cats in the living room. I've been on the lookout for them since I found out they existed; this is the first one I've seen. Unfortunately, it's rather the worse for wear after encountering Winston and Cider, down two legs and possibly punctured on one side.
It's a woodlouse killer or woodlouse spider, Dysdera crocata. Those unreasonably large fangs handily pierce the armor of small terrestrial isopods. They've been known to bite when handled, and (like all brownish spiders that sometimes venture indoors) are regularly mistaken for the brown recluse. At least Dysdera, like Loxosceles, is a six-eyed genus? (Not that you can tell without a pocket microscope.) Still, their bites are reportedly no more severe than any other spider whose venom has no significant effect on humans, despite the awesome fangs.
These spiders are very graceful in shape. They're as strong as you'd expect, being able to overpower armored crustaceans.
Kung fu stylin'.
Having taken some pictures, I put the spider in one of my screen-lid jars. After I took it from the cat, I thought it was a goner for sure, and planned to release it immediately. However, it's perked up a bit and is ambling spiderishly around its jar, pausing to lay silk and clean its legs. So I don't know -- as far as I'm aware, spiders who sustain damage more severe than an automotized leg are doomed. But there's doomed and then there's doomed, you know? If it's still alive in a couple of days, I'll find it some pillbugs.
A few weeks ago, a rather lethargic arboreal salamander said "Put me back, please. It's not spring yet."
After handling the sa'mander a little and getting some pics, I went to Google the likely species -- and found out they're known for painfully biting. Heh. This one wasn't in the mood, fortunately.
Also some weeks ago, up on the ridge, Uroctonus mordax casually saunters out of the way.
It was a little shy about being photographed (or, alternately, about suddenly being exposed to sunlight). Fat, happy little scorp-scorp, always a delight to see one. Apparently it's been a banner year for them up there -- summer_jackel saw three on a walk this weekend, an unprecedented bounty of forest scorpions.