fed Stapler today

(Atypus karschi, Porcellionides pruinosus “Orange”)

a short clip showing how a house centipede restrains and envenomates a spider. his prehensile walking legs wrap around each of the spider’s limbs, immobilizing it while his flexible forcipules (modified venom-delivering legs) deliver a fast-acting sting.

(Scutigera coleoptrata, Steatoda triangulosa)

Stapler got a cricket today.

(Atypus karschi)

all of the bugs I keep are nocturnal and averse to daylight. this means that although I can get pictures of them sitting still in bright light to show off their appearance, I can’t get any well-lit videos with my phone of them hunting or behaving normally. if I turned the lights on or used a flash, they’d get scared and stop what they’re doing.

here’s a way I’ve found that works well to record bugs in the dark without scaring them: most of these invertebrates aren’t sensitive to red light!

I illuminate the bug with a headlamp with a red light setting, and then just film them normally with my phone. I edit the saturation after so it’s not so glaringly red.

(Blaptica dubia, Blaberus discoidalis)

it’s a little fuzzy especially through scratched-up plastic, but it works well enough in my opinion to see what these creatures are doing in the dark all night!

here is Alfonso stalking a roach but deciding that he isn’t hungry enough to eat one that large:

(Phrynus whitei “Nicaragua,” Blaptica dubia)

fed Stapler a cow the other day. a sassy one-fang snag

Stella spent a good thirty minutes trying to sneak up on, get scared of, and try to intimidate a cockroach (dead, legless, frozen thawed, mind you) this afternoon and now she’s just set it down after over nine hours of chewing the juice out of it

amblypygi appear to be refined, glamorous bugs but they’re honestly just a bunch of skittish dopey tree crabs

a little Phidippus audax juvenile from some time ago. eye-wipe and a cheeky glance at the camera

these boys are the most perfect creatures. totally flawless, impeccably symmetrical

Alfonso (red spots) and Marco (orange spots). Phrynus whitei have white eyespots when hatchlings that become more reddish with each molt. you can tell Alfonso is the more mature of the two since his are more red!

Stella really is one of the most perfect Creatures ever I think. few can Creature as well as she