Saturday, December 15, 2007

Crab Spiders

Crab spiders are commonly called "flower spiders". They usually have bright colors that camouflaged with the surrounding flowers waiting to ambush the prey. Crab spiders do not build webs to trap prey. Crab spiders are active hunters lying in ambush unlike the wolf spiders that run down their prey.



Crab spiders are from the Thomisidae family of the Araneae order. Crab spiders have their first two pairs of legs larger and longer, which are held out to the side giving them (with their flattened, angular bodies) a crab-like appearance. Like the crabs, these spiders move sideways and backwards more easily than forwards. These small sized crab spiders hide easily with their sideways and backwards movement into the numerous petals of the flowers.


Kuala Juru, Penang.

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