I mentioned here my kids' penchant for catching, um, pets. Well, 'tis the season. I'll put the pics below the fold for those of you on dial-up or who lean toward arachnophobicity.
From the top of the jar:
Side view:
Eating a fly:
The last one was pretty cool because the kids watched her catch the fly; it was so quick, they almost missed it. One minute it's just buzzing around the jar, the next it's dinner. We always fed last year's spiders crickets, but they're not in abundance yet, so flies will have to do for awhile. This spider ("Wolfie McSpidery" is her current moniker) is also bigger than any we had in the fall; at least they caught it in the garage and not in the house. I like spiders, but prefer them where I don't have to think about them crawling on me while I sleep.
Comments
I saw a slow-motion movie of a spider catching a house fly. It looked like a lion jumping on a gazelle. Impressive. I like wolf spiders because they interact with you (actually, with a finger) visually.
Posted by: Mark Paris | May 5, 2006 10:14 AM
did you know that the average human swallows ten spiders, on average, who fall into their open mouths during his or her lifetime?
and my "fondest" memory of a wolf spider was when i was sweeping the kitchen floor with a broom as a child (the broom was taller than i, and i was always quite tall) when a astonishingly huge wolf spider jumped on and attacked the broom, quite close to my hands, in fact, and then .. well, an arachnophobe was born.
Posted by: GrrlScientist | May 5, 2006 10:52 AM
Wow, "Wolfie" is a beauty! I'm guessing it's a "wolfette", since it's so big and doesn't have the "boxing gloves" (palps modified for sperm transfer) of a mature male. (See here for a nice drawing.) Then again, I'm not a spider specialist, so maybe someone else can make a more accurate call.
Glad to read that your kids love minibeasts!
Posted by: Julie Stahlhut | May 5, 2006 10:53 AM
When I was a kid I used to bring home pets like this as part of my grand scheme to persuade my parents that if they'd just get me a dog I wouldn't need other pets.
Posted by: Dale | May 5, 2006 11:03 AM
Man, I love spiders. Dunno why...I'm not terribly fond of cobwebs, and in particular the darn webs they like to string across pathways overnight. But, I just figure they keep the other bugs in check, so I leave them unmolested in the house. That's a beaut! I do 'suffer' about four or five bites a year as a result. Inevitably one gets lost in the sheets every few months or so.
Posted by: Scott | May 5, 2006 12:48 PM
You sleep in the garage?
Posted by: Steve Reuland | May 5, 2006 12:51 PM
:) No, the last several they caught in the house.
Julie, I'm figuring this is a female, too, but I'm definitely no spider expert. And Mark, yeah, it was a pretty darn impressive capture. Have to go fly-hunting now in the garage to catch a few more...
Posted by: Tara C. Smith | May 5, 2006 12:59 PM
Grrrrrrlscientist:
I'm fairly sure this is an urban legend. Ah yes, here we go:
http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/myths/whileyousleep.html
Posted by: Steve Reuland | May 5, 2006 1:01 PM
Steve:
That might be an urban legend, but they can be swallowed unintentionally. I was walking in the woods once while looking back talking to my travelling companion, and when I turned to face forward again, there was a spider dangling on a web-line an inch in front of my face. I gasped in surprise, and when I did so I sucked the poor bugger in and down the hatch he went.
Spiders have been giving me the be-jeebies ever since.
Posted by: Dave S. | May 5, 2006 1:09 PM
It's tougher for me to look at these, than photos of my own severed limb. In spite of this personally unquieting photo essay, I really enjoy your blog Ms. Smith.
-arachnophobia is not a crime
Posted by: Dad Of Cameron | May 6, 2006 1:36 AM