bedi the bitch

there's no way they aren't aware of each other. these spiders sense by vibration, you can't share a web with a pholcid and have them just not know about it, and they routinely swap positions in the web (ms. missing leg is often on the opposite side of ms. 8 legs that she was when last observed).

obviously i'm not mad about this, it's fascinating behavior and i feel so privileged to get to see it, but i have absolutely zero explanation for it. in my investigation so far i haven't been able to find any documented association between pholcids that isn't mating or motherhood or cannibalism. they're sedentary web hunters, they can't afford to share a capture web with another conspecific, and there are almost no flying insects in our bathroom (their web is in the corner of the ceiling out in the open, which is also kind of unusual for pholcids, they tend to prefer going below overhangs, and i suspect they'd actually have more success with a web on the floor bc we Do get crawlers like millipedes and carpet beetle larvae pretty frequently, but also we keep the bathroom dark 100% of the time even when in use bc of my photosensitivity so perhaps they've been tricked into thinking this is more secure than it is based on the light levels?), so i have no idea how they're getting enough prey for the both of them. surely they can't be sharing?? i haven't actually seen them capture anything in this web so far but obviously it's possible i've missed something, i only watch them when i'm in the bathroom.

i can't help but think eventually one of them is going to eat the other, which will be sad for me personally because i've grown quite fond of them but i do want at least one of them to live. and i just can't imagine they're getting much prey. should we try to capture a fly or something and tenderly feed it to them. well, 2 flies, i guess. i don't think pholcids would make ideal pets just bc they're relatively skittish and not very visual compared to salticids. but i do love them both and i want them to eat well.

ms 8 legs is still very skinny. i fear she hasn't had a meal in a while bc she's been skinny the whole time i've seen her. she's also attempting active hunting throughout the bathroom which pholcids (and other web hunters) usually don't do unless they're very hungry. i don't know why this is the case when she could just eat ms missing leg... surely it must be love? or some kind of judgment call based on their relative strength, they are araneophagous (even invading other webs to eat their owners!) so they definitely have the cognitive skills to make that call, but idk why ms missing leg would not simply eat the weaker pholcid! strongly considering bringing ms 8 legs some food by hand because i feel so bad for her and her stick-thin opisthosoma... she's so small! i don't know how long she can go without prey... looks like at least a week but many sedentary spiders can go much longer, it's just so odd to leave their web at all that i'm quite concerned given the frequency of the behavior, i have no idea how long it's been since her last meal

here is a lower quality picture from a couple days ago as proof of their relationship. they are so elegant, i love watching them move. the rotary probing in particular is really beautiful (lifting the long front legs above the silk, making little looping movements, coming to rest again when they hit a thread). their movement and exploration as tactile creatures is very familiar to me as a tactile creature myself

(via bsky)

In case anyone hasn't heard, the cyclospora outbreak affecting tons of people in the US right now is coming from Taylor Farms produce. Best to stay away from bagged lettuce and prepared salads completely right now, but especially the ones mentioned in the screenshot:

Taylor Farms Earthbound Farms Little Salad Bar (Aldi) Marketside (Walmart) Kroger House Brand Target private label greens Costco salads and greens etc Trader Joe's chopped salad kits and fresh produce Fast food: McDonalds, Taco Bell, (Yum! Brands), Chipotle, Subway, Pizza Hut, KFC, Olive Garden, Top Golf, Red Lobster, Burger King, etc.

This is not the first time I've heard about a Taylor Farms foodborne illness outbreak. I stopped eating their salads after reading a description of the conditions in their facilities. Doesn't sound like they've improved anything.