Dark-legged grass spiders are a species of funnel weavers
Slowing down can be one of the fastest ways to spot beauty in nature. I took this photo of a dark-legged grass spider while on a hike with my brother. He has an incredible knack for spotting exciting activity when out for a hike. He spotted this spider that was on the hunt for several insects that it had captured within its web. We stopped to watch as the spider began its work of subduing its prey. I thought this would be the perfect photo to share during the spooky month of October!
Dark-legged grass spiders are a species of funnel weavers. Their scientific name is Agelenopsis naevia. This puts them in the family Agelenidae. This family of spiders is broadly referred to as funnel weavers, and it includes grass spiders. Most spiders in this family are around 20 mm (.79 inches) in length. The smallest is only 4 mm (.16 inches), and the biggest (the Eratigena atrica) can grow to be almost 10 cm (~4 inches) long!
The dark-legged grass spider can be found from Maine to Florida and west to Texas. There are also some occurrences in Canada, but this is rare. The cephalothorax has two lateral dark-brown stripes on a lighter brown background. These stripes expand in the middle and come to points at either end. The abdomen is long and comes to a point. It has a dark base with two light-brown lateral stripes. The legs of this spider are—you guessed it—dark brown.
The spiders in the funnel weaver family are known for their ominous-looking webs. They build sheet webs with a funnel at one end (or sometimes in the middle). The web is not sticky, but it has entangling strands at every angle. The spider will lie in wait inside the funnel. Based on the vibrations it feels on the web, it will go out and attack any prey. It doles out a paralyzing venomous bite via an agatoxin. Once their prey is subdued, they will bring it back to their funnel to feed. Their success rate in their hunt is high in part due to their fast speeds. They have been known to run as fast as .53 meters per second (1.73 feet per second).
They have been known to run as fast as .53 meters per second
Did you know?
- Moose with antlers can hear better! The palmate antler serves to channel and amplify the sound into their ears.
- They also have a keen sense of smell, which they use to find water, food, mates, and predators.
- Moose have a fold of skin under their chin that is called the dewlap or bell. It has no known function, but some theorize that it is used for thermoregulation (cooling). It may also be used for choosing mates.
0 Comments