Found only in rainforests in the Hawaiian islands, the spiders have a vast range of patterns and colours on their abdomens – yet all come from the same species.
The amazing diversity is due to genetic variations, although the patterns may also change depending on diet.
The patterns may have developed as a way of confusing predators. The moment it takes an aggressor to work out whether the spider is prey or not provides a vital chance of escape.However, the species, which was discovered in 1973, is now under threat from the introduction of non-native animals to the islands.
The most common form – or ‘morph’ – is plain yellow and has no smile. But other variations are plentiful – the ‘red front’ morph pictured here with a cluster of her eggs is the second-most common.
The spiders are 5mm (less than a quarter of an inch) long and live alone on the underside of leaves – except during their mating season and for the first 40 to 100 days of spiderlings’ lives, when they are still too young to fend for themselves.The happy-face spiders feature in the new BBC2 documentary series South Pacific, which starts at 8.30pm tonight.
