Sharing, Caring, and Thievery: Arachnid Behavior and Interactions

What better way to celebrate National Save a Spider Day….

Every community has its different individuals: those that share, those that care, and those that steal. Some are gregarious, while others are loners. The community is not made up of humans, but of the small neighbors living right under our noses- the arachnids. Spiders, vinegaroons, and other arachnids demonstrate a degree of social interaction that may astonish you. Arachnids may be devoted mothers, chivalrous mates, and team players. They can also be resourceful sneak thieves. In this presentation, you will meet fiercely devoted mother green lynx spiders, chivalrous cellar spiders, and altruistic vinegaroons. You will also meet hitch-hiking pseudoscorpions, mites partnering with carrion beetles, and the tiny thief Argyrodes as it steals from its formidable host, the black widow. Welcome to the surprising world of arachnids!

Presented by Jillian Cowles, author of the book Amazing Arachnids published by Princeton University Press in 2018, whose photographs have appeared in a number of other books is a retired clinical microbiologist living in Arizona.