Phryns are harmless heroes of arachnophobes' nightmares
There are many cute creatures in the world that are deadly to humans. But there are also those that look creepy and threatening, but are actually harmless and defenseless. One of such creatures can be considered phryns or flagellated spiders (Latin Amblypygid). These arthropods simply radiate danger, but at the same time they cannot harm a person and even sometimes become pets.
Translated from Latin, the name of these creatures "Amblypygid" translates as "dumb ass". In fact, the back of the body of these arachnids is rounded. In their structure, they are closer to scorpions than to spiders, but nature has deprived them of tails. But sometimes phryns are still called scorpions, though tailless.
Phryns have a small, flattened body ranging in size from 5 mm to 4.5 cm. But incredibly long and thin paws give them a threatening appearance. Together with the limbs , Frin can reach a size of 25 cm . The phryns have 8 paws, 6 of which the flagellated spider uses to move, and 2, which are called pedipalps, help in hunting. The spiked pedipalps with which the spider holds food are similar to the grasping limbs of a praying mantis.
In general, phryns have 10 limbs, but one pair is modified into long bundles-tentacles that help spiders navigate in space and find food. Thanks to these antennas, they got their second name - flagellated spiders.
The Phryn diet consists of insects and other arthropods. They are especially fond of cockroaches and termites - soft and juicy. Phryns have neither poisonous nor spider glands, so they can only rely on flagella, tenacious pedipalps and dexterity when hunting. These spiders are very tenacious and easily move on any surface, including vertical and smooth.
Phryns have been living on our planet for hundreds of millions of years. They are much older than dinosaurs and any vertebrates in general. But the general public found out about them only after the release of the film "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". In one of the episodes of this picture, Phryne was presented as an incredibly dangerous creature capable of killing a person with one bite.
But in real life, phryns are not like that at all, although they have an undeservedly bad reputation. In the tropical and equatorial regions of South America, Africa and Asia, where flagellated spiders live, they are considered dangerous creatures. In Malaysia and the Philippines, the indigenous population generally considers Phryns to be evil demons and tries to avoid them in every possible way.
A large frin, frightened, can slightly prick a person with the spikes of his pedipalps. But such injuries are not dangerous and happen extremely rarely. We are not prey for Phryns and in general, as if we exist in a parallel, different world. The fact is that 2 or 3 pairs of eyes of a flagellated spider are very short-sighted and arthropods simply do not see us. For them, a person is the same object as a tree branch or a stone, only radiating heat.
Phryns rarely encounter people in their natural habitat. These are nocturnal animals and they prefer secluded places in the jungle or among the rocks. They can be found in caves, where they sit on walls or hang from ceilings. Seeing the light or feeling the movement of air coming from a person, the spider tries to hide. The phryns move fast enough, but clumsily. They walk like crabs, sideways, while feeling their way with long flagella.
To find a mate, male phryns dance and tap with pedipalps. Having created a pair, these spiders mate in a very unusual way. The male puts a spermatophore capsule with sperm on the ground in front of the female, and then forces her to pass from above. In this case, the capsule touches the genitals and conception occurs. Immediately after that, the "family" breaks up, and the female lays eggs, which she carries on her abdomen.
The hatched babies do not run away, but sit on the mother's back until the first molt. Those of them who could not resist are doomed, as they have a soft body, are sedentary and completely defenseless. The female is indifferent to such "losers" and does not take any action to help them.
Scientists have noticed that some species of flagellated spiders show signs of sociality. They come together in groups, sometimes quite large. Many researchers even believe that phryns can communicate with each other, although there is no direct evidence of this yet.
Although Phryns are not uncommon in nature, their secretive lifestyle has long hindered acquaintance with people. For a long time, these creatures were the heroes of rumors and horror stories. For the first time, Europeans saw them only in 1758 and the famous biologist Carl Linnaeus described them. But until the beginning of the 19th century, flagellated spiders were poorly studied and there was fragmentary information about their life. Dead or severely damaged specimens most often fell into the hands of researchers.
Back in the late 19th century, there were disputes between zoologists about how to systematize phryns. The data on these spiders were more or less ordered only in the 1930s. Since then, it is believed that 136 species of these arthropods live in the world. But this figure is not final, as there is a suspicion that new species will be discovered.
Although phryns are extremely unpleasant creatures outwardly, they are kept as pets. They are not as charismatic as furry bird-eaters, but they cannot bite the owner. Keeping flagellated spiders in captivity is a rather troublesome task. The main problem with the content is that, like any spiders, phryns are obligate predators. This means that they can only feed on living objects, killing them on their own.
Therefore, if phryns live at home, then there must be live food for them nearby — cockroaches, crickets, zofobas larvae. In addition, spiders are very picky about air temperature and humidity, which will have to be maintained constantly. But, the owner of the phryne can impress his guests with the unearthly appearance of a pet and even be known among the ignorant as a desperate conqueror of monsters. You can see flagellated spiders at exhibitions of exotic animals and in zoos.