Alright, I'm probably going to do like three posts in a row here, because apparently I only remember I have a nature blog once a year and need to catch up.
We'll start out quick and simple by saying: look at this cool spider that I found.
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| Black Purseweb (Sphodros niger) |
I was doing a bird survey and noticed this black thing trundling its way across the road nearby. Decided to go have a quick look, snapped a few photos, thought it looked pretty weird but, well, I had birds to count so I kind of put it out of my mind until later.
Apparently little buddy here is Ontario's only native tarantula - or, well, as close as we get to one. It's in the same general genetic grouping as tarantulas. It was about the size of a nickel, maybe, and certainly moved in a way reminiscent of its bigger tropical cousins in the way that the legs flexed, so I can see it. They're considered rare in Ontario, but it's suspected that's because they live underground and the only time humans notice them is when the males go wandering around in search of mates for a brief period in the middle of the summer - something that I just happened to stumble upon.
I still have a touchy relationship with spiders, if I'm being honest. Most of the time these days, I can appreciate spiders out in the wild the way I would any other bug, as something to study and be curious about but ultimately leave to their own devices. If they're in my home, then the story is likely to be different, but luckily that is unlikely to ever be an issue for these guys.
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