Net Spider
Net spiders are on the smaller side, out of all arachnids on Nalmaria. They measure in at a measly eight feet in height, making them a prey item for many predators.
These spiders are named after their unusual method of hunting, fashioning delicate nets out of their silk. They are agile predators, incredibly intelligent for an arachnid of its size.
Anatomy
Freaky little things. I saw one in a magazine once, now it's my sleep paralysis demon.
Net spiders have a distinct anatomy thanks to its giant cephalothorax. The cephalothorax is an off-white with many triangular indentations. They shuffle backwards into burrows, using this giant head to block the entrance.
The abdomen and legs are a deep purple with ridges and spines. The abdomen in particular is decorated with purple and white sparkles, each spider possessing unique patterns.
Females are three times as big as a male, four times as rare. An average adult female measures in at 22-26 feet tall and around 45 feet long. A female net spider is a much more potent threat in local ecosystems.
Reproduction & Growth
Female spiders lay eggs next to the burrows of males, leaving the males to fertilise them in their own time. A single female will split her clutch of eggs between six to ten burrows. It is then the male's job to sneak up to a much larger spider and deposit the now fertilised eggs onto this host's back.
A male net spider cannot reliably protect his eggs, as there is not enough space in the burrow. A hostilin, or any other spider of a similar size, can. These mile long spiders don't even notice the eggs on their back, and cannot feel the baby spiders wriggling around.
Once the spiders have hatched, they begin the precious descent down the host's legs and onto ground level. Many fall off and die, some are crushed by the host. Those that survive must then learn to hunt by themselves, as no parents are around to teach them. Thankfully this is an innate trait, and baby net spiders have a rough idea of how to form silken nets to hunt.
A female spider is ready to produce eggs around their first year, and a male is ready to fertilise at the same age.
Diet
Net spiders are hypercarnivores - meat makes up the entirety of their diets. Other spiders are much too fast to hunt, so net spiders target the much slower mammals and birds that frequent Nalmaria.
Axehead bats make up more than fifty percent of a net spider's diet. Resting in large caves during sunlight, a net spider will sneak into the cave's entrance and fire their nets, ensnaring up to sixty bats in a single trap. This incredibly efficient method of hunting can feed them for a month at a time, meaning net spiders have no real need to leave the burrow more than once or twice a month.
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Spoider! Much spoider
Biiiig spoider!