If, like me, you live in the UK then you will have seen this spider. I am pretty confident that these guys are probably one the most frequently encountered spiders out there, yep that’s right I am talking about the cellar spider (Pholcus phalangioides). If you don’t believe me then go and open your airing … More Cellar Spiders – As Interesting as they are Common
I have been, very kindly, nominated to take part in the Sunshine Blogger Award by Kannan Raja, the author of the Zoologyscribbles blog. It is always an amazing feeling to know that people out there are aware of my blog, let alone having it mentioned and included in things such as this. Following in the … More Sunshine Blogger Award
Right, well I hope you all enjoyed the previous post about the formidable Assassin Bugs of the Hemipteran family, Reduviidae, because I am back with more. In case you can’t tell, I love these insects and they’re not often talked about in mainstream media, so these posts aim to get the word out about these … More Corpse Camouflage and Termite fishing: Assassin bugs (part 2)
The world is full of charismatic predators; big cats, wolves and crocodiles, which are commonly the focus of TV shows and documentaries, but some of the most interesting and successful predators are often overlooked. As far as numbers go, the predatory beetles are the most successful terrestrial predators, but we’ll forget that for a moment … More Sticky traps, stealth and aggressive mimicry: Assassin bugs, worthy of the name (Part 1)
Scorpions, tough Chelicerata arachnids, well known for their association with the one of the most hostile, hottest environments on earth… deserts. But even when not living in deserts, scorpions still tend to be found in warm ecosystems, such as rainforests and savannas. However, believe it or not, there is a scorpion that braces the rather … More Euscorpius flavicaudis: The Scorpion that lives in England
Are tarantula’s spiders? Short answer… yes, they are indeed spiders. Any of you who follow me on social media will know that I own a few tarantulas, and this is where this post comes from. The last few times that I have visited an exotic pet shop and asked to see their spiders, I have … More Are Tarantulas Spiders? A Glimpse at Spider Evolution and Phylogeny
When someone mentions parental care in the animal kingdom, birds and mammals are probably the organisms than spring to most people’s minds, and it’s most likely that invertebrates and specifically spiders are not high on peoples lists of the animal kingdoms most devoted parents. It is true, the invertebrate world is neglecting in parental care … More Protection, Cannibalism and Self-Sacrifice: The World of Spider Parenting
A few weekends back, I met up with a university friend and went for a day trip to some heathland in Dorset, with the hope of finding some different and less common creatures. Dorset is well known for its animal diversity and many of Britain’s rarer organisms can be found there, furthermore its heathlands are … More A Day in Dorset (part 1)
Jumping spiders! Salticidae is the largest family of spiders, containing approximately 5,500-6,000 species, which accounts for around 13% of all spiders. These species are divided into 600+ genera, are typically small in size and famed for their incredible jumping abilities. Along with their impressive number of species and awesome acrobatics, they also possess some of … More Salticidae – The Charismatic Spiders
If you follow any of my social media accounts you have probably noticed that I have started uploading microscope pictures. Recently, I acquired a fantastic Brunel MX7T microscope for my birthday, it comes with a rotating turret with 20x and 40x magnification (although this can be increased through additional eyepieces). My primary reason for wanting … More Microscope Madness
