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clever interior decorator couldn't have done a better job of
matching this little spider with the tea-tree flower it is
standing on. The pale green of the spider's thorax matches
the green sepals of the flower, the white back matches the petals
and even the brown spots imitate the pollen at the end of the
stamens. For such a small animal it is important that it
blend in with the background so that predators find it difficult
to spot. However, avoiding
predators isn't the only thing the spider is doing. It is
also hiding from its prey.
The tea-tree flower creates a small
reservoir of nectar in its centre to attract insects (for
pollination). When small insects come to the flower to feed,
the spider uses it's spiny front legs to catch the animal and a
poison from it's mouth to stop it struggling.
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