long-jawed orb weaver

Silver Longjawed Orbweaver

This gorgeous little girl is posing on the orange moonscape that is my kayak. I helped her out of the water and onto the bow, and she was still riding when I got out, and kindly posed for me. This is definitely a female longjawed orbweaver spider, of the genus Tetragnatha. I am calling her…

Sadly, I can’t narrow this down past the family Tetragnatha, but it’s definitely a long-jawed orb weaver spider. The long-jawed orb weavers are notable first, ironically enough, for their immense forelegs, which they hold stretched out in front of them, giving the spider a very long profile. It uses these forelegs to grab prey. Secondarily…