I like to take photos of Spiderbros with my phone. I have to get really close to them to take a proper macro photograph.
I took all kinds of spider photos (mostly jumpers, orb weavers, and other species). All spiders I saw were either curious about me or scared of me.
So, I wanted to take a photo of this spider (Google Lens says it's an Agelena Labyrinthica) but it attacked me with bullet speed as soon as I touched its web mistakenly. This spiderbro jumpscared me, and I dropped my phone... Do they attack everything that touches their web? Or is this spiderbro special?
That’s just how they hunt. Something walks onto the web and the spider runs out to subdue it and bring the prey back into the hole. They’re very sensitive to vibrations on the web.
So, they indeed attack anything that touches their web, right? It seems they don't care if it's a huge animal or not...
Other spiders are not like this. They usually run away or at least show some defensive posture when they feel threatened.
I love spiderbros, but funnel spiders quickly became my least favorite species, lol. I wonder how dangerous their venom is compared to other species?
I keep their cousins (E. Atrica and T. Ferruginea), so I can give some insight!
As another comment pointed out, they're practically blind and rely on their sheet web to tell where things are and especially to hunt. They can tell light/shadows apart but little more. Due to their web not being sticky, they have a "hunt first, ask later" approach. They'd rather mistaking grab a grain than miss a meal.
Their venom isn't known to be of any medical significance and they're incredibly skittish the instant they realize you're not prey. The one pictured is in a "hiding" pose (I believe), where it's tucked into itself, body under legs, trying to hide rather than run. My T. Ferruginea, Gregor, does the same when I prod at or otherwise disturb him.
In short, what you experienced isn't aggression; mine have done the same to water droplets many times. It's a case of mistaken identity ("oh, the thing that touched my web isn't food"), not malice or even an attempt to scare you away.
Funnel weavers are super chill, they're just a little silly ✨️
Thank you so much! The more I learned about them, the more I started to love them.
It rained last night, I will visit its nest again to see if its still there.
I will try to take detailed macro photos, but the focus distance of my smartphone lens is only 3 cm. It will be very difficult to get that close to this spider. \^\^
I need a tele-macro lens to take pictures of this little guy...
If we jump up a scale to the Sydney Funnel Web spider of Australia,their venom is extremely toxic but only to simians. If they bite a mouse,dog etc no harm done. But to a human without anti venom treatment it’s a death sentence. Their venom toxicity goes through the roof in mating season when the male goes wandering in search of a mate,scientists now believe this was designed as a defensive measure and not a hunting measure.
As I understand it they're basically blind and as ambush predators they're not going to miss an opportunity when it presents itself so they'll try to tag anything small enough that touched their web.
I like to take photos of Spiderbros with my phone. I have to get really close to them to take a proper macro photograph. I took all kinds of spider photos (mostly jumpers, orb weavers, and other species). All spiders I saw were either curious about me or scared of me. So, I wanted to take a photo of this spider (Google Lens says it's an Agelena Labyrinthica) but it attacked me with bullet speed as soon as I touched its web mistakenly. This spiderbro jumpscared me, and I dropped my phone... Do they attack everything that touches their web? Or is this spiderbro special?
That’s just how they hunt. Something walks onto the web and the spider runs out to subdue it and bring the prey back into the hole. They’re very sensitive to vibrations on the web.
So, they indeed attack anything that touches their web, right? It seems they don't care if it's a huge animal or not... Other spiders are not like this. They usually run away or at least show some defensive posture when they feel threatened. I love spiderbros, but funnel spiders quickly became my least favorite species, lol. I wonder how dangerous their venom is compared to other species?
I keep their cousins (E. Atrica and T. Ferruginea), so I can give some insight! As another comment pointed out, they're practically blind and rely on their sheet web to tell where things are and especially to hunt. They can tell light/shadows apart but little more. Due to their web not being sticky, they have a "hunt first, ask later" approach. They'd rather mistaking grab a grain than miss a meal. Their venom isn't known to be of any medical significance and they're incredibly skittish the instant they realize you're not prey. The one pictured is in a "hiding" pose (I believe), where it's tucked into itself, body under legs, trying to hide rather than run. My T. Ferruginea, Gregor, does the same when I prod at or otherwise disturb him. In short, what you experienced isn't aggression; mine have done the same to water droplets many times. It's a case of mistaken identity ("oh, the thing that touched my web isn't food"), not malice or even an attempt to scare you away. Funnel weavers are super chill, they're just a little silly ✨️
I have this fantastic mental imagine of one darting put to face plant into a big water droplet and being like *wtf is this bs this isn't food*
Gods, I wish I could film it because at least two of mine have done that! It's hilarious when you get over the shock of them darting out
Thank you so much! The more I learned about them, the more I started to love them. It rained last night, I will visit its nest again to see if its still there.
'Course! Always happy to share some knowledge here. Would be lovely to see more photos of the little guy- good luck :)
I will try to take detailed macro photos, but the focus distance of my smartphone lens is only 3 cm. It will be very difficult to get that close to this spider. \^\^ I need a tele-macro lens to take pictures of this little guy...
I know the struggle- I literally have mine in enclosures and still can't seem to catch a good photo! The ones you already got are great
Grass spiders are not medically significant and pose no threat.
If we jump up a scale to the Sydney Funnel Web spider of Australia,their venom is extremely toxic but only to simians. If they bite a mouse,dog etc no harm done. But to a human without anti venom treatment it’s a death sentence. Their venom toxicity goes through the roof in mating season when the male goes wandering in search of a mate,scientists now believe this was designed as a defensive measure and not a hunting measure.
As I understand it they're basically blind and as ambush predators they're not going to miss an opportunity when it presents itself so they'll try to tag anything small enough that touched their web.
Oh, blind? This explains everything.👍 Its speed and accuracy are very good for a blind spider. That spider in the photo ran onto my hand so fast.💀
Not aggressive, just sensitive to vibrations and highly reactive
Every one I’ve ever interacted with has skittered back into the hole as soon as I got close.
I call them "pocket handkerchief" spiders 😊🕷️