Sicarius spiders are a genus of ‘six-eyed sand spiders’ found in both South America and southern Africa. They’re internet-famous for two things: Their venom and the way they self-bury in the sand. In the video above, a Sicarius or Hexophthalma hahni provides an efficient example. Via Wikipedia:
This spider buries itself in the sand and strikes from ambush at prey that wanders too closely. Sand particles adhere to cuticles on its abdomen, thus acting as a natural camouflage if uncovered. If disturbed, it will run a short distance and bury itself again.
The two Sicarius terrosus spiders below take more time to bury themselves. This one was filmed by Goro García Moreno:
This next one is from YouTuber DJ’s Nature Planet. Note: Though they all look large in these videos, the spiders have “a body length up to 0.6 inches (15 millimetres) and the width across the legs is about 2 inches (50 millimetres).”
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