How do you feel when you think about spiders? Disgust? Disgust? Isn’t it true that it’s quite difficult to call these creatures handsome? It is unlikely that they will evoke tenderness and a desire to admire in everyone they meet, but do not rush to conclusions - now we will tell you about the true beauty among all the spider brethren - the peacock spider!
Description of appearance
The peacock spider is a miniature arthropod measuring no more than 5 mm. Males have bright colors and attractive appearance. The abdomen is colored orange, blue, red, blue, forming a clear pattern. Long fibers resembling feathers stand out along the contour. Cephalothorax, tarsi gray. The last limbs are slightly longer than the others. Females are always larger, inconspicuous brown-gray in color. A photo of a peacock spider is located below.
There are 4 pairs of eyes on the head. Provide a broad outlook on all sides. But my vision is weak. The peacock spider sees only silhouettes and shadows at a distance of 30 cm from itself. Reacts well to movement and smells. The organs of smell and touch are the lower parts of the limbs.
Interesting!
In an unfamiliar area, the arachnid initially feels everything with its legs, then begins to move forward.
Peacock spider
What does a peacock spider look like?
Imagine a fluffy, shaggy creature with gray-white paws, eight sparkling blue eyes and an orange fringe on its forehead. The most important decoration of this arthropod is the abdomen of unusually bright color: on its azure background you can see bright red circles and stripes, and along the edge of the abdomen is framed by a fluffy orange rim.
However, not every spider of this species is fluffy, and the color of the abdomen differs among different species, but in any case it is a combination of blue, red, green and orange tones. And everyone looking at him admits that this spider is truly handsome!
The peacock spider got its name not only for its bright coloring, but also for the fact that it spreads its multi-colored abdomen, just as a peacock spreads its tail.
Note that only the males of this species are endowed with extraordinary beauty - the females look modest and inconspicuous, because in the spider world there is no decorative cosmetics.
Mating dance of peacock spider
External beauty is not the only advantage of maratus volans (Latin name of this spider). If spider championships in mating dances were held in nature, then here too the peacock spider would collect all sorts of prizes.
You need to see how, with elegant grace, at the moment of seduction, the spider moves its bright abdomen from a horizontal to a vertical position and blinds its lady with the radiance of iridescent colors.
For greater effect, the Don Juan raises a pair of legs, decorated with white bristles at the tips, and begins his enchanting dance. It is vitally important for the spider to please the “lady of his heart”, because otherwise he can serve as dinner for his intended partner.
Features of peacock behavior
Of interest is a male with a bright color. Variegated colors are needed to attract females. The cavalier raises his abdomen and hind limbs and begins to move from side to side, as if performing a ritual dance. Outwardly, all this resembles the movement of a peacock, hence the name. The rest of its life, the spider lowers its legs and folds its “tail.”
Interesting!
The chosen one, who dares to approach at the wrong moment, is eaten by the female. The same thing happens to the “gentleman” after fertilization, if he does not have time to hide in time. This is one of the reasons why the lifespan of female peacocks is much longer.
After fertilization, it forms a cocoon and breaks off eggs. After a few weeks, a young generation of peacocks appears, which almost immediately begins to live independently. They molt several times, constantly increasing in size. At the last stage, the genital organs are formed. The maximum lifespan of a female is 12 months.
Mating dance and reproduction of the peacock spider
To attract a female, the male rests on his two hind legs, lifts and straightens his colorful belly, moving it from a vertical to a horizontal position. After this, he raises the third pair of paws.
Find out everything about keeping spiders at home.
When the female begins to approach him, he begins to dance: move his abdomen, shake his legs and actively sway his body in a circle in different directions. At first the dance resembles an attack, although this is a mating game.
If the partner does not like the dance, then she can eat the male, but if she likes it, then she begins to copulate with him. After mating, the spider lays about half a dozen eggs. That's not much for spiders.
Video: mating dance of a peacock spider For two weeks, the female carefully guards her clutch, and all this time she lives without food, which is why there is a high risk of her death during this period. After two weeks, the little spider babies hatch.
