European Cave Spider
Meta menardi · Arachnid
A long-jawed orb-weaver, shiny black to reddish brown, about 15 mm long and 5 cm across the legs, one of the largest spiders in Britain, found from Scandinavia to North Africa and from Europe to Korea. Adults shun the light and live in caves, tunnels and mines, often where bats roost, coming out at dusk to hunt, mostly myriapods and slugs; the young are drawn to light and leave the cave in spring. Its venom does next to nothing to people, though a provoked one can give an unpleasant nip; it is slow and unaggressive. Its tear-shaped white egg sacs hang on a thread from the roof near the cave entrance.
- Danger
- Harmless
- How it is met
- Alone, by night
- Size
- Tiny
- In winter
- Active in winter
Where it lives
Sources
Open it in Biomes — MGS Toolbox