The Spiny Orb Weaver Spider - A Natural Work of Art!

Video: Spiny Orb Weaver Spider.

Spiny Orb Weaver Spider - A Work of Art!

I've seen these little spiders off and on over the years, but never one in such an accesible location for filming. This little Orb Weaver was in our backyard maybe 20 feet from where I found it's huge relative The Golden Web Orb Weaver https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RXyYzjzZvs earlier in the summer.
But this Orb Weaver spider is only about half an inch across. It is sometimes called a "crab spider", but crab isn't what comes to mind when I see this little jewel of a spider. I don't know if it's just me and the macro lens, but the top of the spider looks a lot like a porcelain Foo Dog or Bowser from Super Mario Brothers.It appears to me to have an eastern art look to it.

The purpose of this amazing colorful deception is to repel potential predators and avoid being eaten. Far from being scary to my eye it looks a bit like a happy face with rays of sunshine. But then I don't eat spiders! Nevertheless, it is a very attractive, beneficial and entertaining little spider. In the video  it eats a caught mosquito and also shows a serious aversion to vegetables, as lacking insects, I threw a small flower and piece of green leaf into its web to get it to move around - after which it quickly threw them out of the nest with an expression of obvious disdain! It seemed to be all business and fastidiously keeping a tidy web lest it miss out on a meal, it certainly had no intentions of humoring me. These spiders are small and their bite reportedly causes a very mild reaction and it is extremely unlikely that anyone would be bitten. If you see this colorful little spider let it be and enjoy!

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