Page 125 - It Can't Be True! Animals! - Unbelievable Facts About Amazing Animals (DK)

HOMES AND HIDEAWAYS 125

The spider’s eight
short, stocky legs ABOVE GROUND
are covered in hairs
that sense vibrations Although pictured here in the
caused by animals
moving nearby. open air, the Chinese hourglass
spider spends most of its time
in a burrow. The spider’s name
is derived from the
Greek “kyklos”
meaning “circle”,
and “kosmeo”
meaning
“to adorn”.

The Chinese
hourglass
spider plugs
its burrow
with its body
when danger
is near.

FAST FACTS

If the Chinese hourglass spider’s burrow
is approached by a predator, such as a shrew,
the 2.5-cm (1-in) long spider rushes down its
burrow and plugs the entrance with its abdomen.

The Chinese hourglass spider is a
type of trapdoor spider that can use
a burrow in two clever ways. It can
hide inside the burrow to catch
unsuspecting prey above. Or, if it
is threatened by a predator, its flat
abdomen works like a stopper to
keep the burrow safely closed. Shrew approaches Spider hides in burrow

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