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Naphrys pulex
I'm not really sure what's happening here - a tiny female Naphrys pulex (about 4 mm long) was attempting to drag another even smaller jumper into a crack in the mortar of our house. The second spider was alive & struggling to free itself. I'm not sure if this was the same species so I have no idea if she was kidnapping a male to breed with, about to indulge in some arachnid cannibalism or attempting to dispatch a rival! The whole action only took seconds & I only managed to get one clear photo. I would welcome any thoughts on what's happening here!
Spotted on Jun 15, 2012
Submitted on Jun 18, 2012
10 Comments
Absolutely Antonio! :-)
Amazing beahvour,a bit radical :-) but with a very specific natural porpouse,so i'am gratefull for not borned as a male spider :-)
Haha Hemma, not vicious - just nature! Apparently 1,500 species of animal have been observed practicing cannibalism - I'm thinking it may make a good future blog subject.
Thanks Debbie & Dez!
Hectic, great spot!
wow Brilliant capture, thats something you don't see everyday!
vicious!
Thank you Jacob & Claire!
wow! Sexual cannibalism
Spectacular!
OK, from what I've read online it seems likely that this is a case of sexual cannibalism which occurs quite frequently in jumping spiders!