In our usual life, we often meet with a web - these are all the "tricks" of a spider. And in our garden or in the courtyard of the house most often such a network is woven by a spider-cross. At his sight, involuntarily he trembles. This horror throws man into shock. Fear completely dominates consciousness. But should we be afraid of him?
The spider-cross is a very peculiar insect. He keeps many secrets of the arachnid family. First of all, the name. Of course, it is not the most unique, but still … All spiders have their own distinctive features, expressed in a bright, memorable appearance. It is this appearance that the spider-cross can boast in full. The size of an adult is 10-26 mm., While the male is smaller than the female. The cross on the abdomen has bright spots located in the form of a cross. It is to them that the spider owes such a significant name.
Like most arachnids, the cross has four pairs of eyes. At first glance, it might seem that he will not leave anything and nobody without close attention. This is not entirely true. The spider cross is very shortsighted. Therefore, it is typical for him to contemplate the world in semitones. He distinguishes silhouettes, sharp movements, but nothing more.
For whom does he weave his nets?
The main tool for obtaining food from the spider is the web. She is bewitchingly beautiful and original. Swinging smoothly from the light gust of wind, it attracts and attracts flies flying by. They, in turn, are a wonderful treat for the spider-cross. Once in the net, the fly tries to break free. It only exacerbates its position. Darting around the web, it certainly moves to its center, where the sharp jaws of a spider pierce into it, injecting deadly poison. The spider-cross, without losing a second of precious time, wraps the poor man with thin threads. Now she can’t escape. A peculiar cross begins its meal. Swaddling the caught victim, he introduces into it the juices that contribute to his digestion. After a while, the spider sucks out the digested contents. If the day of the spider went wrong, it can swallow more than ten flies overnight.
Sometimes prey accidentally caught in the web poses a real threat to the cross. It can be poisonous or have large dimensions, which can provoke a rupture of the threads. In this case, the spider behaves extremely carefully. He creeps slowly, looking around. It has a spider-cross structure, which allows it to accurately identify the danger. Oddly enough, the paws are the sensitive area. They contain receptors that allow the spider to “sniff” the victim and make the only right decision. If the object is a threat, the spider-cross with its inherent caution helps him get out of captivity. Having released the prey, he is not upset, because by nature he has the habit of harvesting food in advance.
The cross is a spider, which is endowed with the ability to weave not only elegant, but also durable web. Having chosen a place, he begins to lower a thin thread, which, under the influence of a gust of wind, clings to a support that has come across. Having descended on it, the spider again performs the same operation until a triangular frame is created. After this, the cross forms the center of the web and already weaves a network further from it.
The finished web has tremendous strength. She is able to withstand a load of more than two hundred grams per square millimeter. In addition, it is very elastic and can stretch to almost half its length and return to its previous state. Science has proven that the web is a good antiseptic. Therefore, since ancient times, it has been used for medical purposes to combat harmful bacteria.
A spider-cross in the name of procreation sacrifices itself. After his death, the lady weaves cocoons for bearing offspring.
Take a closer look at the web. She is fraught with many interesting stories.
