Spiders

Deinopidae

Net-casting Spiders

Net-casting Spider (Deinopis sp) - Manu, Peru - December 2008

The Net-casting, Ogre-faced or Gladiator spiders, as they are variously called, have an unusual method of ensnaring their prey. They spin a small web of sticky silk which they hold between the front two pairs of legs and dangle on a silken thread a couple of centimetres above a suitable surface, such as the ground or a leaf. When the spider sees an insect passing beneath, it extends its legs to enshroud the hapless victim in the portable web.