Wrap-Around Spiders Are Real And They’re Nearly Impossible To Spot Before It’s Too
Late It’s not hard to understand why the very
thought of spiders gives many of us the heebie-jeebies.
Maybe it’s because we think of the arachnids’ eight creepy, crawly legs.
Maybe it’s their fangs.
Maybe it’s just because we’ve seen Arachnophobia one too many times.
But some spiders really change the game when it comes to ickiness.
Even from a distance, these two species of spider would be unwelcome guests in your home.
When you see them up close in their natural environments, however, it’s nightmare fuel
strong enough to send even the bravest arachnid enthusiast running away in disgust!
Australia’s wrap-around spider has all the tools necessary to fuel nightmares for any
arachnophobe: it’s got more eyes than it should, it’s covered in prickly hairs, and
it’s only about five to nine millimeters long.
But, oh boy, does it get creepier…
The spider that scientists dubbed Dolophones conifera didn’t earn the nickname “wrap-around
spider” for nothing.
Rather, the spider has a concave underbelly, which lends itself to the survival technique
that earned the nickname.
Conversely, the upper part of its body—made up of discs—looks like a shield.
Put these two attributes together, and you get an aptly named spider that can hide from
predators in a way totally terrifying to humans.
This isn’t an ordinary tree branch in the middle of the forest.
One of these eight-legged camouflage experts is hiding right in plain sight.
Can you spot it?
Thanks to its hollow underbelly and flexible carapace, the wrap-around spider can flatten
itself against a tree branch and literally wrap around it, letting it hide right out
in the open—much to the chagrin of certain predators.
The spider spends its day wrapped around branches, hiding from wasps and birds.
At night, it comes out to do spider stuff—namely, building large web systems in between the
trees.
Imagine touching a branch and feeling fur instead of bark?
But don’t worry, that horrific moment is unlikely.
Unless you live in the outback, that is.
These spiders are found—surprise, surprise—in Australia, where surely they inject unsuspecting
humans with deadly, bloodcurdling venom, right?
Actually…
Believe it or not, for as scary as these spiders look, they’re actually harmless!
Despite having venomous relatives, the wrap-around spider’s venom doesn’t pose a threat to
human beings.
Even with a few strikes against it in the appearance department, the spider still manages
to win over some people with its clever camouflage abilities.
And the wrap-around spider isn’t the only one who has a knack for camouflage…
This other species of spider uses less conventional methods to hide from predators and prey alike.
Just like the wrap-around spider in Australia, this guy earned a cool name for its spidery
habits…
It’s called a trapdoor spider, and it digs impressive little burrows that boast spider-made
“doors” that actually open and close.
Somehow, this spider manages to construct a hinging door.
But how?
And what for?
The spiders use soil and vegetation to construct the doors (pictured here) and hinge them with
silk.
It’s difficult to see in the ground because it looks just like a pile of brush—and therein
lies the purpose of it.
These spiders typically hold on to the underside of the trapdoor, and when a small, tasty insect
trips the lines of web, the trapdoor spider—set up outside its hidden burrow—is ready to
attack!
The spider launches out of its burrow, and before the prey even knows what’s happening,
it sinks its fangs in and drags it back into the 10-inch depths it dug.
Imagine having one of these jump out at you on a hike?
Luckily, as with the wrap-around spider, these guys aren’t exactly known for their ability
to bring down humans: their venom isn’t deadly to us at all.
In fact, that’s given some people some crazy ideas…
Because they pose little threat towards humans, some people keep trapdoor spiders—which
are native to warm climates like Australia, the Americas, and Africa—as pets!
And they’re not the only trapdoor spiders around…
The ravine trapdoor spider has a design upgrade other trapdoor spiders would kill for: its
large rear end that looks a little bit like the top of an acorn or an engraved ring.
And it’s got a seriously cool purpose.
See, as intense as the trapdoor spider seems, predators actually hunt it.
The spider wasp infiltrates its burrows and lays eggs inside the spider itself, which
then hatch, producing larvae that eat the spider from the inside-out.
Thankfully, ravine spiders have a built-in shield…
When a spider wasp is on the prowl, the ravine trapdoor spider can stick its backside straight
up the burrow, plugging up the hole like a cork in a wine bottle.
This discourages predators from attacking and keeps the spider alive for another day!
Don’t believe it?
Just watch trapdoor spiders doing what they do best: popping out of doors and eating bugs.
How amazing that spiders like the trapdoor and the wrap-around can manage to survive
with their unique camouflage skills!