Login
Register
Comments & ID Thoughts
What's ID off the small "spider" its quite at home in the web and even climbs all over the Hairy Golden Weaver.
- Submitted by:
- Submitted: Apr 10, 2020
- Photographed: Apr 10, 2020
- Spider: Unidentified
- Location: Cape Town, South Africa
- Spotted Outdoors: Low foliage (shrubs, herbs, garden, excluding flowers)
- Found in web?: Yes
- Attributes:
Is it missing some legs? Could it be a male?
Male Trichonephila fenestrata may intentionally sacrifice one or more legs during mating to distract the female. After mating, they continue to guard the female, fighting off competing males.
Here’s an article about it:
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/male-spiders-distract-females-legs-snack-mate/story?id=68885891
Yes I think your right and confirms my suspicion, it stuck around for 5 days since then I have not seen him. Thank you.
WRdB
You’re welcome!
Ooooh, cool! I love the weird things male spiders do to mate without getting killed.