Play. It’s well-documented in many mammals and birds. Fish have also been observed leaping over sticks and batting around balls. Frogs play-wrestle and tadpoles ride bubbles. Turtles play tug-of-war (1). Some invertebrates even play. Octopuses, and possibly spiders and wasps, have shown play behaviors too (2).
Welcome to our new playful kittens, adopted from SAFE Haven.
- Burghardt, G.M. 2015. Play in fishes, frogs, and reptiles. Current Biology. 25(1) R9-10
- Zylinski, S. 2015. Fun and play in invertebrates. Current Biology. 25(1) R10-11
I love Halloween. It’s the time of year when I can leave all the spider webs up around the front stoop and call them decorations.
This harmless garden spider, the Black and Yellow Argiope (Argiope aurantia) is not long for the world. She’ll die soon as the nights grow colder. But I’ll keep an eye on her wee ones in the egg sac she left by the railing. In the spring the baby spiders will hatch out, spin a little silk parachute to catch the breeze and sail away to a new home!
p.s. Haven’t heard of the Black and Yellow Argiope? Well, you may call it the X Spider, Cross Spider, Zipper Spider, Writing Spider, Corn Spider, Banana Spider or Yellow Garden Spider. Whew – darn common names!!