All About the Fen Raft Spider

Photo Credit: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/details.php?gid=53&sgid=&pid=228

I just happen to love spiders. Especially the Fen Raft Spider, which is a very endangered spider. These spiders live in Britain (have any EcoBuddies fans in Britain seen these spiders? Let me know!) and live on the water. You know those spiders that zoom past you when you are swimming in a river? These spiders are like that. I think these spiders are awesome because the mom fen raft spiders carry their egg sacs underneath them for a few weeks when they are about to have babies. They are quite big egg sacs and I think they must be very strong to carry them for so long. Every so often they dip the eggs sacs in the water to keep them moist. Cool hey?

Here is a trivia question for you: How long does it take for a fen raft spider to become an adult?

Does anyone know?

Shazam,

Pesto

SEPTEMBER SPIDERS FOR BUDDIES FOR BABY ANIMALS DAY!

Look closely at this Kauai Cave Wolf Spider... What do you see on her back?

You got it! This is a very rare picture of a mom with her newly hatched spiderlings!

Photo courtesy of Gordon Smith - US Fish and Wildlife Service

I want to tell you some quick facts about the spiders we are voting on this month. We are voting for spiders because, hey, we're all starting school soon and we need some extra fun. AND SPIDERS ARE AWESOME!!! I will start with our first two and then post about the third spider later today, kk?:

Kauai Cave Wolf Spiders
WHY THEY ARE AWESOME: These spiders live in lava tubes in Kauia, Hawaii. They are cave hunters and have adapted so well to the dark cave environment that they are the only wolf spider that have no eyes. Kauai Cave Wolf Spiders use their fangs to kill their prey, which are small shrimp-like crustaceans called Amphipods. Both the Kauai Cave Wolf Spiders and the Amphipods have babies very slowly, so any negative change within their habitat makes it hard for them to survive because they do not have large populations. In fact, these spiders have only been found in 4-6 caves.
WHY THEY ARE ENDANGERED: The Kauai Cave Wolf Spider is endangered because of habitat destruction. Their caves are being destroyed through construction and the use of pesticides, as these actions really hurt their habitats.

Spruce Fir Moss Spiders
WHY THEY ARE AWESOME: They are the smallest tarantula out there and measure 0.10 to 0.15 inches which is about the size of two typed Bs put together- BB. They can only live on moss mats under a spruce-fir forest, which makes me think that each Spruce Fir Spider has a little mossy bed- lol.
WHY THEY ARE ENDANGERED: Well, there is an insect called the Adelgid, which sadly destroys the Spruce Fir Moss Spiders' habitat. More so though, logging has really hurt this spider's chance at survival.

KK, I will post more soon.

Vote today!

Shazam,
Pesto