not nearly as friendly looking as charlotte
there is an absolutely HUGE spider that's been living on my office window for the past few days. on the outside, i mean. i probably would be less calm and fascinated if it was actually inside the office with me. but it's a seriously huge spider. the body alone is somewhere between the size of a dime and a penny, so that should give you an idea of how large it looks when its legs are extended. i can actually see its mouth, for crying out loud. this sucker is BIG.
anyway, this morning, shelob was hanging out in the center of her web. the web, by the way, pretty much takes up the full window, so maybe 3 feet across? anyway, the spider was in the center, and a fly hit the very outside corner. in less than a second, the spider literally pounced before the fly could get away. within another five seconds, the spider was back in the center of the web wrapping that fly in a bundle of silk. within 30 minutes? no fly at all.
pretty fascinating stuff. i wish i'd been this interested in life science when i was younger...but it's certainly not too late to learn.
anyway, this morning, shelob was hanging out in the center of her web. the web, by the way, pretty much takes up the full window, so maybe 3 feet across? anyway, the spider was in the center, and a fly hit the very outside corner. in less than a second, the spider literally pounced before the fly could get away. within another five seconds, the spider was back in the center of the web wrapping that fly in a bundle of silk. within 30 minutes? no fly at all.
pretty fascinating stuff. i wish i'd been this interested in life science when i was younger...but it's certainly not too late to learn.