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Scorpion-tailed Spider

uncommon

Scorpion-tailed Spider

Arachnura higginsi

Habitat
Eucalypt forests, shrubland, and gardens in eastern and southern Australia
Body length
16 mm
Order
Araneae · Araneidae

Weird but real

Females curl a narrow tail-like abdomen over the web, looking uncannily like a tiny scorpion.

Why it's cool

It is a harmless orb-weaver with a body plan that turns spider camouflage into a convincing scorpion-shaped bluff.

Photographs

Arachnura higginsi, New South Wales, AU, 2024-06-04 (iNaturalist).
hntro · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Arachnura higginsi, New South Wales, AU, 2024-11-19 (iNaturalist).
TJ Jones · CC BY 4.0 · source