July 23, 2009 09:17 by
AlanThis mass of spiders is the newest addition the Bugs Alive! Exhibition. They are Social Huntsmen (Delena cancerides), and are one of only a handful of spider species that live communally and will at times even share their food. They are relatively common spiders throughout Victoria, and can be found sheltering together under the bark of Acacia and Eucalyptus trees. Colonies may number in the hundreds during the breeding season when many younger spiderlings are present.
Due to their mass scare value but placid nature, they were the species chosen to star in the spider horror flick ‘Arachnophobia’.
Social Huntsman spiders, now showing in Bugs Alive! Photo: Alan Henderson Source: Museum Victoria
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