Greetings. I'm tkrausse, occasional commenter and new poster here. To celebrate my joining the team, I decided that we need a cheerful post. Hence, the aptly-named Happy-Face Spider
This little guy, more formally known as Theridion grallator, is native to the Hawaiian islands. It grows to a length of about five millimeters. On The Island of Maui, the patterns tend to be hereditary, but on the other islands they appear to change based on the spider's diet. Given their small size, as well as their ability at hiding during the day, they aren't a major prey item on anyone's menu. The purpose of their coloring is still unknown.
Picture posted on Wikipedia commons by user Kahlzun
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5 comments:
These guys proudly grace the sides of many U-Haul trucks as a mascot for the state of Hawaii.
http://www.uhaul.com/SuperGraphics/70/Venture-Across-America-and-Canada-Modern/Hawaii
If they hide during the day, then I'm assuming they're out at night. So their coloring may be a way to scare off nocturnal predators especially if it gives off a luminous glow. Or perhaps it needs a lighter color to soak up as much vitamin D as possible. Just tossing out ideas.
So this spider actually has a happy face? No Photoshop, right? Very very strange, but happy! :-D
Correct, no photoshop.
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