Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Spider or Crab?

There is a family of spiders, particularly the Thomisidae family, that are known as crab spiders possibly because of their ability to scuttle sideways or backwards and the way they hold their front legs that reminded people of a crab.  They are also known as 'flower crab spiders' because they are ambush hunters, and many are disguised as something resembling a part of a flower.  They can also change color over a period of a few days and match the flower on which they are sitting.  Can you see a spider in this photo?


It's the spider that is holding the bee, not the flower.  Here's a video:



Then there are spider crabs.  Crabs that remind people of spiders.  The largest species is the Japanese spider crab that has a the largest leg span of any arthropod - 12 feet from claw to claw!  And can weigh over 40 pounds.


Here's a video:



So who is imitating who??

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