Spiders Creep and Birds Speak in a World Where Spiders Creep and Birds Speak
WouterYou may be familiar with the cartoon character Sponge-Bob. He was famous for his cartoon quips, such as “Spiders creep and birds speak.” But what if he had to live in a world where spiders actually creep and birds actually speak?
Well, in this case, it did. That is, at least, what I learned from a talk about biodiversity at the Cabrillo National Monument.
During the lecture, Patricia Simpson, a volunteer at the monument, described some of the native species of California. She noted that most of them are unaggressive and considered harmless. But there are some that can be deadly.
For example, the Brazilian wandering spider, which has been known to cause erectile dysfunction in humans. Other arachnids that can be dangerous to humans include the black widow and brown recluse.
In addition to eating insects and other animals, spiders make webs. They also produce venom to kill their prey. While most of them are harmless, they are sometimes eaten by other animals, such as scorpions.
While many people are afraid of spiders, some cultures in the South Pacific are known to eat them. Some of them even believe that spiders are lucky.
This may be due to the fact that spiders are able to discern sounds. If they sense danger, they will seek to protect themselves. But spiders have only been known to bite if they sense an immediate threat.
Another interesting tidbit about spiders is that they rarely attack without provocation. They prefer to chase and kill insect prey, but not humans.