Important! The spider's brain is large relative to its entire body - approximately 1/3 of the volume of the body.
Nutrition
The peacock spider is a predator. It does not form trapping nets, but protects its shelter with a web. The peacock prefers not to wait for its prey, but to track it. The main diet is insects. It even attacks specimens that are several times larger than the hunter in size. With powerful jaws it bites through the chitinous cover, holds the victim with its paws, and injects poison and saliva.
Peacock spider
The toxic substance causes muscle paralysis; saliva turns the insides into a liquid mass in a few minutes. The peacock spider sucks out the food, leaving only the chitinous cover. It can live without food for about a month. For adequate nutrition, it is enough to catch insects once every 10 days.
Habitat and lifestyle
The peacock spider lives in the wild in the eastern part of Australia in several states (mainly in New Wales and Queensland). Particular attention to spiders of this species appeared about a hundred years ago.
The peacock spider is very jumpy, even over long distances, thanks to its flattened abdomen and hind legs, on which it stands when preparing to jump. When jumping, it resembles a flying insect.
Consider the ins and outs of keeping spiders such as tarantulas, black widows, wolf spiders and tarantulas at home.
Thanks to its furry paws, which are not afraid of slippery and unstable surfaces, it is characterized by increased plasticity. Since he does not have ears, he perceives the world around him mainly by touch with the help of hairs that grow on his legs.
Trusting air vibrations, he recognizes sound sources. Also, the fluff on the paws helps detect odors.
Video: interesting facts about the peacock spider The lifespan of a spider is only a year. The baby’s body is in constant rhythmic pulsations and periodic demonstrations of its abdomen: during the mating season or to scare away enemies.
Did you know? The peacock spider weaves its web only in conditions of shade and moisture; there are many of its webs in areas of dry forests darkened by branches, and on the ground in fallen leaves.
Female and male peacocks
What do peacocks look like? There are peacocks of different colors, even white, but it is better to describe what Indian peacocks look like, the most common species. The peacock is a typical male of the kind who wins a female with the beauty of his plumage.
And it’s really fantastic:
- on the head, chest and neck there are bright blue feathers;
- on the back - green;
- the bottom of the body is black;
- the ends of the wings are red.
The graceful long neck ends in a small head, decorated with a crest resembling a crown. But his main pride is his fan-shaped tail, which he can fold and then spread, especially when he wants to impress a female. It is not the tail itself, but the feathers growing above the tail, which serve as their support. The length of the tail is about 0.5 m, and the rump is much longer - up to 1.5 m.
Many consider them the most beautiful birds. This fame for peacocks is secured by their magnificent tail, long greenish feathers with large spots at the ends in the form of a bright eye
The female peacock, or, as she is also called, peahen, looks much more modest, is smaller in size, has brown and brownish plumage, and may have a blue-green color in the neck area, but not in all individuals. The tuft on her head is also brown. This has a logical explanation: the main task of the peahen is to breed offspring, and while sitting on the nest, it is much safer to have an inconspicuous color, merging with the surrounding landscape. Yes, she cannot be called completely ugly - large, expressive eyes, sedate gait. It is interesting that the peacock, like the peahen, has brown-gray feathers until the age of 1.5 years, and then the color changes and reaches full beauty by about 3 years, when the male is already fully mature for reproduction.
In nature, everything is harmonious, and the mating behavior of peacocks is quite naturally determined by the bright attire of the males. In rare cases, males fight to drive away a competitor, while the female watches. But the main action begins later. The male walks around his chosen one with his tail outstretched, showing off and trying to lure her with his incomparable appearance. It's not limited to just one show. Slightly tilting his feathers forward and lowering his wings, he vibrates his whole body so that the feathers of the upper tail rustle, from time to time spreading them on the ground like a carpet.
