Spiders Spin Net Instead of Web for Prey

Spiders have it easy when it comes to catching food. Usually they just spin their webs and wait patiently for smaller insects to get caught. However, some spiders have a very unique way of catching their prey. In fact, it’s more on how they spin their webs which makes them more unique.

Ogre-faced Spiders, also known as Net-castingSpiders, have very excellent eyesight. Unlike other spiders, they have a pair of huge forward facing eyes which helps them see in the dark. Their bodies resemble sticks that have spindly legs poking out of it. They vary in color from pinking brown, dark or chocolate brown and fawn. There are two different kinds of genus, Deinopis and Avella. Those that belong in the Deinopis genus have bigger eyes. Another detail that separates them is their color. The Avella Ogre-faced Spiders have a more grey to greenish brown patterning.

These spiders grow to about 1.5 to 2.5 cm and are commonly found in the forest of south-eastern Australia. Being nocturnal, they hunt at night and feed on smaller spiders, crickets, beetles and ants. When it comes to spinning its web, Ogre-faced Spiders don’t create the usual web. Instead, they use their back legs to spin and create a net-like web. 

Once they make this, they wait for a target to come and quickly jump on them, throwing their net over the prey. This move is very much like how the gladiators of ancient Rome fought their battles. In fact these spiders are often compared to them because of this strategy.