Chapter 1 TRAP-DOOR SPIDERS Predators are animals that catch and kill other animals Predators catch prey in all sorts of ways Sharp teeth and claws are only the beginning Some predators disguise themselves and lure their prey in close Some poison their prey or knock it out with a powerful punch The trap-door spider builds a special trap to catch its next meal Trap-door spiders are predators How do they catch their prey 4 44
Trap-door spiders don’t catch their prey in webs the way some spiders do Instead they build an underground tunnel with a hidden trapdoor The door is camouflaged with sticks pebbles or bits of plants The spider hides behind the door and waits It holds the door closed with its mouthparts The spider waits for an insect or other prey to come near This trap-door spider sits inside its tunnel 5
A beetle crawls near the spider’s burrow It doesn’t see the hidden door When the beetle reaches the door its movement creates vibrations The waiting spider cannot see or smell the beetle But it can feel the vibrations Without warning the door bursts open The spider lunges out It grabs the beetle and drags it back down into the tunnel The door closes automatically behind it It takes less than a second for a trap-door spider to capture its prey 6
Building the Trap Different kinds of trap-door spiders live across the southern and southwestern United States All of them build secret chambers to catch prey Each spider chooses a bank or hillside near an animal trail where prey might pass A trap-door spider may hunt beetles ants other spiders and small lizards 7