The voice of peacocks is rather unpleasant and resembles the cry of a cat
If the female shows reciprocal interest, then the suitor immediately turns away, as if ignoring her and showing the back, faded part of the feathers. Soon he turns around again, shaking his tail. This continues several times, and the female accepts the “game” until the peacock and peahen finally come together. It is not that simple. In fact, the spectacular component of his appearance is not very important for a female. It only ensures that the male does not go unnoticed in the tall grass. But from the back, she assesses his age and state of health. Peacocks practice polygamy; one female lays an average of 5-7 eggs.
User comments
After the end of the mating period, the male sheds his “train”, numbering up to 200 feathers. Previously, they were picked up by residents of surrounding villages and sold to Europe, but now this trade is prohibited in order to avoid uncontrolled extermination. By the beginning of the new mating season, by April, the rump grows back.
Maratus volans
Before acquiring its current official name, this spider went through several academic names.
Volans is translated from Latin as “winged,” but this tiny spider cannot fly: researchers mistook its lightning-fast movements by jumping for flight.
The peacock spider belongs to the family of jumping spiders, and, like all its relatives, goes hunting during the day.
This spider went through several academic names before acquiring its current official name.
He has keen vision and a targeted gaze: he notices the victim 20 cm from himself. Four pairs of eyes, providing almost 180-degree visibility, help it detect prey (small insects).
Hairy legs not only give these spiders a special charm, but also allow them to easily overcome slippery steep surfaces.
Description of the common peacock
A feature of the representatives of the genus of large birds belonging to the Phasian subfamily and the Galliformes order (lat. Galliformes) is the presence of an elongated flat tail. At the same time, most pheasants have a roof-shaped tail.
Appearance
The characteristic features of the male are represented by the strong development of the upper coverts, which are mistaken for the tail. The body length of an adult is 1.0-1.25 m, and the tail is 40-50 cm. The elongated feathers on the upper tail, decorated with “eyes,” reach 1.2-1.6 m in length.
The main varieties caused by mutations in plumage color are represented by the following colors:
- white;
- black-shouldered, or black-winged, or lacquered;
- motley;
- dark mottled;
- "Cameo" or silvery taupe;
- “Black-shouldered cameo”, or “Oatmeal cameo”;
- "White peephole";
- coal;
- lavender;
- "Bronze Buford";
- purple;
- opal;
- peach;
- silver motley;
- "Midnight";
- yellowish-green.
The United Association specializing in peacock breeding officially distinguishes ten primary and five secondary plumage colors, as well as twenty possible variations of the primary colors, with the exception of white.
An adult male common peacock weighs approximately 4.0-4.25 kg. The head, neck and part of the chest are blue, the back is green, and the lower body is characterized by black plumage.
Females of the common peacock are noticeably smaller and have more modest coloring. Among other things, the female lacks elongated tail feathers.
Peacock tail
The riot of colors in the peacock’s plumage and its luxurious fan-shaped “tail” created the image of the most graceful and beautiful bird in the world for all representatives of the Peacock genus. An interesting fact is that only a male peacock can boast of a magnificent tail, while females have a more mediocre and inconspicuous appearance. It is thanks to the tail that the species has pronounced sexual dimorphism.
The feathers of the upper tail or the so-called “tail” of a bird are characterized by a special arrangement in which the shortest feathers cover the longer ones, up to one and a half meters long. The feather of the common peacock is represented by sparse thread-like fibers with a bright and expressive “eye” at the tip. The rump is formed by a train in the form of feathers extended over a significant part of the length, having a bronze-green and golden-green color with bluish-orange-violet “eyes” that have a metallic sheen. Also, the uppertail of males is characterized by the presence of triangular emerald braids.
Lifestyle and behavior
Common peacocks spend a significant part of their time exclusively on the ground. The bird moves quite quickly, and the tail part does not at all prevent the peacock from easily and quickly overcoming various obstacles represented by thickets of grass or bushes of varying heights. Peacocks fly relatively well, but they cannot fly high and fly long distances.
