Dazzling, dancing peacock spiders

Writer: Anina Lee.

In this series of articles in the Village NEWS, I try to describe interesting facts about flora and fauna of the Western Cape. However, in the time of COVID-19 we need a little colour in our lives, and hence have borrowed some cuties from Australia.

Maratus bubo

Maratus Volans

Adorable, colourful, fascinating – all words you wouldn’t expect to be linked to spiders. But yes, though these spiders have been around for so long, their tiny stature has made them unnoticed until recently, when they were captured on film executing a remarkable able little dance to impress the ladies. They are called peacock spiders.

Maratus neptunus

PHOTO: Michael Doe

So far these brightly-coloured spiders (Genus Maratus) have only been found in Australia. They captivate even the most arachnophobic person. The male spiders’ flamboyant courtship displays feature technicolour bodies and dance-moves that are the envy of any ‘animé’ choreographer (search https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_yYC5r8xMI.)

Click below to read more. (The full article can be found on page 12)