Spot a flower-crab spider in your garden
These spiders generally match the colour of the flower they sit on.
THE flower-crab spiders usually perch themselves in the middle of the flower, where they wait with outstretched arms (the first two pairs of legs) for an unsuspecting insect to pay the flower a visit. And then lunch is served.
What makes these spiders even more fascinating is the fact that they can change colour according to the flower they are on. However, the colour change takes a while, about eight hours. This colour changing ability can leave the flower-crab spider almost invisible. The colour change seems to be a choice.
“I have seen some spiders live for quite a while on a flower without feeling the need to change colour to blend in. They also cannot change colour to blue and don’t favour blue flowers. These spiders will often change colour to bright pink. I have personally seen them in various shades of white, yellow and pink,” said Warren Dick.
According to Warren, these beautiful flower-crab spiders are very common in gardens and nature reserves around Durban. When one touches the flower that one of the spiders are sitting on, they usually tuck up into a little self-defensive ball and drop to the floor.
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As with all other spiders they don’t often bite people, and will only do so as a very last resort. However, a bite from one of these spiders is harmless to humans. Their venom is only effective on the insects that they eat.
Contact Warren to have some of your interesting spiders, snakes or other wildlife identified. Call or WhatsApp him on 072 211 0353. Follow the conversation on Facebook, Warren’s Small World.
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