Awesome and Amazing multi-coloured 'peacock' spider

When we think of spiders, us Brits tends to imagine the black and brown creatures that thrive in dry corners and give us a fright when we least expect it.

Australians, the other hand, are privy to much more exciting sights, as these pictures of the 'peacock spider' prove.

While it may be eight-legged like every other spider, this one has an impressive mating ritual to attract a partner.
It shows off a rainbow of colours to impress nearby females by fanning out two brightly patterned flaps at the back of his body.

Displaying its spectrum of shades in an attempt to attract the attention of the less vibrant brown spiders, the creature reveals hues of orange, yellow, green and blue.

Also known as a Moratus Vilans, amateur photographer Jurgen Otto originally spotted the colourful creature in the wild.

However, as it is only 4mm long, he found it easier to capture images in his Sydney home.

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The Hawaiian spider that look like smiling face

Scientifically, this tiny arachnid goes by the name of Theridion grallator – but it takes little imagination to see how it got its more popular name: the happy-face spider.

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.

Security robot that nets burglars with spider web spray

Burglars beware! A new robotic security guard has been unveiled that can sense an intruder and launch a net to capture them.

The prototype T-34 trundles along on four small wheels and it loaded with sensors that can detect anything untoward in an office building.


Created by robot developer tmsuk and security firm Alacom the surveillance robot reacts to body heat and sound.

The zippy machine moves up to 6mph under the command of a person who sees real-time images of where the robot is on the screen of his mobile.

It can then be instructed to spray a 'spider web' net that entangles the intruder. The robot was demonstrated recently in Tokyo.

'Security sensors often set off false alarms but examining the location with the robot will lead to more efficient operations,' the companies said.