While having a nosey at bumblebees in my parents' garden, I snapped this long-jawed orb weaver, presumably on the prowl for afforementioned bees. Unfortunately, the photos aren't the best ever. The light and wind on the bush were playing havoc with the focus on the macro function of my camera.
I have to admit, I hadn't seen this particular spider in the wild before, and although I definitely knew it was an orb weaver, I couldn't say which one. A member of the Tetragnathidae family, the long-jawed orb weaver is common in the UK, and worldwide.
Like many orb-weaving spiders in Britain, it has been known to give a bit of a nip. It has lengthy chelicerae (fangs), hence the name 'long-jawed'.
It is, fortunately to us, nowhere near as massive as the golden orb-weaver (featured elsewhere on this blog) which has been known to capture birds in Australia.
In case you're wondering, both the long-jawed and golden orb-weavers are harmless to humans!
Posts
