Day: March 9, 2024

RDP Saturday: Deception

Given the choice not many species are keen to eat poo, although some insects help clean up the small to miniscule garbage that gets created from the waste created by others. This is one of the best deceptions in the garden

I was photographing flowers, Hippeastrums I think, when I noticed some bird poo on a leaf. I was sure it moved. As I went to have a closer look through the lens, it scuttled away. You can see the white legs and rear end of a Bird-poo Spider. OK it’s real name is Bird-dropping Spider but to me that conjures an image of a clumsy spider.

A FUN FACT: This 12mm (half inch) spider is a deceptive hunter too.
The Bird-dropping Spider also uses mimicry of a quite different sort to capture its prey, which consist almost exclusively of male moths. At night the Bird-dropping Spider hangs from the edge of a leaf or twig on a short silk thread, its forelegs outstretched. While doing this it releases a chemical scent (pheromone) that mimics the airborne sex pheromone released by female moths to attract their mates. The unfortunate male moths that are attracted by the spider’s deceiving pheromone eventually flutter close enough to the spider to be grabbed by its strong front legs.
https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/bird-dropping-spider/

Sometimes nature can seem to be on The Edge of Reality