Hunting behaviour of Hogna lenta.

Hogna lenta is an ambush predator. They emerge at night from their burrows and wait and wait and wait. Eventually some unsuspecting critter (in this case a cricket) will stroll on by, going about it's business, and pass within striking distance of this tiger of the invert world and BOOM.... Hogna lenta leaps onto it's prey, they roll and she is on her back with the cricket on top of her, but that is just fine, as in this position the cricket is helpless, its powerful legs having no ground to purchase. Hogna lenta stays in this position for nearly 10 seconds, allowing her venom to take effect before flipping over in an instant, to dine at her leisure.

                              

Dysdera crocata (Woodlouse Hunter)

A lot of the spiders I collect in the field are photographed in a white tray and I use a small fine paintbrush to position them. In the UK we have very few arachnids capable of giving a painful bite and Dysdera crocata, with its impressive fangs, is one of them. This female wasn't at all happy with me touching her and immediately spun around to bite the paintbrush. Interestingly, Segestria florentina, another one of the UK's 6 eyed spiders is equally defensive. For the record, this is defensive behaviour. I'm sure if someone poked me with a broom, I'd soon get the hump!