By its nature, the rather large ordinary peacock is not at all a bold and courageous bird, but rather, on the contrary, an extremely timid animal, which prefers to flee in any danger. Peacocks have a very sharp and quite shrill voice, which is most often demonstrated by birds before rain or when danger is detected. At any other time, even during mating dances, peacocks prefer to remain silent.
Peacocks tend to live in small groups, with four or five females for every adult male. To spend the night and rest, peacocks climb quite high into the trees, having previously visited a watering hole. When roosting for the night, ordinary peacocks can scream loudly. The bird's morning exercise also begins with a watering hole, and then the birds go in search of food.
Outside the nesting period, common peacocks prefer to “graze” in flocks of forty or fifty individuals. The end of the breeding season is accompanied by molting, during which the males lose their luxurious plume.
How long do common peacocks live?
Under natural conditions, common peacocks can live for about fifteen years, and in captivity, the average life expectancy often exceeds twenty years.
Where does the peacock live?
Photo: Male peacock
The range of common peacocks (also known as Indian peacocks) includes a significant part of Hindustan and adjacent territories.
They live on lands belonging to the following states:
- India;
- Pakistan;
- Bangladesh;
- Nepal;
- Sri Lanka.
In addition, there is also a population of this species in Iran separated from the main range; perhaps the ancestors of these peacocks were brought by people in ancient times and went wild - or their range was earlier wider and included these areas, and over time they became separated.
They live in jungles and forests, on river banks, forest edges, and near villages near cultivated lands. They prefer flat or hilly terrain - they are not found higher than 2,000 meters above sea level. They do not like large open spaces - they need bushes or trees to roost at night.
The habitat of green peacocks is located close to the habitats of ordinary peacocks, but they do not overlap.
Green peacocks inhabit:
- the eastern part of India outside Hindustan;
- Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram;
- eastern part of Bangladesh;
- Myanmar;
- Thailand;
- Vietnam;
- Malaysia;
- Indonesian island of Java.
Although when listed it seems that they occupy vast territories, in reality this is not the case: unlike the common peacock, which quite densely inhabits the lands within its range, green ones are found rarely in the listed countries, in isolated pockets. The African peacock, also known as the Congo peacock, inhabits the Congo River basin - the forests growing in these areas are ideal for it.
This is where the areas of natural distribution of peacocks are exhausted, but in many areas that are climatically suitable for their habitat, they were introduced by humans, successfully took root and went wild. In some places there are now quite large populations - almost all of these peacocks are Indian.
They are found in Mexico and some southern states of the United States, as well as in Hawaii, New Zealand and some other islands of Oceania. All such peacocks were domesticated before going wild, and therefore stand out for their greater mass and short legs.
Now you know where the peacock lives. Let's see what they eat.
Mating season for peacocks
The main goal of the male is to attract the attention of the female. However, the final choice always remains with the peahen, because to reproduce healthy offspring, the best representative of its breed is needed.
According to experts who studied these birds, it is not the male’s tail that is important for the female. The noticeable plumage only allows her to see the male in the overgrown forests. As soon as the peahen responds with a glance at the male’s actions, he immediately turns around and shows her his rear. In this way, the peahen determines whether the male in front of her is young or old, and then makes a decision.
Not in all cases the female is attracted to the male's tail
Typically, peacocks create polygamous families, where there is one male and up to five females. Females have a calm disposition, so they do not show aggression towards their rivals. The same cannot be said about males - during the mating season they can be very cocky, especially if a stranger has entered the territory.
Laying eggs and hatching chicks
The period when peacocks begin egg production occurs in mid-spring - thus, before the onset of autumn, the female will lay three clutches. The peahen independently chooses a cozy place to build a nest, most often it is a small hole in the soil. She lines the nest with her own down, which she first plucks from the belly and sides.
The chicks hatch after about one month. At birth, all of them, regardless of gender, have discreet ash plumage. However, experienced poultry keepers can distinguish young birds by gender; these individuals develop quickly, and males are always slightly larger than females.
Sexual maturity of females occurs closer to the second year of life, while the body of males matures only by the third year.
At 24 months, female peacocks already reach puberty.
