Arachnids
Africa speaks for itself with its multitude of different animals. Here you can see both the big animals, such as elephants and giraffes, but the various small animals also have a fantastic basis here to feel at home.
Spiders are fascinating animals
Spiders in Africa find countless opportunities to spin their webs in the local flora. Spiders in Africa can be found in all corners, gardens, bushes, woods and coniferous forests, almost everywhere you can imagine. Spiders feel comfortable where they can build a web.
The general habitat for spiders in Africa can be divided into four areas. Firstly, there is the ground area, the vegetation area, the shrub area and of course the tree area. Large spiders in Africa live in the tree area.
The Spider Web
The most important characteristic of a spider is its web. To spin a so-called wheel web, spiders first produce the two main threads. These harden in the air. Then it spins another thread, creating a "Y". The spider then spins the so-called catching spiral, doing this from the inside out. In the process, it disposes of the auxiliary spirals that are no longer needed. The front part of the spider is called the cephalothorax. This is where the spider's eight legs originate. The chelicerae consist of two parts, the basal segment and the fang, which usually has a toothed structure. On the abdomen are the so-called spinnerets, with which the spider makes its web.
Tarantula
The best-known spider in Africa is probably the tarantula. Heteroscodra maculata is native to West Africa as well as the tropical forests of Central Africa. It is one of the largest spiders on the continent and lives in trees. It loves hot and humid temperatures. It is fond of native crickets and other small insects. Its behavior is very hectic and fast. It flees very quickly and also likes to drop itself, rolling up during the fall to deceive its opponents and then continues running on the ground. However, it can also defend itself with a quick defensive bite. The tarantula has a life expectancy of up to twenty years and grows to about five to six centimeters in this time. With the tarantula, it is very easy to distinguish the male from the female. The males are significantly darker than the females once they reach a certain body size.
It is also interesting that not all African spiders make webs. This type of spider waits on the ground for its prey, almost like a lurking tiger. Spiders in Africa are fascinating animals; if you accept their habitat and don’t behave too hectically in their presence, you can observe these animals very closely.
