Bird Dropping Spider

Description The Bird Dropping spider has a body that looks like bird droppings. This protects them from being eaten by predators such as birds and wasps.

Other Names
Death's Head Spider

Size
Female is 12 mm and male is tiny 2.5 mm.

Habitat
Found in many different habitats including suburban gardens but are hard to spot.

Food
Mostly male moths. At night the spider hangs from a thread with its legs outstretched. It then releases a chemical scent that smells like a female moth attracting male moths to their doom.

Range
The Bird Dropping Spider is found throughout much of eastern and southern Australia.

Notes
The bite is not dangerous to humans.

ClassificationClass: Arachnida
Order: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Celaenia
Species: excavata
Common Name: Bird Dropping
Spider