SOLPUGIDS
"Jaws" E. durangonua During the day they can often be found under a log or in a crack in the soil. Staying cool is their daytime task and hunting their nightime joy.
This voracious carnivore uses those jaws to overcome everything
from insects, birds and lizards to small mammals and even scorpions. Its
long legs allow it to traverse its habitat at a very high rate of speed.
And if food is available, a solifugid will keep eating until its abdomen
is so distended that it's practically immobile.
The sunspider appears to have ten legs, not eight. The thicker front pair are palps, not legs. She has long hairs all over her body that help her sense
movement in her surroundings.
Below - she uses her jaws to attack a stick.
images - I. Lindsey |