Picket Fence Spider from the Amazon

Xafron

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Not sure if this is old news to some here, but I felt it was worth sharing. Really cool spider here. I saw it on an episode of Weird Wonders Of The World on Netflix. They found this weird structure on trees, and originally thought it was a fungus. Later they discovered it is actually a spider egg sac (typically only with ONE egg in it) with a little fence built around it.

http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2014/01/09/mystery-picket-fence-in-amazon-explained/


 
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Duriana

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Oh yeah I saw these on YouTube. I wonder if they do one egg each as a survival tactic for the eggs. If the sac gets destroyed it's not all of the eggs, just one. Really interesting to theorize about. I hope we find out more
 

Xafron

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Oh yeah I saw these on YouTube. I wonder if they do one egg each as a survival tactic for the eggs. If the sac gets destroyed it's not all of the eggs, just one. Really interesting to theorize about. I hope we find out more
Ya I'm not sure why only one egg in each. It's interesting to think about why. Same for the fence around it. Is it to protect the egg? Do the babies stay in it for a period of time after hatching for protection too? Is it there to help them catch food?

There was one theory that mites trying to get the spider get stuck in the webbing and then the spider can get the mites haha.
 

BobBarley

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This is amazing!

lol I follow Phil Torres on my instagram account. Always fun to look through his feed.
 

schmiggle

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I wonder if they do one egg each as a survival tactic for the eggs. If the sac gets destroyed it's not all of the eggs, just one.
If you look at the footage it's actually more than one egg each--there are at least two spiders hatching from the structure.
They should try rearing the baby spiders out.
That would be awesome. I wonder if it would be possible at all. It probably depends on how specialized these are.

I wonder what family these are from. I bet it's already clear.
 

Xafron

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If you look at the footage it's actually more than one egg each--there are at least two spiders hatching from the structure.

That would be awesome. I wonder if it would be possible at all. It probably depends on how specialized these are.

I wonder what family these are from. I bet it's already clear.
He said "oh looks like we have twins." When I originally heard about these guys, they said only one egg per sac. So I'm going to assume it is more typical to find one instead of multiple.
 

schmiggle

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He said "oh looks like we have twins." When I originally heard about these guys, they said only one egg per sac. So I'm going to assume it is more typical to find one instead of multiple.
Interesting. With only four instances discovered it's sort of hard to know what's typical, but it certainly wouldn't be surprising if one per sac is typical but twins occasionally pop up. You could even imagine twins inside one egg.
 

The Snark

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As incredibly fascinating as this animal is, we need more to go on than a National Informercial-graphic video. Any white papers getting cranked out?
 

Xafron

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As incredibly fascinating as this animal is, we need more to go on than a National Informercial-graphic video. Any white papers getting cranked out?
There is interesting stuff in the National Geographic article.

The video is not from National Geographic, it is from one of the people who went down to the Amazon to find out what was making these structures.

No idea on white papers.
 

The Snark

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The video is not from National Geographic, it is from one of the people who went down to the Amazon to find out what was making these structures.
Apple ogies. I have a difficult time suppressing my gag reflex when I see the words National Geographic.

Gads but this critter opens up all sorts of speculation. I'm hoping the pros get past standing there in stupors with mouth hanging open and start in on the whys. From genetics to in depth analysis of the environment there is a whole lot of unanswereds needing attention.
 

Duriana

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If you look at the footage it's actually more than one egg each--there are at least two spiders hatching from the structure.
Still though, It would only be two if the eggsac would be destroyed.

[QUOTE="I have a difficult time suppressing my gag reflex when I see the words National Geographic.[/QUOTE]

lol You have something against them? im just curious on why.
 

The Snark

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[QUOTE="I have a difficult time suppressing my gag reflex when I see the words National Geographic.
lol You have something against them? im just curious on why.[/QUOTE]

Cue the dramatic music, play the intriguing cinematic video, professional orator speaks dramatically, script dumbed down to the age level of the audience depending on the expected time slot and advertisers (typically 8th grade), eliminate as much technical jargon as possible, use hooks and catches like sound bites, keep the drama rolling so the audience will sit through the commercials, avoid controversial subjects, words and phrases....
You had to ask? I want the real deal, even if I have to take notes and spend a few hours researching to come up to speed.
And don't forget the list of taboo words. It's changed over the years but used to contain Ecology, natural habitat, wildlife preservation, extinction, human encroachment, depredation etc.
 
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Duriana

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[QUOTE="Cue the dramatic music, play the intriguing cinematic video, professional orator speaks dramatically, script dumbed down to the age level of the audience depending on the expected time slot and advertisers (typically 8th grade), eliminate as much technical jargon as possible, use hooks and catches like sound bites, keep the drama rolling so the audience will sit through the commercials, avoid controversial subjects, words and phrases....
You had to ask? I want the real deal, even if I have to take notes and spend a few hours researching to come up to speed.
And don't forget the list of taboo words. It's changed over the years but used to contain Ecology, natural habitat, wildlife preservation, extinction, human encroachment, depredation etc."[/QUOTE]

Yeah I can see where you're coming from
 

Xafron

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Welp, I posted the first things I could find but you're welcome to do a more in depth search.
 

Xafron

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Hey @Xafron Did not intend to cause offense. If I did I apologize.
It's fine, everyone's entitled to their opinion. I grew up watching Nature and other shows like that on PBS with my dad, and looking at National Geographic magazines I got from my grandpa. They might not be the most in depth things compared to some, but they can have a lot of cool stuff in them. I never had cable as a kid either, and going on vacations and watching Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel at hotels was a big treat. These things really helped to fuel my interests. As long as they are trying to fuel interest rather than disgust, ignorance and fear (like news channels..."LOCAL MOM SEES POISONOUS TARANTULA FOR SALE, FEARS FOR CHILD'S SAFETY"), I fully support what they do.

Unfortunately, even those are too much for the attention spans and brains of many people. In between silly memes, I sometimes post things that interest me on Facebook. Recently, one of those things was velvet worms. I got really interested after some members started sharing about them here, so I posted some basic information about them along with a video on Facebook. It got a couple likes, a vomit emoji, and someone asking what rabbit holes I'd been in to find this stuff. I told a coworker I had a lovebird. She thought lovebirds were just people in love, not actual birds. I told another I bought a tarantula. She basically said something is wrong with me.

The demand for even basic information about the world around us is pretty low. It's easier for people to talk about their favorite margaritas. So I think shows/books/magazines having interesting, yet easy to understand information really do serve a purpose.
 
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The Snark

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@Xafron I have to wholeheartedly agree. Well put.

Call this cynical, or downright snide negativity. The vast majority of the educated populous does not want to see the realities, doesn't want to know them. They want to be spoon fed tasty little bits wrapped in blandishment sauce. So National Geographic et al fulfills a very necessary role as a bridge, a half way measure.

To go off on a tangent here as an explanation. To those of us who work in the field, those who stare the cold hard facts dead in the face all day every day, this blandished nicely flavored and colored goo that has to be carefully wrapped and packaged in sweetness and light is a source of constant aggravation and frustration.

To wit, a report I read a half hour ago: World wide; Teen pregnancies each year: 16.18 million. Pregnancies under the age of 15, 1.1 million. Deaths from these pregnancies due to complications or during child birth, >60,000.
However, the wording that health care workers commonly use in third world countries while counseling people about unplanned/unwanted pregnancies, their hazards, and the options available, is banned in most American schools and falls under the gag rule Trump just reinstated as forbidden.
 
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