Female Cross Spider - Araneus diadematus

There are 16 species of Araneidae to be found in the UK and all with 8 eyes and many and have distinctive abdominal patterns. Some species can be found in a variety of colours but will always have the abdominal patterns usually remaining the same. Can sometimes be known as the Pumpkin Spider, Cross Orb Weaver, Crowned Orb Weaver or Diadem Spider. These spiders are also Cannibals and will prey on each other which sometimes happen when mating just before or after sexual activity. Once a spider has caught its prey and will want to eat its food the first step is to literally vomit a digestive fluid all over the food and then to chew the item with the jaws (chelicerae), then on to suck up the fluid back into the mouth together with the liquified meat. Some spiders can produce at least six different kinds of silk and if spiders were scaled to the same size as us it is said that the Web would be strong enough to catch a helicopter. It has also been claimed that a cable of silk as thick as a thumb woven from spider silk would be able to bear the weight of a jumbo jet

Done