Orb weaver males are generally much smaller than the females and commonly lack the showy coloring of their prospective mates, but that is not so with this species: the males are only slightly smaller, and have an even more gaudily-decorated abdomen. They have eight eyes arranged in two horizontal rows of four eyes each. These spiders vary greatly in color, shape and size, measuring between 2 – 30mm (1/16 - 1 1/4″) long. Orb weavers comprise a huge family of spiders, with 3500 species worldwide, 180 of which call North America home. The Hobbit Frodo Baggins was victim of this grotesque procedure in his encounter with Shelob in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. The spider then quickly positions herself over the prey and begins spraying silk filaments from her spinnerets while spinning the carcase underneath. Orb weavers quickly bite their prey to subdue and paralyze them before they can escape the web. Natural Predators & Prey-Predator Dynamics: Despite their venomous bite, Furrow spiders are not without natural predators. This gal has just finished wrapping a moth for a future meal. However, you’d have to work pretty hard to be bitten, and the amount of venom is so miniscule as to be much less dangerous than, say, a bee sting. That is, they use venom to paralyze their prey. Like all spiders, the furrow is venomous. Unlike their larger sisters amongst the weeds, these beautiful little rascals are strictly nocturnal, hiding in crevices or in foliage retreats from dawn till dusk. They live on my back porch by the dozens, males and females alike in their smallish-orb webs, built just an inch or two away from, and parallel to the wall. These spiders are very common on human structures, especially under eaves and porches.
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