The Peacock Spider

The peacock spider (Maratus volans) is perhaps the only spider species that has outgrowths on the body that are very similar to the wings of insects. And it was for them that he got his Latin name, translated as "flying". But, as it turned out, the spiders do not need wings for flight at all…

You have probably already guessed what and how he uses them? No? Then we will tell you…

Meet the peacock spider.

In general, as you can see, this spider is very, very small.

As scientists of the Australian Arachnological Society (society of spider lovers in a simple way) have shown, the presence of additional outgrowths in male peacock spiders is just an additional way to attract females of the same species.

In this case, these small-with half a nail — spiders are no different from real peacocks, the males of which have special decorating feathers for the same purposes. At the same time, the whole ritual of attraction and courtship turns into a real dance, beautiful and very bright.

This is a hunter with excellent vision, despite its small size, it can detect prey at a distance of 20 centimeters — this is a real feat, given its size. And the brilliant coloring is not just decorative — it helps the spider to survive

This coloring is observed not only in spiders. In many species, the males are very bright, and the females are gray and unassuming. The peacock spider lives mainly in the Australian states of New Wales and Queensland. Males also have two rounded folds on the sides of the abdomen, which they spread out during their dance. That is why they were called peacocks