Introvert Inverts - and verts

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Introvert Inverts - and verts

This page is dedicated to the antics and stories of chickens, bugs, cats and rabbits
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31/10/2024

Almost done with

Finding some info to share has had its frustrating moments. Unfortunately a lot of readily available info about spiders comes from pest control websites.
This bothers me a lot. I'm not sure I want to learn anything about a creature the author intends on killing. Whether or not it's correct, I don't even know because it didn't open any.
If you've spent any time here you'll know I'm all about the pollinators, no pesticides or herbicides. Well I've obviously branched out into pet insects, I've had cockroaches for ever and then isopods and springtails when I learned about bioactive enclosures. Meaning a tiny little web of life so to speak. The isopods and springtails clean up after the pet you keep, but then the isopods and springtails become just as loved. One can't help but learn about them and you realize all these critters are needed for balance in habitats. Detritivores clean up by eating the "trash" left behind by nature: dead plants, p**p, fungus, mold etc. They also feed bigger bugs, spiders, small mammals, bird etc. So on and so on. So spiders absolutely have a place, they eat bugs. Who'd fill that niche if the spiders are all exterminated? Yeah we have other bug eaters but populations get out of balance then you get issues like plagues of locust eating crops, or mosquitos spreading diseases further, how about termites eating houses? 40% of insects are said to be on the decline which is horrible news, but that also allows those considered to be pests to possibly explode in numbers. So we need those little predators too.

Everything has its place in nature, even mosquitos but they need to be in balance and pesticides mess that up. Everyone likes bird, so why do they kill the bugs and spiders that birds eat? Or the plants that will feed them seeds in the winter. People love butterflies but only plant non native plants so the native butterflies have to work harder to find food and places to lay eggs. People love honey and fruit but kill native bees and wasps constantly!

So help out Mother nature by NOT smashing every spider you see!

30/10/2024

No is complete without a little arachnophobia.

A phobia is a phobia when it lasts 6 months or longer and causes significant and often irrational disruption of day to day life. This means immediate anxiety even just thinking about your fear, activity avoidance and physical responses such as increased heartbeat, sweating, nausea, shaking etc.

It's not entirely clear what causes phobias. Certainly trauma can but not always. Some say it's a racial or genetic memory thing, meaning avoiding something dangerous is hardwired into the brain. Though that certainly doesn't explain my niece who has loved spiders from the beginning.

Sometimes cultural or religious teachings can start phobias, sometimes it's the parents.

There are numerous treatments for phobias. My favorite is education. A lot of fear stems from misinformation and can be alleviated but an open mind and willingness to learn.

According to the American Psychological Association at least 10 million Americans have a phobia and around 40% of those are of the "creepy" creatures like spiders, insects and snakes.

29/10/2024

Oh I'm tired, only a few more days.

But did you know it's also ?

Some bats eat spiders and some spiders eat bats.

The little brown bay or Myotis lucifugus is knows for eating spiders even though plenty of flying insects are available.

And then any spider big enough with a web strong enough can catch and eat little bats.

K, goodnight

28/10/2024

Spider camouflage

Even super predators need to hide from bigger meaner predators. Also, some want to hide from their prey.

Some crab spiders can gradually (2 -21 days) change colors to match the flower they stay on to hunt unsuspecting insects.

Some spiders have the perfect patterns and colors for the area they live in like the lynx spider or the lichen huntsman.

The Dolophones conifers or wrap around spider does just that, it flattens out on a branch and fits the curve perfectly.

Some camouflage by mimicking other creatures like ants.

Some look just like bird p**p!

27/10/2024

The Argyroneta Aquatica or diving bell spider is the only spider to spend its whole life under water. It can breathe within a bubble of air that is trapped in the hairs on its abdomen. The lungs are on the underside and they respiratory directly through those instead of a mouth or nose.

They are found in parts of Europe and Asia and live in lakes, ponds, swamps, slow streams and marshes. They need aquatic plants for their bubble nests.

Using silk they build a diving bell of sorts attached to plants underwater. They go to the surface to collect air with special hairs on their abdomen. Then they place the air inside the diving bell where they will live.

They can monitor the air quality and adjust the oxygen level as needed. In the winter they make a sturdier diving bell deeper down and hibernate.

