When a millipede ventures too close to a wolf spider burrow...

[dragonblade71]

I know Ive posted this footage before but this time around, Ive re-edited it. The end result is a much improved video with most of the long, awkward pauses removed. For the recording, I had my camera trained on a wolf spider burrow when a millipede just happened to wander by. The millipede that you see is the introduced species from Portugal which are quite a pest here in South Australia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0uOIhcyLwE

 

[PrettyHate]

I know Ive posted this footage before but this time around, Ive re-edited it. The end result is a much improved video with most of the long, awkward pauses removed. For the recording, I had my camera trained on a wolf spider burrow when a millipede just happened to wander by. The millipede that you see is the introduced species from Portugal which are quite a pest here in South Australia.

]

Haha that is awesome. I love how the millipede booked it outta there at the end- you normally dont see them move so quickly!

 

[paassatt]

Haha that is awesome. I love how the millipede booked it outta there at the end- you normally dont see them move so quickly!

Putting all of those legs to work.

 

[Ambly]

great video - you can really see the spider well. That millipede wasn't havin any of that after round 2

 

[Ciphor]

great video - you can really see the spider well. That millipede wasn't havin any of that after round 2

I would say it was the wolf spider who didn't want any of that action. Millipedes have a pretty good defense. Make yourself a stinky bad tasting meal!

 

[dragonblade71]

From observing the behaviour in this video, it seems like the wolf spider is acting territorial. For whatever reason, it doesn't want the millipede in it's burrow. Though would spiders possess enough intelligence to support notions such as territoriality? Much like a dog in a front yard that barks at people walking past the fence. Or perhaps the spider merely perceived the millipede as a possible threat and was acting on instinct to protect itself.

Though I have noticed when wolf spiders are out and about - roaming around, they appear less defensive and 'grumpy' compared to when they are in their burrows. And Ive read about some tarantula keepers who say that their Ts are quite defensive when they are in their enclosures but when they bring them outside the enclosure, they calm down.

 

[MrCrackerpants]

Super cool! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Ciphor]

From observing the behaviour in this video, it seems like the wolf spider is acting territorial. For whatever reason, it doesn't want the millipede in it's burrow. Though would spiders possess enough intelligence to support notions such as territoriality? Much like a dog in a front yard that barks at people walking past the fence. Or perhaps the spider merely perceived the millipede as a possible threat and was acting on instinct to protect itself.

Though I have noticed when wolf spiders are out and about - roaming around, they appear less defensive and 'grumpy' compared to when they are in their burrows. And Ive read about some tarantula keepers who say that their Ts are quite defensive when they are in their enclosures but when they bring them outside the enclosure, they calm down.

As I said in the post above; Millipedes have a defensive secretion. Spiders do not want to eat them. Most predators don't. Some, like the ones we have up in WA state, secret toxic chemicals such as hydrogen cyanide.

 

[dragonblade71]

As I said in the post above; Millipedes have a defensive secretion. Spiders do not want to eat them. Most predators don't. Some, like the ones we have up in WA state, secret toxic chemicals such as hydrogen cyanide.

Indeed they do. Millipedes can produce some pretty nasty stuff. Although these millipedes are not native, the spider may have had a previous experience with these 'pests' and learnt from that. However, as I mentioned in my previous post, there is still some examples of behaviour exhibited by spiders that seem to suggest that at times, they may be territorial - which might seem silly but that's open to debate. For example, Ive noticed that wolf spiders tend to be less defensive when outside of their burrows. I once came across a wolfie crawling around inside a shed and I managed to place it on the back of my hand without receiving a bite. However, there's no way that I would stick my finger down a wolf spider burrow.