While pulling weeds from the front yard, I found a very tiny mantis:
The total body length was probably about a centimeter. Despite its very small size, the instar was just as agile as an adult, with equally sharp eyesight! It was also stinkin’ cute. While taking photos, I accidentally nudged it next to a an equally-tiny spider that proceeded to race in tight circles around the mantis, at a speed very nearly beyond comprehension. The spider in question was a member of the genus Oecobius, commonly known as wall spiders. Here are photos of other specimens observed in our yard:
It wasn’t until the mantis fell that I realized what had happened. Much like how Luke Skywalker took down the AT-AT walker in The Empire Strikes Back, the spider had lassoed the long legs of its prey with a line of silk! Since it was entirely my fault the mantis had strayed so close to the spider, I quickly relocated it and carefully freed its back legs. It then set to work removing the rest of the silk:
This just serves as a reminder that bugs are incredible, no matter their size!
A very informative post about Oecobiidae can be found here. Be sure to watch the video!
Bug Talk 