Spiders (whittett)

There is a dazzling array of spiders in the world 40,000 kinds some podgy, some skinny, some flat as pancakes; from giant bird-eaters whose legs would cover a dinner plate to midgets whose bodies wouldn't cover a pinhead. Some pretend to be birds' droppings and others pretend to be ants; some tackle prey as big as a snake, others only eat one fly a year.

Chief amongst their curious attributes, which include being blue-blooded and smelling through their feet, must be their phenomenal silk. Stronger than steel, yet incredibly light and thin, one strand of it long enough to encircle the world would only weigh 12 oz. As well as using silk to engineer their webs, spiders use it to wrap up their food, to make nets for throwing over prey and cocoons for their eggs. And then there is the venom, drop-for-drop often stronger than cobra venom, injected into the prey with formidable fangs or occasionally fired from a distance.

Even the most rabid arachnophobe cannot fail to be entranced by this world full of surprises: spiders that are social, hunting and dining together in strict hierarchy; dedicated mothers carrying their eggs around with them; wildly gesticulating suitors and reluctant brides.

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Author: Micheal Chinnery
Publisher: Whittet Books 1993 first edition
Extra Details: Pictorial hardback 6 x 9 inches tall. 128 Pages.Profusely illustrated throughout with B&W drawings. The book is in NF condition.