We have one of these happy-looking critters (Gasteracantha cancriformis) hanging off of our orange tree, just outside our bedroom window. Leo identified it from his field guide, and came to show us.This particular one is in the yard of a parishioner, who graciously snapped this magnificent picture and e-mailed it for Leo's enjoyment - one of the best spider pictures I have ever seen! Our tenant looks very similar, right down to the phony yellow smiley face.
They spin huge orb webs with an interesting feature - some of the threads have decorations (stabilimenta) in them, which serve like warning lights on tall towers to warn airplanes. Birds avoid flying into the web by seeing the decorative elements.
And we're supposed to believe this ability (not to mention the magnificently designed creature itself) evolved by random chance.
If you're really amused by spider pictures, you might enjoy LOL Spiders - though there is some PG-13 language on some of the pictures.
3 comments:
We call those 'crab spiders' here in Florida.
It gets better, Fr!
According to wikipedia, evolutionists hold that "It is likely that the use of stabilimenta evolved independently at least nine different times." LOL!
You misunderstand the relationship to randomness and evolution. Natural Selection is picky, not random.
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