Selenocosmia stirlingi
| Selenocosmia stirlingi | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Family: | Theraphosidae |
| Genus: | Selenocosmia |
| Species: | S. stirlingi |
| Binomial name | |
| Selenocosmia stirlingi | |
Selenocosmia stirlingi is a species of spider with the common name barking spider. The barking spider lives in the desert and uses special adaptation to survive in the harsh weather conditions. It is a large, hairy tarantula and, like all spiders, they have two body segments, eight legs and two palps for sensing and feeling their prey.
Taxonomy and naming
The barking spider gets its name from the low growling sound they make by rubbing their palps together. This method is used to scare off predators.
Habitat
Barking spiders live in the Australian deserts and live in burrows on leaf litters.
Prey
Barking spiders wait in their burrows for insects, lizards or frogs to come near the entrance before injecting venom in it.
Predators
As it is a small animal, the barking spider has quite a lot of predators even in the desert. Some of these include owls, dingoes and feral cats.
Adaptations
The barking spider needs to have special adaptations in order to survive in which they do. They have a gill-like lung that requires humidity and have strong claws that help them dig burrows and keep them cool. Barking spiders also have bushy feet with some oil produced to give them the suction-cup ability and let them easily climb up steep rocks in the desert.