The Gorgeous Australian Peacock Spider

The Rumble Rumps Spider

The Australian peacock spider, or Maratus volans, is one of the most beautiful spiders you will ever see. The males are easily identified by their dramatic coloration and large eyespots on its back that resembles a peacock’s tail. These spiders are found in the southern part of Australia near Melbourne and Sydney. They can be commonly seen during mating season from spring to early summer months where they often build webs between tall plants with an open space at ground level for females to enter

Size of a Grain of Rice

The Australian Peacock spider, its scientific name is Maratus Volans, is a jumping spider belonging to the family Salticida, and the genus Maratus. These Australian peacock spiders are native to a specific area of Australia. They have a wide range of distribution and habitat. These are small jumping spiders having a size range of 2-6 mm.

Males generally have different colorful abdomen flaps that are used to attract females during mating while females are usually mottled brown in color. Males also have lateral flaps that can be extended from their abdomen like a fan, this fan structure gives remarkable ornamentation to the Maratus male, it looks like a peacock. Hence, their common name is the peacock spider. Peacock spiders have a specialized visual system that allows them to see the full visible spectrum as well as the Ultra-violet range.

Salticida family contains 592 and about 5625 known species.

Distribution and Habitat?

They have been distributed to specific areas of Australia, ( Western Australia ) e.g., New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, and Tasmania. They are also found in China, the semi-arid and temperate region. They have to live in a different type of environment, unlike other spiders of this group that only live in a niche environment. Some live in different varieties of habitat like sand dunes, heaths, and in leaf-litter. Peacock spiders are most active during their breeding season.

What is the lifespan of an Australian  Peacock Spider?

The lifespan of an Australian Peacock Spiders is one year. About half of life is spent growing up. Then they are adults they are only live for few months.

Do peacock spiders spin a web?

Peacock spiders do not spin the web and make the nest because they move continuously and hunt their prey. A pregnant female spider makes a nest underground to lay eggs and protect their eggs until they hatch. The eggs hatch at different times, depending upon the sex. Males spiders hatch in August while females hatch later.

Charistics of male peacock spiders

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The male Australian peacock spider is easily identified by its dramatic coloration and large eyespots on its back that resemble a peacock’s tail. – These spiders are found in the southern part of Australia near Melbourne and Sydney. They can be commonly seen during the mating season from spring to early summer months.

Are Australian Peacock Spiders Poisonous? ( Peacock Spider Species )

Like other species of spiders, the Australian Peacock spiders are also poisonous. They used their venom to kill their prey like small flies, moths, and insects. But they are not dangerous to humans. Because the jaw is so small that it could not puncture the skin of humans easily. So, we are safe, but other spiders are not safe.

Are the Australian Peacock Spiders friendly?

Yeah, peacock spiders are friendly because they are harmless to humans.

Are Peacock Spiders related to Tarantulas?

The Australian peacock spider was a member of the tarantula family known for its hairy and large size. It was the tarantula, also known as the peacock tarantula or metallic tarantula because of its attractive coloration.

Diet

The Australian peacock spider does not spin their web. They continuously move and hunt their prey. Their diet mostly contains small insects like moths, grasshoppers, winged ants, or any small insect that they hunt. Females also eat males because they are not impressed by the male’s dance.

 To capture their prey, they use their extraordinary vision. They capture their prey from a long distance and deliver their fatal bite. They have the ability to jump for a long distance to capture their prey.

How Big is a Peacock Jumping Spider?

The size range of the Australian Peacock Spider is 2-6 mm. They jump up to 40 times higher than their body length. Studies show that peacock spiders have been affected by habitat destruction in Australia, which might be a limiting factor in their lifespan

Australian Peacock Spider Reproduction

The peacock spider is mostly active during the breeding season (spring season). The male is active from August to December while the female is active later and survives longer. Female hidden in December to lay eggs and protect their eggs from predators. The female lays eggs between 6-15 eggs per clutch. Female Australian peacock spider looks like an adult, except their padilaps are colorless. Male does not generate their colorful color until they reach sexual maturity. Female laid eggs up to between 6-15 eggs per clutch.

The red, blue, and black males have parallel extensions of the abdomen with white hair that can be folded down. They’re used for display during mating. Then the male spider raises his abdomen, expands, and raises the flaps so that they form a white-colored circular field of color. The third pair of legs is also raised for display, showing a scrape of black hair and white tips. While approaching them, the male vibrates his abdomen while moving his raised legs and tail, and dance from side to side. Females are more attracted to the visual efforts of the dance done by the males rather than the vibration signals.

Where I can found Australian Peacock Spiders?

Spiders are widespread across the southern half of Australia and live in a diverse range of habitats, from sand dunes on the temperate coasts to grasslands in the semi-arid regions.

Peacock spiders are most active during the breeding season. They are usually found in Austral spring (breeding season). Males mature as early as August and persist in large amounts until December. Mature females appear later and survive for a longer period than males.

Are Australian Peacock Spiders native to Australia?

Mostly they are found in the warm area of Australia. They are also found in some regions of China and Madagascar.

Can you keep Australian peacock spiders as pets?

Yes, it is not easy to keep a spider as a pet. Peacock spiders are small in size, they do not occupy our environment. Secondly, the peacock spider is a wild animal. So, life in a jar is very different from the a wild bird.

Final Thoughts

Australian peacock spiders are small, colorful insects that harmlessly live in the bush. They feed on other bugs and can be found all over Australia. these beautiful creatures do have a way of capturing our attention with their vibrant colors and interesting mating rituals!

All the wildlife in Australia including the Australian Peacock Spiders are protected by law. We need a special permit by the government of Australia to exported.