Bolas Dridders and Jumping Dridders

Yeah I had a similar problem too Tora.

Yes Bolas Spiders are more Orb Weaver types than Jumping Spiders but they ar still pretty agile up in the trees.

^_^ well I'm looking forward to seeing you profile for the Jumping Dridders. It should be very interesting. Don't forget that Jumping Spiders are really quite bright too.

There is one important difference to consider between hunters and orb weavers if you want to translate that over to dridders (I know that I am with Jewel Dridders).

Active hunting spiders have their legs splayed out at the tip, whereas an orb-weaver has its legs curved inwards to the tip. The bolas spider is no exception - the legs are bent in, even though it doesn't really make a web. The reason for the difference is the function they serve - hunters need grip, weavers need tools.

More importantly than shape, hunting spiders have leg tarsi with a massive amount of specialized hairs called scopulae that allow them to cling to otherwise impossible surfaces (like when you see spiders easily walking across the ceiling or climbing glass). Orb weavers do not have this feature.


Honestly 'agile' is probably a term you could apply to any dridder simply due to their physical construction. Size constraints will limit the agility of some in relation to environment but what any dridder loses in size-agility it'll make up for in dexterity. Even a loss from size will not impair a dridder in the agility department - comparatively to any creature their size they will be far more agile and dexterous. If you need a demonstration of that just watch about any video on spiders hunting or making webs - the way they can twist their bodies and the places they can put their legs in relation to their body is mind-boggling.


Also, I know I read it somewhere else (I don't think it was this thread but I know it was somewhere here) that spider venom is part of their digestion. This is not true. Spiders have two methods of liquefying prey - they either vomit digestive enzymes into it and suck out the liquefied innards leaving behind an empty husk, or they grind their prey into pulp while they pump enzymes into it (these have specialized mouth structures). Spider venom is either necrotic or neurotoxic - it is not digestive in any way shape or form. If we want to make dridder venom do both then we should come out and say that - though my species of dridder will not have venom that acts as both the killing agent and the digestive agent.


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Zoekin-3 wrote:

It should be very interesting. Don't forget that Jumping Spiders are really quite bright too.

Mm, since dridders are sapient I would say that probably isn't the word you're looking for. I would say any dridder has the capability to be intelligent and a 'thinker'. What Jumpers should have is superb correlation ability. Comparatively, they would be like the kind of person you can chuck into a room, spin around slowly three times, then remove them from the room and expect said person to be able to tell you about every minute detail of the room. They can then take those details they observed and tell you exactly what kind of life the owner of the room leads.

Since Jumpers rely on active chase to catch their prey they need to always be 'three steps ahead' of said prey. They should be able to use their keen eyesight to localize prey, then observe it stealthily to figure out exactly how their prey will act, and then the chase begins - but the chase is only for the benefit of they prey, not a necessity. The dridder already has their fate planned out precisely and 'guides' their prey down the appropriate path to become lunch. Depending on said Jumper's mood and personal choice, the 'chase' can be as short or as long as they desire, since they're really controlling when it ends.

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Also, I must profess a whimsical desire to hear a bolas dridder say 'Get over here!' after landing a catch on her mace.

Alright, requesting a layman's term explanation, since wikipedia uses too many words, but what exactly is a orb-weaver? The way wikipedia explain it make it sound like dung beetles, except they're spiders and the "dung" is a huge ball of silk.

The way Alestor was presented, I viewed them as the net caster, where they wait above their prey with a net, then come right down on top of it and wrap it up.

Spiders are generally broken down into classes (at least for those with a carnivorous diet). The two most common types are known as Hunters and Orb-weavers, but they aren't the only by any means. I don't know where you read that an orb-weaver is related to beetles - it isn't anything like that. Orb weaver is the name given to spiders that spin webs to catch prey in some form of organized webbing rather than actively chasing it down.

Most spiders that use webs don't actually build 'orb' webs, even the ones that are strictly classified as an orb weaver. An orb web isn't ball like, it just refers to the structure of a 'uniform' spider's web. Think 'Charlotte's Web' and you have the picture. Spider webs are as unique as can be across all spiders, even in the same subspecies.

It sounds like Alestor is one of these.

That being said, most spiders use silk for capturing prey in some form or another. The strict hunting spiders would be wolfs, jumpers, fishers, and some crab spiders. Even a tarantula isn't necessarily a 'hunter', they tend to fall more into the ambush/trapdoor type with burrows.

Alright, thanks.

Thanks for such an informative post aethernavale. I really enjoyed reading it and I learned a lot.