They are solitary and hunt for tadpoles, aquatic insects, shrimp and even other spiders. The females are ambush hunters, they stay in the bell and dangle their front legs down intothe water from their nest.

The males leave their nests more than the females do, hunting actively for food and mates.

They play an important role in that they are often found in bodies of water with low PH and low concentration of oxygen and many other predators who eat aquatic insects cannot survive in those conditions. They keep the insect numbers in balance.

26/10/2024

All spiders are carnivorous, except for the ones who aren't.

Spiders will generally kill and eat anything that they can overpower. Obviously this will vary with spider size and strength and some have some sort of specialty when it comes to prey. Small mammals, birds, reptiles and even fish are sometimes meals.

But the jumping spider Bagheera kiplingi of Mexico and Central America primarily eats the little protein and sugar rich nubs that grow on the leaves and stalks of swollen-thorn acacia. They will eat small insects that also feed or live on the tree but those are the minority.

25/10/2024

Did you know there are 5 different kinds of widows in the US?

The black widow is actually 3 different spiders, in the West is the Western black widow or Latrodectus hesperus.

In the South is the Southern black widow or the Latrodectus mactans.

In the North is, wait for it, the Northern black widow, or Latrodectus variolus.

In parts of Florida is the red widow or Latrodectus bishopi.

Then there is the invasive and non native brown widow, Latrodectus geometricus who loves mostly in southern states but it probably spreading north.

24/10/2024

What happens to spiders in the Winter?

Like me, spiders are poikilothermic, or cold blooded. They depend on their immediate environment for body temp.
When they get cold the whole body slows down including their metabolism which means that, unlike me, they eat less food.

If they stay cold, they slow down and become dormant in something like hibernation called diapause.

Spiders in the coldest climes begin producing glycol and other proteins in their hemolymph (spider blood) that acts like antifreeze. It goes thru all their cells making them able to survive freezing temps for longer. It's said that it takes subzero temps to kill a spider.

There are spiders on every continent except Antarctica, they will definitely freeze there.

There are absolutely spiders in the Arctic and high up in other mountain ranges. There is even a species of jumping spider that only lives on Everest. So how do they survive in our coldest places?

They take shelter under rocks, leaves, in burrows. All the detritus and stuff on the ground is a nice insulation against the cold. Even a layer of snow will insulate the ground. As spring gradually warms up the land the spiders slowly wake up as well and when it's warm enough for them, they eat.

Most of the spiders in your home are there
all year round already. They do not seek out warmth contrary to popular belief. Finding a spider in your house in winter and taking it outside is a death sentence because it could not gradually get used to the cold and build up that antifreeze.
Spiders in your house are beneficial, they eat stuff like bed bugs, fleas, cockroaches, grain pests, cloth moths etc.

23/10/2024

Spider silk!

They use silk for many different reasons. The web of course. But then, not all spiders make webs for catching prey or otherwise.

Many use the silk for protection. Spiders living in burrows still might line the tunnels and put a curtain over the entrance.

Jumping spiders often keep a line going to use as a safety rope, in case they misjudge a jump or fall, they still have their silk attached somewhere so they don't fall too far.
Some baby spiders unfurl a long line of silk which is taken up by the wind, this is called ballooning and its how they move away from each other and their mother to establish territories of their own.

Most spiders use that silk to make their egg sacs.

Spiders can use the silk to feel vibrations indicating food or predators.

Spiders can spin different kinds of silk for different purposes. It can vary in thickness and stickiness.

The silk starts in special glands at the end of the abdomen; the external part of the gland is the spinneret, but silk being 'spun' isn't acurate as the silk forms as it is physically pulled from the body.

Spiders silk is 5 times stronger than steel pound for pound and it is can stretch up to 4 times it's length.

It's thinner than a human hair, can withstand subzero temps before losing its integrity, is waterproof and biodegradable.

So this silk is so cool people want to use it for all sorts of things, but gathering enough silk from spiders to do anything is a daunting task.

In 2009, 82 people in Madagascar had spent the previous 4 years gathering over a million spiders to extract enough silk to make an 11x4 foot cloth. It is gold in color because they used golden orb weaver spiders (I think this was a Wild Kratts episode?!)

