August 5: Daddy Long Legs Traditional Cache

Number five for August 2013

As SpiderFinder the next series of caches will have the name of a spider found in South Africa. They will be selected at random.

The Daddy Long Leg spider:

Family Pholcidae.

Average body length 2 - 10 mm. Legspan 30 mm which gives the spider its name.

Identification: Grey-brown body. Long legs. Cylindrical body with chevron marks.

Habitat: Buildings, rocks, fallen leaves, holes.

Customs: Allone and web bound. Hangs upside down. When in danger it will vibrate heavily to shake the web.

Venom: Harmless to humans.

Web: Not neat in corners of buildings, in grass in the veld and under rocks.

Food: Insects, mosquitos. ants and other spiders.

Reproduction: Female carries eggsack in mouth until they hatch. Sometimes the female will kill the male after mating.

References: Internet web sites. SASOL field guide to Spiders and Scorpions of South Africa.

The cache:

Magnetic. Aproximately 1,8 meter AGL. No space for any items. Bring your own pen.