The above video sourced from (J, Otto, 2013) shows the Maratus Speciosus peacock spider mating dance which can last from a few seconds-over an hour. The mating dance acts to attract the female but if the female is uninterested the female eats him. The dance shows the spider rising his legs and the colourful flap towards the back of the spider lifts up as the spider shows off his beautiful colours to the female. The spiders have also been videoed revolving their spinnerets or vibrating their abdomens. (Penberthy, N 2015).
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General appearance:
Peacock spiders are quite small at 4-6mm long, they have eight legs, large eyes and a colourful flap on their abdomen which, as shown previously, is used to attract the females (Girard, M & Endler, J n.d.).
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History:
Originally, when the spiders were in 1987 they were believed to fly due to their wing-like abdomen and their high jumping ability which features the spider jumping 20 times over their size. This belief was disproved Jürgen Otto who since then has photographed around 80 difference species (Otto, J 2020, Peacock spiders).
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Survival + location:
The spiders are venomous and they kill their prey with their venom. Peacock spiders eat small insects, such as flies or grasshoppers but they can also eat larger insects. They have an average lifespan of one year. They are most commonly found in south Australia (Edwards, T 2020) over deserts, savannas and grasslands (Bailey, R 2019).
Six of the most common species of peacock spiders are displayed in the portfolio below, click the images to learn more.
