What is this bundle of legs? Ahhh, a battle to the finish with a fast running spider
and a jumping spider. Very interesting. The story unfolds...
As usual, I checked the front porch for insects and found this Platycryptus californicus (in the grey stripes)
wrestling a Cheiracanthium (Yellow Sac Spider) that I think he had just plucked from a mini web where the sac
spider was waiting to molt (I had seen him there earlier). Well, there was no doubt the jumping spider was
winning this match. HOWEVER, I looked out a few minutes later and there was a new competitor who had
just arrived on the scene--the almighty Phidippus audax jumpng spider...
This young black male (check out those glowing fangs) was moving in for a closer look and then spied me with my camera. I think I intimidated
him after a few shots because when I came out again for more pictures, he had fled the scene. I wish he would have stayed so I could witness
who was the toughest among these three spiders. The Platycryptus was unusually large and this Phidippus was a young male so there
wasn't much size difference. The Cheiracanthium was small, except for the long legs, and maybe if he hadn't been molting, he
could have put up a better fight; but, I had to declare the Platycryptus californicus the champion. © Carol Davis, 5-23-2009
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