Mostly Spiders

One thing I've noticed about hiking in Hong Kong is that there are a lot of spiders.

A lot of big spiders

So here's a brief post about some of the few things I've researched about spiders. I will not be citing my sources - but on my honor, everything I found is from the internet! 

Ready to ruin your day (but really if you're a flying insect)

Spiders move by controlling the hydrostatic pressure in their legs - using the mechanism behind a hydraulic lift to move their legs. Spiders are able to move by : walking, running, jumping, ballooning (like in Chalotte's Web), walking on water, and tumbling/handsprings (in places like the desert).

In 2012 (I believe it may have been earlier), a group developed a spider-like robot with 4 legs, 8 motors, and some sensors to tell it's general position. They put an AI into the robot but didn't tell it what it looked like, and they watched it teach itself how to walk. Here is a video!

Fine spider silk (a protein called Gossamer) is gelatinous in their body, and upon being spun is dried of excess water and is acidified, a process which solidifies it.

I recently got fed up with this spider black magic and decided to google how spiders are able get their webs across huge expanses. The answer, was much more simple than I thought. Essentially, they just climb to a high place, as start emitting silk, to be picked up by the wind, until it floats and hits something. If the silk does not strike anything, the spider will probably eat the silk back. I am sure there is more to it than just this, because I would imagine that much more often than not, spiders would end up with webs stuck to the ground.

The most common spider I have found in Hong Kong is called the Golden Orb spider, and the internet is filled with admiration for their webs. Apparently, their webs, which are designed to catch large flying insects, are strong enough that small birds can get caught in them; spiders can't eat birds. So to prevent birds from ruining their webs, the spiders supposedly leave a string of dead insects near the edges of the webs like a warning strip on glass doors, for birds.

Not all spiders hunt by stringing up their nets in places were bugs that are smaller than them will fly/jump into them. The Gladiator Spider hunts by carrying it's net on its front legs, and jumping on its prey with it. Enjoy this gif!

Crazy!

Anyways, this week has already gone by so quickly! I'll post again soon.

I know I posted this image before - But some recently told me "crabs are like the spiders of the sea",
So look at this sea spider