Funnel-Web Weaver
This funnel-web weaver lives right outside my front door, on the brickwork about a foot away from the door handle. She’s pretty big, nearly 2cm from eyes to spinnerets. One thing I notice about spiders in the wild is that they’re usually hungry, but they’re always thirsty. I happened to be carrying a spritzer bottle, and gave her web a good beading–that’s the reason she’s on a white sparkly background here. First she fled from the sprinkling water, then she came out and drank up the “dew” that had fallen on her web.
Funnel-web weavers get their name from the shape of their web. It’s a wide sheet of dry tangle silk, and the spider lurks at the back in a funnel-shaped tube. It is a true funnel: it is open on the other end, usually exiting somewhere away from the web, preferrably on the other side of some barrier. The spider uses this as her “bolt hole” in case something too big to fight comes prodding at her web.
Funnel-web weaver spiders seem to be rather opportunistic about their webs as well. There are two webs on either side of my front door (for a total of four) and at any given moment only two of them are ever occupied. A few weeks ago a male spider came calling; he boldly stepped right into this spider’s web. I came out the next night to find him lurking in the funnel waiting for prey, while the web’s former occupant had moved into the web above. After he moved on, she came down and moved back into her old web.
Slowly getting the site back onto an even keel. It's nice to get back into the old posting rhythm.
Kit said,
October 24, 2007 @ 7:22 am
Yes, the funnel web spiders (Giant House Spiders) in our house are fond of the area around the window above/behind our bed. They do seem to play ‘musical webs’ at times…
My favourite had her web invaded a few weeks back by an even larger cousin. Sadly they’ve now both disappeared (I figure at least one of them must be lurking somewhere about).
However, I was happy to notice last night that a smaller spider is now squatting on the large vacated web. I’m hoping it will grow as big as the previous occupant!
singingnettle said,
October 24, 2007 @ 9:44 am
I didn’t know that., about spiders and water. Good idea. I think here in WA they seldom lack for water this time of year, but the summer can get dry.
I am going to post an extremely elegant garden spider later.