Can Spiders Change Their Color?
WouterIf you’re interested in spiders, you might be wondering if they can change their color. There are about 500 species of color-changing spiders, which live on every continent except Antarctica. They often prey on insects and birds. The reason for their color changing is not completely understood. Some scientists think that their color changes may serve several purposes.
Some spiders change color to blend in with the background. This can help them hide from predators. Another possible reason is that their colour changes help them catch more prey.
Researchers have found that the white-banded crab spider can change its color to match a flower. It does this to avoid being eaten. These spiders live in tropical and subtropical regions. Their color can be white, yellow or green, depending on the flower.
White-banded crab spiders also sometimes match the color of the ambush site. However, their camouflage doesn’t seem to be effective against predators that use other senses.
Crab spiders can also change their color in response to the presence of poisonous plants. Unlike other spiders, crab spiders have no webs. Instead, they stick to one flower.
In spring, they are usually white. But as the weather warms, they can change to yellow. Although it isn’t clear why crab spiders change their colors, it is possible that they are using camouflage to stalk their prey.
The color changing process takes between two and twenty days. A number of factors affect the speed at which a crab spider changes its color. When it is on a yellow flower, it pumps a yellow pigment into the outer layer of its body. Once it has completed the process, it excretes the yellow substance and reverts back to white.