Efforts have been made to splice spider DNA into silkworms to make the harvesting easier. Also goats. So the goats make spider silk milk... That's a Google search you'll have to do yourself.

22/10/2024

THE BROWN RECLUSE!

1. They don't live everywhere.
2. They are shy and Do. NOT. Attack. They can't even jump.
3. Most "bites" that land people in the hospital are staph infections.
4. Most (90%) real actual bites don't hurt you in anyway.
5. Human Doctors are notoriously bad at spider ID. So are pest control door to door salesman.

The brown recluse or Loxosceles reclusa is a small brown spider that *sometimes* has a darker violin on it's cephalothorax. The body of the female is about 10 to 15 millimeters long with a legspan of 25 millimeters. The males are around half that size. They only have 6 eyes. I know I know, if you're scared of a spider you're not counting eyes. But I can tell you from experience that education alleviates a lot of fear.

Anyways females usually make their web and stay in it. While males and youngens will wander a bit. When threatened they flee rather than fight, and only bite as a last resort. Their tiny fangs can't even get they clothes, they have to be right on your skin.

The venom is indeed dangerous! It is a cytotoxin and can cause a necrotic wound that takes some time to heal. (So does staph or MRSA).
Very rarely the wound gets bigger and nastier and takes longer to heal, but they do heal.

Deaths are extremely rare and usually in children. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association between 2004 and 2014, 300 people were struck and killed by lightning in the US. During the same time frame 1 person is said to have died from a recluse bite.

Personally, I had one for a while and it hid all the time and was boring.

21/10/2024

Sucky sucky day.

So here's baby spiders.

😓

19/10/2024

Spider Gods and Goddesses

in ancient myths and legends spiders often play a prominent part.

Many spider deitities are associated with fate, destiny, intereconnectedness and creation because of webs they weave. Spider Grandmother of the Hopi and Navajo, Uttu from Sumeria, Neith from Egypt, Arianrhod of Celtic myth and Mamitu of Mesopotamia are noted examples.

Some are tricksters like Anansi from Ghana in Africa and Iktomi from the Lakota of North America, teaching lessons through pranks and mischief much like Coyote or Loki.

In Japanese forklore Jorgumo is a beautiful woman who lures men in to her web where she eats them. Its meant to caution against giving in to temptation.

Athena from Greek mythology is said to have entered into a contest with a bragging weaver names Arachne. But it turned out Arachne was better, and as they do, Athena flew into a rage and beat Arachne who then hanged herself. Athena turned the rope into silk and Arachne into a spider. And that's where we get the word arachnid from!

19/10/2024

Did you know spiders move by hydraulic compression? Obviously there are no bones and they do not have the muscles necessary to extend the legs so their blood, or hemolymph is pumped into the legs to extend them.

The reason that spiders curl their legs under when they die is because there is no fluid being pumped into them. You may also see this if the spider is dehydrated so many keepers first try to give the spider water before they give up on it. Water is usually offered as a soaked qtip or paper towel because the fangs can sink in easily. One cannot just put the whole spider in water because their lungs are on their underside and they could drown and die if they are indeed alive. Or were alive.

Of course scientists are using this for robot design which is cool!

18/10/2024

Today I had an egg sac hatch!

All spiders lay eggs and then use silk to contain them somehow. Some make perfect little bundles, some just string some silk around a couple times and call it good.
Some spiders leave the sacs in their web, some carry it around. Some only make one sac, some make many.

The babies usually hatch from the eggs then hang out until they molt, then emerge from the sac. They may stay together a bit at first and then disperse to avoid cannibalism and inbreeding (tho I'm sure both happen).

These are fresh baby latrodectus hesperus, or black widows. They start out white!

17/10/2024

Almost forgot my post for today, and.... I got nothing. Brain is soup.

So here is nice pic of one of my brown widows named Jasper. She got a bigger enclosure and a nice wee dubia cockroach today.

16/10/2024

What else is an arachnid? Most people only associate the word with spiders. But there are so many more.
Like scorpions!
Daddy long legs, whip scorpions, psuedoscorpions, vinegaroons, camel spiders, mites and ticks!

They all have 8 legs attached to their cephalothorax.

