Left Hangin'

Shed Exoskeleton of a Six-Spotted Fishing Spider Dangling in the Breeze, June 15, 2021

You may recall the six-spotted fishing spider (and to any who were trying to forget, my apologies). Spiders, like other arachnids and like crustaceans and insects, have exoskeletons which support and protect their bodies and to which their muscles attach. Once an exoskeleton has hardened, however, it does not allow for growth, so all of these creatures (in addition to reptiles who run into the same limitations with scales) have to shed their exoskeletons periodically in order to grow larger. Because the process of shedding and then the period of time while the new exoskeleton is hardening leaves them quite vulnerable, I'm guessing that the fishing spiders do this at night. When I walk through the wetland in the early morning hours, I often see these shed spider exoskeletons attached to wetland plants. Spiders, of course, have the luxury of attaching themselves to the plants with their silken threads to facilitate the process of exiting the old exoskeleton with the result that the old exoskeleton is left dangling in the breeze while the spider goes off to find a safe place for it's new exterior to harden up before resuming normal business.

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