Spiders are as fascinating as they are terrifying, and their behavior can often times appear unusual to the layman viewer. For one thing, spiders vary tremendously when it comes to diet. Some spiders prefer to scavenge, whereas others prefer to eat seeds and plants. Some larger sized spiders can even wolf-down some rodents. One type of spider in particular, the Nephila pilipes,

Driver Ants May Be Worse To Have Around Than Fire Ants We are all familiar with fire ants and their extremely painful, and sometimes deadly, bites. The fire-ant populations have been exploding in the warmer regions of the United States, which has some experts concerned. However, there does exist certain types of ants that are far more dangerous to people than fire ants. One such ant is known as the driver ant

We all love raccoons. In fact, I don't think that I have ever heard anybody say that they don't like raccoons, and I doubt if I ever will. Raccoons are cute, they seem lovable, and now they are helping researchers uncover some of the mysterious about cancer. It has been known for quite some time now that many raccoons from Northern California and Oregon are developing brain tumors

Well for spiders being so harmless, they sure are in the news a lot for their debilitating bites. The bite-victims name, in this case, is Michelle Marriott. The mother was fifty two years old at the time of her bite. Marriott said that she had sustained the bite while hanging baskets in her garden. The spider managed to sink its fangs into the poor woman's scalp. The spider-culprit is a false-widow

You may wonder why anyone would ever want to mail a spider through the male in an envelope. But there is actually a very good reason for doing such a thing. Let's say that you found a spider somewhere outside or within your home, and you don't know what type of spider it is, but you want to know. Then many entomologists recommend

Have you ever noticed a squirrel's nest and wondered how it stays together? This is a popular question, and rightfully so since squirrels keep their newborn offspring in the nest for safety, but they do not look so safe. So what is the secret behind a squirrels nest-building? A squirrel's nest is also known as a "drey," and although their nests may look pretty shoddy, they are actually well constructed as they are made from many different materials, and not just leaves. Also, squirrels don't always waste their time building nests when they can use one that is already made. For example, squirrels will often bypass the whole business of nest-building in order to raise their offspring in a hollowed out tree. Squirrels are quite clever

A jumping spider's mating-life is not too exciting. Male jumping spiders simply advertise themselves to females until a female makes itself available for mating. Of course, the unfortunate males are often eaten afterwards, which, I am sure, puts a damper on the male jumping spiders post-mating good mood. Not all female spiders consume the males of their own species after mating, but a whole lot of them do. The male jumping spiders are still different from many other spiders in that they seem to be in a hurry to reproduce, even more so than usual. And it appears to researchers as though the male jumping spider does not take much time to discriminate mating options. There are many spiders that do not have long to live once they reach adulthood. Therefore, these spiders must pass on their genes quickly, and that means that there is usually little to no time for males to be picky when selecting a mate. However, even these types spiders, despite being so pressed for time, normally show some indication of preference in a female mate, but this is not the case with the jumping spider. Unfortunately for male jumping spiders, this mating strategy is not to their benefit.

Wear a bug spray containing at least 20 percent DEET when outdoors, and reapply as directed on the label.

How much do you know about flying squirrels? Many people living in regions with heavy flying-squirrel populations have never even heard of flying squirrels