15/10/2024

Male spiders are very often smaller than the females. It's theorized that this is to allow males to move around easier. Both in search of a female and to get away from said female!

Here is a mature male and female latrodectus hesperus (black widows)

14/10/2024

So yall know spiders don't have bones they have an exoskeleton. As they grow the soft bits don't fit in the hard shell anymore so the skin splits and the spider wiggles out and is usually significantly bigger. Shedding of the skin is called ecdysis.

But the shed skin is SO COOL! They shed everything: fangs, eye caps, lungs etc!

Some spiders shed as they grow their whole lives like female tarantulas. The males shed regularly like females until they mature sexually and then usually they die within a few months to a year so they don't have a chance to shed again. Though it does happen occasionally. Females shed less and less as they reach adulthood.

Other spiders only shed until they reach maturity and then never again. Of course this means if they lose body parts after they mature they won't get those back.

Shedding is a dangerous time. They are completely vulnerable during the process and after they are out they are exhausted and still soft for quite some time, even the fangs.
Sometimes spiders can't get the skin off entirely, if it's just a small bit that's ok but they can lose body parts this way too. If they can't make it out at all they will die. If the stuck piece is on the abdomen it can tear a rupture when it does come off and the spider bleeds to death.

And then we (crazy invertebrate people) take the shed and put it into a shed jar and keep them forever!!

13/10/2024

Apologies for missing yesterday. It's been a rough week, first the daughter was sick, then I was, and during this the kittens were sick with panleukopenia and we lost the littlest one. So that was a bad 36 hours.

So today's is about sizes.

The world's biggest spider is....

The Goliath bird eater or the giant huntsman...

The giant huntsman or Heteropoda maxima has the largest leg span, of 12 inches. That's about a dinner plate!

The heaviest spider is the Goliath bird eater or Theraphosa blondi at 6 ounces!
That's about the weight of your smart phone!

The smallest spiders are thought to be the Patu digua which is 0.014 inches!

11/10/2024

And now for something a little bit different.

All spiders are arachnids but not all arachnids are spiders!

This arachnid is Muffin, one of my Phrynus whitei or Central American tailless whip scorpion.

They may look scary but are harmless. They are not venomous, poisonous or aggressive. The worst they can do is pinch you a little. They are nocturnal, very shy, and eat insects. Whip scorpions can be found in subtropical and tropical habitats including Florida and Arizona!

I just think they are adorable!

10/10/2024

I've gotten obsessed with these, I think they are just gorgeous.

Does anyone know?

It's Latrodectus geometricus.

The brown widow!

Thought to be native to Africa or South America, it's now all over the world including the Southern US. They are just as venomous as black widows but supposedly do not inject as much venom when they bite so are considered not as medically significant. Like other widows they are shy and dont want to bite anyways. When I rehome these guys they are just as likely to play dead as run away.
They are out-competing native widow species in many places and are often considered invasive. Their hourglass is orange and their egg sacs have little spikes all over them.
Their color can vary a great deal, from light tan, gray to almost black and there is some evidence the shade may be dependent on the colors around where the spider lives.

Anyways, I loves them!!

10/10/2024

There I fixed it

09/10/2024

Did you know you can overfeed a spider?

In the wild a spider never really knows when their next meal will be so they may overeat when they can. This might be one really big bug or many small ones. They store the goods in their abdomen, so a big b***y means they've been eating well (or pregnant but that's another topic). The better fed they are the longer they can weather a dry spell.

But in captivity many are on a schedule and never go thru that dry spell so they can actually get fat!

Being overweight has similar disadvantages as in other animals. Their life spans are often shorter for one, but spiders have a couple more unique dangers:
1. If they have a big abdomen and they fall, they could literally pop!
2. A heavy abdomen can pull away or detach from the cephalothorax.

Both are fatal

So when I see fat bottomed spoods on feeding day, those get skipped.

Today is Tarantula Tuesday. These are three of my Ts: Tiny the giant white knee, Strax the golden red rump and Omen the Mexican red knee. Tiny and Strax's booties are way too big to be fed. But Omen got a nice juicy roach.

Many times when the b***y gets big and stays big for a while that means they might molt their exoskeleton soon. Strax is way overdue for a molt and Tiny could go at anytime too. So no food till after they do! Omen molted last week so it was definitely needing a meal.

