Update on First Annual "Spider Blitz"(Arachnophobe Warning)

[pitbulllady]

As I said in an earlier Off-Topic thread, I volunteered to participate in a "Spider Blitz", which is biologist-speak for a massive effort to document and catalog all the known species of a particular type within a specific area, in this case, spiders within the boundries of America's newest National Park, Congaree National Park, located about 30 minutes southeast of Columbia, South Carolina. Such documentation relies heavily upon volunteers to go out and do the "leg work". Spiders are often overlooked because for the most part, they are small, and most National Park systems don't even consider them significant, but significant they are, as the largest group of predators on the planet! Spiders consume 300 times the amount of insects eaten by birds, bats, reptiles and amphibians combined! Only a tiny number of species represent any threat to humans whatsoever.

I had a great time; I can't even begin to say how physically recharging it is for me to be able to get out into a great wilderness area like this, after spending so much of my life cooped up within the confines of a classroom. Our own group captured over 600 spiders, led by Entymologist Dr. Robert Wolff, who is sort of a real-life, Southern version of Gil Grissom! All in all, the various volunteer groups captured over 3,000 spiders, many of which were not even known to exist in South Carolina at all, and a few of which even Dr. Wolff, a world-reknown expert on spiders, had never seen! It's entirely possible that some of these are in fact species that have been previously unknown to science! I did not get as many photo opportunities as I would have liked in the field, so to speak, due to the need for action in capturing spiders and placing them in individual containment cups, though I did get some images later on back at the lab. Our best spider catcher proved not to be myself, though, but a four-year-old boy who came with his mom; he had no hesitation about picking up HUGE Wolf Spiders, the size of many tarantulas, in his hands, proving that spiders are most definately not very willing at all to bite humans! At one point he had a big female cupped against his shirt with one hand, while holding a smaller spider in the other, yet he never got bitten, nor did he hurt any of the spiders.

We had some interesting moments, not due to spiders. We twice encountered the park's most dangerous residents, wild hogs, while hiking into the park's interior. At one point a rather large wild boar, probably weighing around 250 pounds, sauntered across the trail and just stopped to stare at us, totally unafraid. He knew we were not able to hurt him, and that HE, on the other hand, could kill the whole lot of us(14 in all)with little difficulty! I've hunted wild hogs, and I've seen what they can do. He finally decided we were not worth the trouble, and turned and trotted back into the swamp, leaving 14 humans to breath a loud collective sigh of relief!

Anyway, here are some of the spider pics I brought back, for your enjoyment!

First up, a TINY adult female of the genus Mangora, species unknown, guarding her eggsac. She is less than 1/2 centimeter in total diameter.


Next, the big female Carolina Wolf Spider(Hogna carolinensis), captured by the four-year-old. She is about three inches in total diameter.


Nursery Web Spider, (Pisaurina mira)


Female Orb Weaver, Neoscona domicilioreum, photographed from the boardwalk


Mature male of UNKNOWN Jumping Spider species, possibly genus Phidippus, largest Jumper either myself or Dr. Wolff had ever seen, probably new species to science!


GORGEOUS female Marbled Orb Weaver(Araneus marmoreus), easily one of the most beautiful animals I've ever seen, bar none


pitbulllady