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Marpissa muscosa
SIZE: ♀ 8-11 mm - ♂ 6-8 mm
Both sexes are coloured grey to brown. The whole spider has a furry appearance and is flattened in shape.
My partner noticed a Marpissa sneaking on a Nuctenea and started filming. I'm not sure but it looks like the Marpissa actually thought of a nice, big meal - but after some calculating she came to the conclusion that the prey is waaaaay bigger, thus she retreated slowly.
After reading on Wikipedia about this species the retreat also seems to be part of their social behaviour as Marpissa muscosa has a hierarchical system - the "weaker animals will show their inferiority by strutting their front legs and slowly receding from the scene."
1 Comment
Lovely .... thanks for sharing !