Spiders

[Bill W]

On 12/19/2024 at 6:29 AM, sandrewn said:

 

Using the daisy as a wedding cake for the two spiders?   The little guy on the right better watch out, she may decide to eat him after they have sex!   

Is that a question mark on the yellow spider's back?  

[sandrewn]

 

 

 

 

 

[sandrewn]

 

 

 

 

[sandrewn]

The Wasps of Doom

Tarantulas, the long-living rock stars of the spider world, can last 15-30 years if they play their cards right.
But enter the parasitoid wasp—a villain that makes movie monsters look tame—and they don’t last long.
This wasp paralyzes the tarantula, lays eggs on its still-breathing body, and, well, let’s just say dinner is served when the larvae hatch.
Glenn from Backyard Pests notes, “In the spider world, you’re either the predator or the living lunch box.”

Wasp babies don’t just eat spiders – they eat caterpillars too!

 

 

[sandrewn]

Spiders have blue blood  

One of the most interesting spider facts is about their blood. We often assume all living things have red blood because humans have red blood. However, there are some animals with different colors of blood. For instance, snails have blue blood, skinks and leeches have green blood, and beetles have yellow blood. 

Mammals have hemoglobin, which transports oxygen to the cells. Hemoglobin has an iron atom that absorbs all light colors other than one and only shows the color red. Hence, the red color of blood in mammals.

In spiders, it is different. Spiders, like snails, have blue blood. Their blood is blue because hemocyanin, the compound that transports oxygen, has an atom of copper, unlike mammals. The hemocyanin in their blood absorbs all colors except blue, making their blood blue.

 

 

[sandrewn]