Kelvin Wiley

While feeding my Camel Spider (Galeodes sp.) a Tomato Hornworm caterpillar (Manduca sexta), I observed a great defensive technique that many caterpillars utilize in order to survive an attack from potential predators. Often times, caterpillars will flail and contort their bodies rapidly in order to get whatever they want off of them off. In this case, the Tomato Hornworm strongly was trying to remove the imminent threat of the Camel Spider. As you can see in the video, the Camel Spider wanted no parts, and decided to back away lol. Luckily, this survival tactic worked, and the Tomato Hornworm’s life was spared!

Any faster than that and she’ll start breaking the sound barrier 🤯

When feeding most of my predatory insects and arachnids, I typically feed them species of feeder roaches, such as Lobster Cockroaches (Nauphoeta cinerea) and Red Runner Roaches (Shelfordella lateralis). But in some occasions, I’ll treat my predatory arthropods to a nice juicy Tomato Hornworm Caterpillar (Manduca sexta). My Venezuelan Suntiger Tarantula (Psalmopoeus irminia) was delighted to receive a delicious caterpillar! *Also, if you haven’t already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel! Link in bio :)*

My female Trinidad Chevron Tarantula (Psalmopoeus cambridgei) has a bit of a strange way of showing me her love lol 😅 Look at how beautiful her fangs are! I absolutely love her! ❤️ *If you haven’t already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel! Link in bio :)*

Like all arthropods, tarantulas have to molt (shed) their exoskeletons in order to make room to accommodate their much larger one growing within them.

As I took a walk outside one night, I spotted a web that belonged to a species of Grass Spider (Agelenopsis sp.). So I found a species of Lacewing (Chrysoperla sp.) near me, and decided to feed it to the hidden Grass Spider. Immediately, as the Lacewing hit its web, the Grass Spider came out of hiding and jolted its way in the direction of the Lacewing! Sinking its sharp fangs into its prey, the spider, without any hesitation, retrieved the Lacewing back to its coverage. *Hand drawn stickers added to my store’s website for purchase via link in bio! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already! Link in bio also :)*⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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My female Trinidad Chevron Tarantula (Psalmopoeus cambridgei) is getting so big! I’ve had her for over 4 years now! Like their name suggests, these tarantulas are native to the country of Trinidad. They’re an arboreal species of tarantula, meaning that they live on and inside of trees and other plants. The females of this particular species live for about 12 years, while the males only live for about 4 years. Feeding her is never an issue! She has one of the biggest appetites out of all of my tarantulas! *Hand drawn stickers added to my store’s website for purchase via link in bio! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already! Link in bio also :)*⁣

I love interacting with jumping spiders, such as this adult female Bold Jumping Spider (Phiddipus audax). This particular female was gravid (pregnant)! Out of all of the different families of spiders, jumping spiders make up the most diverse family of spiders! These small eight-legged jumping beans belong to the spider family known as Salticidae. There are over 6,000+ species of jumping spiders within this family, making them the largest group of any family of spiders! Like all spiders, they are predators who are on a constant hunt for prey. Equipped with 8 very well developed eyes, these spiders track and stalk down their prey. Once a suitable prey item has been spotted, they pounce onto their prey and sink their fangs into it, releasing venom in the process. *Hand drawn stickers added to my store’s website for purchase via link in bio! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already! Link in bio also :)*⁣
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One thing I can always expect to find when visiting a local pond are fishing spiders! This particular one that I caught was a female Six-Spotted Fishing Spider (Dolomedes triton). What makes these spiders so unique is that their bodies are covered in tiny hydrophobic hairs which repels water off from their bodies, preventing them from getting drenched! Unlike a lot spiders who use a web to catch prey, Six-Spotted Fishing Spiders use the surface of the water as their web. While resting on the surface of the water, these spiders are able to pick up the faintest vibrations from things on top of the water, and also things under the water as well. Once the spider has detected the vibrations of a potential meal, the Six-Spotted Fishing Spider is able to push itself across the water and into the direction of its prey. It then uses its sharp fangs to pierce and inject venom into it. Unlike most spiders that feed primarily on smaller insects, Six-Spotted Fishing Spiders can take down larger prey items, such as small fish, tadpoles, and even small frogs! *Hand drawn stickers added to my store’s website for purchase via link in bio! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already! Link in bio also :)*⁣
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