Aranea

Hi,
I promised a post about a great group of animals that weirdly enough I find fascinating, exciting and beautiful. From their homes (some of them) shining in the morning sun, or from their stricking colours, to their movement, and the sheer diversity it is hard not to like these wonderful hunters. For most of them are hunters, with perhaps the one or two exceptions. And as far as diversity goes spiders have also as well as beetles conquer a great deal of different habitats around the world. Even some species of spiders have concurred the air, at least when they are young they will use a great length of tread to get airborne and spread to new possible habitats. Their way of living and their way of surviving is equally diversified. There are currently over 42000 valid species of spiders in the world.  From them only about 20 or so species are considered dangerous to us humans. So there is a bit of an unfair view of these amazing creatures. 

As promised here are some of the spiders I have encountered. Some are old photos and some are more recent.

Salticidae from Spain

Thomisidae think the genus here is Xysticus but species name evades me at present time. It was taken along the shore on Sotra. An island close to Bergen.

Segestriidae; Segestria senoculata. This spider has only six eyes (Different numbers of eyes occur but eight is the norm). It is sometimes referred to as the snake spider for the drawings on the abdomen/ophistosoma. This photo was taken Close to Aboretet at Milde, a few minutes outside of Bergen

Lycosidae; This photo was taken at Kvamskogen about an hour away from my city of Bergen. I do not dare to take it to genus since I have no accurate picture of the prosoma (the front body of the spider). So in this case I will leave it at family.

This one is a bit difficult. Right now I am not sure even to family. If someone would care to take a stab at this one, go for it. Taken in Spain close to Madrid Thanks' to Petterkopp for determening the family to Oxyopidae.

Another Thomisidae, this time in Spain munching on a unfortunate beetle.

Tetragnathidae From Spain

Aranidae; Argiope but not sure about the species name here. This photo was also taken in Spain

This Photo was taken in a fast moment and i have little to go on to determine this one. It had a ground thunnel like net and i think it has only six eyes as well so it might be another type of Segestriidae. But here i am far from certain.

Lycosidae from Spain. Notice the small ball it is carrying from the back. This is a bag of eggs it protect untill it haches. Sometimes they protect their young also after hatching carrrying them arround on the abdomen.

This one was also encountered close to Madrid and The spesific shape of the abdomen is quite caracteristic. In german littearture this might be reffered to as "Höker" or horns. Might say he is a horny critter. It is possible it is this species Araneus gemmoides.

There are so much more to these great animals than just hairy legs and screams. And even if that won't help you can always spend some time procrastinating/playing with a spider on your computer.