The spider-peacock is one of the most unusual representatives of arachnids

People are used to the fact that spiders are vile and disgusting creatures. They see in them monsters, killing all on their way. However, the truth is that not all members of this family have a horrible appearance. Moreover, there are even those who can please others with their cute coloring and funny character. And the best proof of this is the spider-peacock (photos of arthropods are presented below).

General information about the view

This species of spiders lives exclusively in Australia. For the first time it was studied by the English scientist-preacher Octavius Cambridge in 1874. Then the well-known zoologist made a serious mistake, citing the spider-peacock to flying insect-like. He even came up with the big name Salticus Volans, where the first word is a kind indication, and the second is a marching from the Latin word "fly".

However, in 1991 the Polish scientist-zoologist Marek Zhabka thoroughly proved that the spider-peacock can not fly. Moreover, he does not even have wings, and his "heavenly" journeys he does thanks to his muscular legs. Nevertheless, for many years, the prefix volans got used to it, and they did not want to change it. Only the word salticus was turned into a maratus, thus ranking as a special group of spiders-horses.

Incredible beauty

The spider-peacock has an unusual appearance. It can not be confused with any other species. However, before we begin to describe it, it is necessary to mention one very important detail. Male maratus volans externally strongly differ from females. Unlike the "gray" ladies, the cavaliers are painted in motley rainbow colors.

The main advantage of males is the abdomen. It consists of solid plates on which an abstract pattern is engraved . Most often it consists of circles and strips of blue, placed on a yellow or orange background. In addition, in the palette of the spider-peacock can occur green, red and purple hues.

Otherwise, males and females are quite similar. So, these are small creatures, rarely growing more than 5 mm in length. The two rear pairs of paws are much larger than the front ones, since they are responsible for high jumping of the insect. In addition, the spider-peacock is covered from head to foot with light wool, which, like puff, sticks out in different directions.

Ration and way of hunting

Maratus volans is a purebred predator. Despite its tiny size, he with the bravery of a tiger rushes at all the insects that creep alongside him. The main weapon of the spider is its jaws - they strike the chitin and inject poison into the body of the victim.

Muscular legs also help in hunting. Thanks to them the predator can make lightning-fast races. They allow both to catch up with the prey and escape in case of danger. In addition, during observations, naturalists learned that a peacock-spider can catch even a flying target, if it accidentally finds itself in its field of vision.

Purpose of motley coloring

The fact that only males have a bright coloration, already suggests the idea of its destination. In reality, everything is simple - it is needed to attract the attention of females. This is a colorful outfit that should show the lady the superiority of her chosen one over others.

But a bright color is not the only trump card that a spider-peacock possesses. Marriage dance - that's what sets this handsome man on the background of the rest of the family. Being near the female, the gentleman raises the plates upwards, like a peacock-tail, and begins to shake them in time with the steps. From the outside it looks like a clockwork Mexican dance, which continues until the lady recognizes the boyfriend.

True, it also happens that instead of mating the male can expect an inglorious end. After all, a peacock spider is prone to cannibalism and eats representatives of its own kind with ease. So for a bad dancer even simple flirtation can be a deadly adventure.