Showing posts with label arachnids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arachnids. Show all posts

Friday, December 18, 2009

All up in your grill with JUMPING SPIDERS



I have no memory of where I found these incredible close up pics of Jumping Spider faces (family Salticidae), but they're amazing and I wanted to share them with you. Let me know, if you know who the photographer is.

From WIKIPEDIA:

The jumping spider family (Salticidae) contains more than 500 described genera and about 5,000 described species,[2] making it the largest family of spiders with about 13% of all species.[3] Jumping spiders have good vision and use it for hunting and navigating. They are capable of jumping from place to place, secured by a silk tether. Both their book lungs and the tracheal system are well-developed, as they depend on both systems (bimodal breathing).
(Click here to read more...)





Thursday, September 10, 2009

Dream beasts of the eternal desert


unknown scorpion species

Hey! Did you know that when scorpions are illuminated with solely ultraviolet light that their exoskeletons glow an eerie blue or green? Well, they do.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

ORDER Opiliones - The Harvestmen

This is another group of Arachnids that are NOT SPIDERS! The Harvestmen, often referred to as Daddy Longlegs, are in their own order (Opiliones). Here are their stats:

- 8 legs
- 1 Body section (spiders have 2)
- 2 eyes
- Mouth parts are gripping and tearing
- No venom, no silk gland

From the above information above, you can probably determine that the urban legend about them being the deadliest animal in the world is... um, false.
















Cave species












Microscopic harvestmen

Friday, November 21, 2008

ARACHNIDS YOU MAY NOT KNOW

HEY YOU! Take a look at some non-spider arachnids. Oh yeah, what to notice about all Arachnids:

* 2 Body segments - the CEPHALOTHORAX (front) and the ABDOMEN (Back)
* 8 Legs
* 2 Chelicera (for food acquisition) usually up front
* 2 Pedipalps, extra arm like appendages
* Never wings, nor antennae

Enjoy!

AMBLYPIGID
"Tail-less Whip Scorpion"











tropical and subtropical predators, nocturnal, non venomous (no fangs - they have those big claws instead)


SOLFUGIDS (Solpugids)
"Sun Spider" "Camel Spider" "Wind Scorpion"











usually found in warm and arid climates, nocturnal, predatory, NOT VENOMOUS


RICINULEI
"Hooded Tick Spiders"











live in damp conditions, no eyes, cover head area with a hood like structure, only 60 species world wide, the 1st 2 pics are of a species found in GHANA in 2006


UROPYGID
"Whip Scorpion" "Vinegaroon"









no venom, they spray a vinegar smelling acid mixture when bothered from their "whip tail", predatory, tropical and subtropical

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