Labrynth Spider (Agelena labyrinthica)

It you want a spider in the UK to give the average arachnophobe a heart attack, this is your guy.

Yet it was a particularly valuable friend to 16th Century Austrian Monks.

Why?

Head for this video (and commentary) to find out:

comments (2)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

Respect for this video. In my experience, they are very shy. Not sure what you did to capture them in the open like this, but it's awesome footage. Posted 4 years ago
1. Philip Booker
  
  Lion
  
  They are!
  
  Notoriously so!
  
  It was basically a lot of patience, sitting perfectly still (not easy on a windy day, reflected in the video) and getting that zoom head on to the tunnel without causing a shadow, because that seemed to trigger a scuttle back into the safety of the labyrinth.
  Posted 4 years ago