A horse spider is one of the most common species among arachnids on the planet. Despite the fact that meeting him is not so difficult, he is considered almost the eighth wonder of the world. In addition, a wide habitat brought him world fame. But what is so special about these creatures and why are their abilities considered unique? To answer all the questions, you need to get to know these unusual representatives of the fauna.
Appearance
Horse spiders differ from each other in size, color and patterns on the body. It all depends on the habitat in which one or another type of horses is common. The chest and head of this species of spiders are separated by a small groove.
What unites them all together is “superpowers” that are inaccessible to other representatives of this class. One of them is the ability to jump, the length of which exceeds the size of the body by 80 times.
These animals are considered the smartest representatives of their class, because the proportions of the body and brain in them are the same as in humans.
The eight eyes of the spider give it a view that equates to 360 degrees. As scientists have found out, functionally, the organs of vision of horse spiders are divided into two types: for detecting movement and for image sharpness. The eyes that are in front are large. They serve to distinguish the shapes of objects and their colors. Small eyes are located in the middle of the head. They form the middle row. At the back of the head are two more small-sized eyes.
Habitat
As already mentioned, horse spiders are distinguished by the fact that they were able to adapt to living conditions in different regions of the planet. But nevertheless, tropical forests, mountains, deserts and semi-deserts can be called their favorite habitats . Once, one of the species of these arthropods was discovered on top of Everest.
In our latitudes, a jumping spider is also common. He likes to sit on surfaces warmed by the sun, for example, the walls of houses. Its habitat can be either grass, trees, or soil or rocks.
Lifestyle
The horse spider leads a daily life, and most of the time he hunts. To catch prey, these creatures do not have to weave nets and languish in anticipation. Their phenomenal vision helps to see the insect, regardless of where it is located. After that, the spider makes its famous jump (for which he was nicknamed the horse) and grabs the victim right in the air. At the same time, his limbs expand due to the special hydraulic function that distinguishes this species.
Despite their ability to jump long distances, spiders release a long silk thread, which serves them as additional insurance. It attaches itself to the spot on which the riding spider should subsequently land along with its victim.
All eight legs of these arthropods are covered with special hairs and end with claws. This explains the spider's ability to hold onto glass or other slippery smooth surfaces.
Breeding
Each male has his own territory, which he protects from other spiders. But this rule does not apply to females.
During the breeding season, males perform a special dance in front of the females. They alternately wave their legs, while their whole body trembles. To appease the chosen one, the spider offers her lunch.
For laying eggs, the female prepares a special place. Most often, this nest, which is built from silk thread, produced specifically for the construction of the home. In addition, they can hide eggs under the bark of trees or under stones. In this case, the place is pre-aligned using the same thread.
Value in the ecosystem
Like other species of living creatures, horses ride their place in the ecosystem. This spider plays the role of an orderly, which preys on pests and regulates their numbers.
In relation to humans, this species is very peaceful. Some people are worried about his presence, as they fear that the horse spider is poisonous. In fact, this is not true. This type of spider is not poisonous.
Horse Spider. Interesting Facts
1. Despite the fact that by nature most spiders are predators, scientists were able to find vegetarians among them. According to researchers, one of the species of jumping spiders has completely switched to an herbal diet due to the fact that the Belt bodies that they eat are available throughout the year. In addition, in order to feast on them, you do not need to spend energy, as is the case with hunting. These spiders colony gather around one plant, using it as food and shelter. The only adversary for arthropods in this case are ants that feed on the same plants. However, the organization of colonies helps riders to protect themselves from uninvited guests.
2. Riders are curious creatures. If anyone is able to closely and closely monitor a person without changing their location, then this is a spider-horse. Photos taken during observation of them are additional evidence of this.
3. Some species of horse spiders have learned to masterfully imitate the appearance and lifestyle of weaver ants. They got the name ant horse spiders. This species is very calm and harmless, therefore, in order to protect themselves from aggressive neighbors, they settle next to ant colonies and wait for prey.
4. Scientists believe that the two front eyes of the horse can be compared with human. In addition, they have partial color vision. One of the layers of photosensitive retinal cells consists entirely of green receptors. Therefore, spiders are not able to focus on green and see the image a little blurry. This, from the point of view of a person, contributes to the fact that the riders are able to accurately determine the distance separating them from the victim.