Follow the Research Trail Part Two: Angry Spider

Today we will look into a little-known habit of spiders. In my creation of a shapeshifting spider clan, this could turn into be a useful bit of information.

Habits of Spiders

by

W. J. C.

Mr. Frank Rowbotham, in his letter on the “Habits of Spiders” (vol. xxvi. p. 386), gives it as his opinion that a spider shakes the web from a desire “to effect concealment when it feels danger is near.” I am inclined to think it does so from a feeling of anger. During a long residence in the tropics, I often amused myself irritating spiders and watching their conduct. I noticed that they seized the web and shook it up and down in the manner described by your correspondent, but some of the spiders were of so great a size as to render concealment by such a man are quite hopeless, and I attributed their behavior to other motives. They appeared to me more to resemble angry monkeys than anything else. I have not infrequently seen the latter when annoyed jumping up and down on all fours with their tails erect in the air, or if confined in a cage seize the bars by

their hands and feet and shake them as the spiders did their webs. (Original website http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v26/n671/abs/026454a0.html)