08/10/2024

For todays a quick lesson. (*NOT my photo)

I see it constantly, a bad photo of a spider and the question "is it poisonous?"

No, no it's not. Spiders are not poisonous, they are venomous.

Every once in a while someone does ask if its venomous.

But my point is, yes, it's likely venomous. BUT there is a group of spiders that have no venom!

Spiders in the Family Uloboridae have no venom! They live all over the world.
The Uloborus glomosus or Cribellate orb weaver lives here in the US but most of the others live in more tropic climes.

But I digress. MOST spiders are not medically significant (especially in the US).That's what you want to ask.

Unless for some weird reason you are allergic to a specific spiders venom, you're pretty safe.

Very few people die anymore from spider bites. I tried looking up the stats and I cant figure out the key words I need to not wade thru thousands of articles.

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Having another round of panleuk, tragically, but they seem less affected by it this time around. Hope it stays that way. #wildbluecats #wildblue #fostercatsofinstagram #wildbluecatsrescueandsanctuary #cats #catsofinstagram #rescuecatsofinstagram #orphankittens #kittens #bottlebabies #fosteringsaveslives #fosterkittens #adoptdontshop #Labyrinth #thelabyrinth #voodoo #youremindmeofthebabe youremind

So yall know spiders don't have bones they have an exoskeleton. As they grow the soft bits don't fit in the hard shell anymore so the skin splits and the spider wiggles out and is usually significantly bigger. Shedding of the skin is called ecdysis. But the shed skin is SO COOL! They shed everything: fangs, eye caps, lungs etc! Some spiders shed as they grow their whole lives like female tarantulas. The males shed regularly like females until they mature sexually and then usually they die within a few months to a year so they don't have a chance to shed again. Though it does happen occasionally. Females shed less and less as they reach adulthood. Other spiders only shed until they reach maturity and then never again. Of course this means if they lose body parts after they mature they won't get those back. Shedding is a dangerous time. They are completely vulnerable during the process and after they are out they are exhausted and still soft for quite some time, even the fangs. Sometimes spiders can't get the skin off entirely, if it's just a small bit that's ok but they can lose body parts this way too. If they can't make it out at all they will die. If the stuck piece is on the abdomen it can tear a rupture when it does come off and the spider bleeds to death. And then we (crazy invertebrate people) take the shed and put it into a shed jar and keep them forever!! #arachtober #ecdysis #spider #spiders #arachnid #arachnophile #spood #spooder #inverts #invertebrates #invertkeeper #exoticinsect #exoticinsectkeeper

The ubiquitous jumping spider! They have become insanely popular as a pet recently and from what I've seen online, the cure for arachnophobia for many people. It may be their calm, silly and friendly nature or amazingly cute widdle face! Anyways people are going nuts for these little things #arachtober #jumpingspider #jumper #spider #spiders #arachnid #arachnophile #spood #spooder #inverts #invertebrates #invertkeeper #exoticinsect #exoticinsectkeeper

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He calls them my "back alley spider deals"

We have new, stinky fosters #wildbluecats #wildblue #fostercatsofinstagram #wildbluecatsrescueandsanctuary #cats #catsofinstagram #rescuecatsofinstagram #orphankittens #kittens #bottlebabies #fosteringsaveslives #fosterkittens #adoptdontshop‼️

Blackberry the spiny flower mantis munching a mini mealworm #prayingmantis #mantis #prayingmantisoftiktok #prayingmantistok #mantisesoftiktok #mantistok #inverts #invertebrates #invertkeeper #exoticinsect #exoticinsectkeeper

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It's almost time to say goodbye #wildbluecats #wildblue #fostercatsofinstagram #wildbluecatsrescueandsanctuary #cats #catsofinstagram #rescuecatsofinstagram #orphankittens #kittens #bottlebabies #fosteringsaveslives #fosterkittens #adoptdontshop

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We had a scare! #wildbluecats #wildblue #fostercatsofinstagram #wildbluecatsrescueandsanctuary #cats #catsofinstagram #rescuecatsofinstagram #orphankittens #kittens #bottlebabies #fosteringsaveslives #fosterkittens #adoptdontshop

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