Long-jawed Orbweaver

Long jaws below - Linda Bower

Linda Bower sent me her latest video showing a Long-jawed Orbweaver cutting prey remains out of a web and other behaviors.  The first thing you will notice is that the spider is hanging upside down and moving across a horizontal web. It is taking up and presumably digesting the web material, the ultimate in recycling when she makes her next web.

"My, what big palps you have!"  REK

Long-jawed Orbweavers (LJO), aka Stretch Spiders are members of the Tetragnathidae family.  Their webs are parallel to the water's surface, built on grasses, reeds and other structures.  The design is perfect for capturing their main prey, insects such as mayflies, gnats and midges rising off the surface of the water. 

We previously wrote more details on the LJO including their habit of  "lip-locked" mating in this 2014 blog.

You can see all of Linda Bower's nature video's at this Youtube link.