Spider-silverback - the owner of the air castle

Spider-silverback is a small, but poisonous spider, living in an aquatic environment. Most arachnids live on land, the same species is an exception. The length of the body is from 1.2 to 1.5 cm, 8 feet, abdomen, cephalothorax, two pairs of jaws and 8 eyes - this is the spider silverkin. The description is very similar to other spiders, but there is something special about it - it's a huge amount of hairs on the abdomen, lubricated with waterproof material, they help the silver woman to breathe under the water, since they hold the air.

Most silverbirds are found in Europe in fresh standing waters with grassy vegetation. The spider lives under the water and builds a house there. First he weaves a reticulum, which then fills with air. Subsequently, it takes the form of a bell. His house spider-silver collects for a snag, plant or stone. The spider breathes not only light, but also the entire surface, so the air in the cocoon is consumed sparingly.

To replenish the air reserves, the spider rises to the surface of the water. By the way, it floats pretty fast, with a speed of about 2 cm / s. Only the abdomen protrudes to the surface, the rest of the body is in the water. At this moment, the silver woman is completely defenseless, so she tries not to attract attention. Having collected air in the lungs and hair, he plunges into the water to his bell, in order to dump air reserves there. To the hairs on the abdomen do not stick together and grab as much air as possible, the silver from time to time combs them and lubricates with a fat secret, secreted from the mouth.

Although the silver-spider has 8 eyes, it sees very badly, but it has a rather developed perception of shock and movement. Like all representatives of arachnids, the silver from its cocoon stretches the signal threads to the nearest plants, snags and stones, so he immediately feels that someone touched his web. Without losing a minute, the spider immediately runs to check whether the victim is caught. Serebryanka feeds on fish fry, insect larvae and crayfish with pleasure, in most cases hunting at night.

The silver-spider drags its victim into the bell, then lies on its back, secreting enzymes to digest the soft tissues of the prey. All that could not be digested, the spider simply throws out of the cocoon. Since males are slightly larger than females, they may not worry that they will be eaten and settle nearby. Mating occurs fairly peacefully and necessarily in the cocoon of the female.

To reorganize the cocoon for eggs, it is necessary to proceed immediately after fertilization, which, in fact, is the work of the silver woman. A spider usually lays between 10 and 160 eggs. The female incubates the eggs, and until the little spiders leave the cocoon, she does not get out of it and does not eat anything. Young spiders usually settle in the same pond or weave a web and use the wind to move to another pond.

The life expectancy of silver is about 18 months. For the winter there are practically only young spiders and a few old females. In order not to freeze, they look for empty shells that are braided with cobwebs, or they weave a dense cocoon of vitreous mass. Even the strong frosts of the silver bear are tolerated fairly well.