Birdeating Spider

Lurking predator that waits in the branches.

A sudden screech caused Ateri to turn her head quickly but the source of the sound was already gone.
A bird, she thought, what happened to it?
Her heart racing, she continued through the darkness and the undergrowth.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The spider's body has two main sections, the cephalothorax and the abdomen. Eight legs sprout from the cephalothorax, the section of the body atop which the eight eyes can be found.

Biological Traits

The female birdeating spiders are larger than the males and have been known to live for 20 years. The fangs of the female are also much larger than the males and capable of piercing tougher targets.
The smaller males have a lower lifespan of about 16 years. Unique to the males of this species is a potent venom capable of paralyzing small animals, though is of no threat to larger targets such as humanoids.

Genetics and Reproduction

For the male birdeating spider winning over a female involves a show of physical prowess, usually a dance-like movement. If she accepts she will shake her abdomen and the male will approach and touch her, if she is still receptive the male will inseminate her. The female will lay only 8 - 14 eggs, much less than most species of spider. These eggs will hatch in 35 - 40 cycles. If a female molts after mating, it must mate again as the pouch that stores the sperm is lost during the molt.

Growth Rate & Stages

The freshly-hatched spiderlings are not ready to take on the skies and cling to their mother until they undergo their first molting at around 30 cycles. At this stage the spiders begin to hunt small insects such as flies on their own. In order to reach maturity, and a full adult size, these small spiders will have to molt another seven or eight times. Adult birdeaters continue to molt and are more vulnerable for a brief period after each molting.

Ecology and Habitats

This species is native to the forests of Ratoghar and is rarely found outside them; they become dependent on the webweaver ants after reaching adulthood.

Dietary Needs and Habits

As the species' name suggests it hunts birds. It does this by lying in wait in a tree and waiting for a bird to wander close. Its eyes allow it to detect this motion from any direction, track the target while it turns, and calculate the distance before it jumps at the target. One bird can sustain the spider for many cycles.

Biological Cycle

The mild seasons of Ratoghar keep this species active all year but they have been known to survive for several seasons without eating indicating some ability to hibernate.

Additional Information

Social Structure

There are some peculiar actions these spiders take in the presence of other member of their species. They claim and defend not only territory but also their colonies of webweaver ants; battles over these resources usually do not end death because one spider usually backs off after a display of size and strength. Old spiders that no longer hunt allow other spiders to move in to their territory and are not attacked by the new spiders who allow the elder to live out their remaining time in peace.
The male spiders will compete with each other for mates much in the same method that they compete for territory though this has never been witnessed to end in a fight.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The spider has no known use besides as a food-source for the lizardfolk that eat them whole.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Fortunately for the arachnophobes of the skies, this particularly large species is found only on Ratoghar.

Average Intelligence

This species shows the required intelligence to work with another species toward mutual benefit and to conserve energy for the appropriate time but nothing out of the ordinary for such creatures. This is disputed with recent evidence of their social interactions.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The eight eyes of the birdeater are actually four pairs of eyes with different functions. The eyes furthest back on the head provide a blurry vision but are very good at detecting movement and provide vision behind the spider. The next set forward serves a similar purpose but provides vision on the sides. The middle-front eyes are for tracking moving prey. The primary eyes - unlike most species of spider - are far enough apart to allow depth perception which aids them greatly in their ability to hunt.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

The most important relationship the birdeater has is with the webweaver ant. These ants  are the prime food-source for the flitterbird which is a good food-source for the spider and living near a colony of ants provides a great predatory opportunity.
The second function the webweavers serve is removing the silk from the spider. The spider has long since lost the ability to spin silk but continues to produce it anyway. Letting the silk build up inside the abdomen is dangerous for the spider and causes internally injury and even death.
A strange thing that the ants do when an old spider dies is cover it in its own remaining silk. The reason for this is unknown but perhaps it indicates that the colony needs a new spider.

Stub Article

This article is just a stub for now and will be expanded upon later.

Old Article

This article was written in the past and does not meet my current standards for any number of article quality, layout, or content.

In-Progress Article

This article is being worked on, perhaps not at this very moment, but it is being worked on.

Lifespan

16 - 20 years

Average Height

4 - 5 cm

Average Weight

300 - 500 g

Average Length

40 - 50 cm

Average Physique

For a creature of its size, this spider possesses great strength. Once it has grabbed something it is difficult to make it let go; its grip persists even in death earning it the nickname deathgrip spider.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Dark browns and black are the main colors of the birdeating spider. These colors and the patterns they appear in aid them in hiding among the tree branches of their home forests.