29 October 2008
Supporting the 'Love Spiders' campaign are writer and broadcaster Germaine Greer, TV action man Steve Backshall, TV bug expert George McGavin and TV presenter and leading diver Miranda Krestovnikoff. Steve Backshall enthuses that ‘Spiders are in many ways the most exciting creatures on earth’, whilst Germaine Greer relates the touching tale of her relationship with Dymphna - a yellow-kneed huntsman spider from Australia! To see why these celebrities love spiders, click here
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'I'd love a chance to convince every kid out there that
spiders are wonderful before they grow up and inherit
their parent's fears!!!' Steve Backshall |
There are about 650 different species of spider in the UK ranging from tiny money spider the Minute maro (Maro minutus) to the huge Cardinal spider (Tegenaria parietina) with a leg span of more than 10 centimetres.
Spiders consume millions of household and agricultural pests every year but 31 species are now listed by the Government as being in need of urgent conservation action. Buglife is working to stop these spiders from declining and going extinct.
Endangered species include the incredibly rare Ladybird spider (Eresus sandaliatus) that lives on just a couple of sites in Dorset, and the Distinguished jumping spider (Sitticus distinguendus) also only known from two sites, but both threatened by development plans.
 Roger Key for gallery.jpg) |
| The rare Fen raft spider (Dolomedes plantarius) © Roger Key |
Buglife’s ‘Love Spiders’ campaign aims to raise awareness of these rare species and of how amazing and incredible spiders really are! Buglife’s ‘Love Spiders’ web pages include amazing spider facts, fantastic photos of spiders, profiles of rare species and lots of fun half-term activities for children.
‘Spiders are wonderful animals’, explains Zoë Bunter of Buglife. ‘There are spiders that can change the colour of their bodies, just like chameleons, they can be very caring, some courting male spiders present gifts to their lucky ladies, and some mother spiders devotedly take care of their young in nursery webs. Spiders shouldn’t be scary or spooky and this Halloween we’d like to invite everyone to join us in showing our amazing spiders some love!’
 Greg Hitchcock.jpg) |
| Wolf spider (Pardosa amentata) © Greg Hitchcock |
You can be a part of Buglife’s Love Spiders campaign by sending in your spider photos, or photos you take of your own Halloween spider crafts. Pictures will be displayed on Buglife’s Spider Gallery web page!
| If you are a spider enthusiast, or become a lover of all things arachnological, you may be interested in joining the British Arachnological Society (BAS). Click here for the BAS website |
