We have run into this species only three times while on safari. They seem to only spin their webs at night and retreat and hide during the day. I wonder if anyone else has run into this spider or something like it before…
Here he is as he hides during the day:
Here his legs are exposed during the day only because he was trying to belay himself away from my hands:
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We have now discovered that this is a Bark Spider, in the Caerostris family. They are nocturnal orb spider weaving a web for hunting at night and at dawn the retract their web again.
Family Araneidae (Orb Web Spiders)
Definitely Caerostris genus (Bark Spiders) Species is most probably sexcuspidata.
Not all pull down their web every night. Some, in forested areas, will stay on their web even during the day.
They build exquisite webs with great skill, and are able to repair them or take them down within minutes.
Had the privilege of watching one wrap a moth that had flown into the web in its silk. The speed and skill with which it revolved the moth while it’s spinnerets released the silk was amazing. I wish I had had a video camera!
At night time, look up BETWEEN trees to find them, although, sometimes they’re at eye level or lower.
Now that the water level on Lake Naivasha has increased, there are many plants half-submerged in water (they grew when the level was very low last year). I found a tiny little Caerostris still living quite happily on one of these plants about 15 metres from the dry shore!