Celaenia excavata

Celaenia excavata

The bird dropping spider derives its name from mimicking bird droppings to avoid predators, mainly birds. However, there are other species of spider that resemble bird droppings, for example species of "Mastophora".
Bird dropping spider - Celaenia excavata Sometimes hard to find due to the resemblance to bird droppings. The female will stay all day protecting her egg sack. I have never seen a male of this species. Australia,Celaenia excavata,Eamw spiders,Fall,Geotagged

Appearance

The males are much smaller than the females, about 2.5 mm as opposed to 12 mm. The females have up to 13 egg sacs, with about 200 eggs each, strung together with strong threads. Their toxicity is unknown, but may be able to cause mild illness in humans.
Bird-dropping spider- Celaenia excavata  Australia,Celaenia excavata,Eamw spiders,Geotagged,Summer

Habitat

The males are much smaller than the females, about 2.5 mm as opposed to 12 mm. The females have up to 13 egg sacs, with about 200 eggs each, strung together with strong threads. Their toxicity is unknown, but may be able to cause mild illness in humans.
Bird dropping spider - Celaenia excavata  Australia,Celaenia excavata,Eamw spiders,Geotagged,Spring

Food

The bird dropping spider stays motionless on its web during the day, only hunting for prey at night. It hangs down from a single silk thread and releases a pheromone which mimics the sex smells released by female moths. When a moth comes near, the spider will capture it with its powerful front legs. They can be found in Australia, mainly along the eastern and southern coasts.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassArachnida
OrderAraneae
FamilyAraneidae
GenusCelaenia
SpeciesC. excavata
Photographed in
Australia