Subject: Strange, two-headed (or split, maybe?) arachnid
Location: Old Saybrook, Connecticut
July 24, 2012 9:11 pm
Hi there! This little guy (or possibly girl) decided to say hello… By dropping in less than half a foot away from my face! It startled me, but I was more fascinated than anything. It ended up falling to the ground while trying to climb up it’s web, so I decided to take a picture. What I found interesting is with a closer look, it appeared to have a somewhat longish ”head”, maybe a centimeter long, and then those odd stalk-like things protruding from it. Another thing I found interesting was it seemed to be dazed after falling (which I guess is understandable after falling from about fifteen to twenty feet) and was having trouble moving. I looked away for a moment and when I looked back it was gone! I couldn’t find it anywhere nearby, and it was at least a good four feet from anything to climb on. I would’ve taken more pictures otherwise. Thanks ahead of time!
Signature: Eibhleann
Long Jawed Orb Weaver
Dear Eibhleann,
Your spider is a Long Jawed Orbweaver in the genus Tetragnatha, and you can compare your specimen to this male from BugGuide. This information is also provided by BugGuide: “These spiders spin circular (orb) webs, mostly in the horizontal plane, often just inches above the surface of water where they can intercept emerging insects like midges, mayflies, and stoneflies.”
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