Argiope spider and its prey - in Explore September 28 '23
Argiopes feed on what they catch in their web, mainly flies, grasshoppers, butterflies and other insects; this spider can even hunt a dragonfly, a wasp and a bee (but when it is stung, it dies on the spot). One insect is enough for a tiger for up to a week; when it is hungry, it hangs alone in the middle of the net and waits for its prey.
Spiders have a mating season at the end of summer. The tiny males send signals - tugs on the thread, carefully approaching the female. If she is ready to mate, she allows him to slip under her abdomen. It usually eats the male after copulation, sometimes even during it. A fragment of the male's pedipalps remains in the female's reproductive organ. Later, the female spins a balloon cocoon in which young spiders hatch and then overwinter.
Argiope spider and its prey - in Explore September 28 '23
Argiopes feed on what they catch in their web, mainly flies, grasshoppers, butterflies and other insects; this spider can even hunt a dragonfly, a wasp and a bee (but when it is stung, it dies on the spot). One insect is enough for a tiger for up to a week; when it is hungry, it hangs alone in the middle of the net and waits for its prey.
Spiders have a mating season at the end of summer. The tiny males send signals - tugs on the thread, carefully approaching the female. If she is ready to mate, she allows him to slip under her abdomen. It usually eats the male after copulation, sometimes even during it. A fragment of the male's pedipalps remains in the female's reproductive organ. Later, the female spins a balloon cocoon in which young spiders hatch and then overwinter.