Harvestman at Large
Recycling, spider style
I watched this rather beautifully marked female Larinioides cornutus for quite a while. She was tidying her web, removing damaged bits, bits of plant debris and disentangling grass blades that had become caught in the web. I twice saw her cut the end off a blade of grass to free it from her web.
All the excess silk that she cleared up ended as a ball of silk in her mouth, visible in the shot, which she will then eat, recycling it for future production as fresh silk.
I have seen this behaviour before, but not to the methodical extent that this spider showed.
Recycling, spider style
I watched this rather beautifully marked female Larinioides cornutus for quite a while. She was tidying her web, removing damaged bits, bits of plant debris and disentangling grass blades that had become caught in the web. I twice saw her cut the end off a blade of grass to free it from her web.
All the excess silk that she cleared up ended as a ball of silk in her mouth, visible in the shot, which she will then eat, recycling it for future production as fresh silk.
I have seen this behaviour before, but not to the methodical extent that this spider showed.