Marian told me that she had a surprise for me at home. I was released from hospital and I thought she had a nice gift waiting.
And oh, what a wonderful gift this was.
She found a Rain Spider on its nest behind the air-conditioning machine mounted on our bedroom wall.
So come and see.
It is a Rain Spider of the family Sparassidae and the species is (Palystes castaneus)
Marian has some of her succulent pots below the machine and there are many dwarf lizards that visit the pots. Rain spiders eat lizards and it's the ideal place for her nest, as the babies will have much food.
Palystes is a genus of huntsman spiders, commonly called rain spiders or lizard-eating spiders, occurring in Africa, India, Australia, and the Pacific. The most common and widespread species is P. superciliosus, found in South Africa, home to 12 species in the genus. The name Palystes is derived from either the Latin palaestes or the Greek palaistes, meaning "wrestler"
Source
Talking about much food for the babies, this little being was lying next to the pot and perhaps the rain spider was storing it for food for her babies when they hatch. Perhaps the spider raided some small bird's nest.
She started climbing around the nest, as I touched her back leg.
And as I kept my finger in her sight, she raised her legs ready for a fight.
Now you don't want those two mandibles to get a hold of your finger, as it has a sore bite, but I loved her eyes.
Rain spiders can grow very big and this one is a young sample as I have posted a much bigger one before. I am happy for the gift, as the spiders also keep the bad insects away. They are not poisonous and once her babies are born, I will catch her and show her to you on my hand. In the meantime we leave her nest alone to perform its natural function.
I have some catching up to do, as I was in hospital over the past two days and it's amazing how quick work can pile up, at Papillon and on Hive.
But I will get there again.
Thank you once again to those that supported me in my absence.
And That's All Friends.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon Powershot SX70HS Bridge camera.
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