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Spider  Communal Huntsman Spider  Communal Huntsman Spider
Communal Huntsman Spider Photographer - Alan Henderson Source -
Museum Victoria  Delena cancerides  Amongst the world fauna of
spiders, it is rare to find species that live as a colony.
Communal huntsmans are venomous but not dangerous to humans.
They use their venom to kill and aid the digestion of their
prey, which mainly consists of other invertebrates such as
moths, cockroaches, crickets and other species of spiders.
These spiders are mainly nocturnal and it is during this time
that they do most of their hunting. They hunt by simply waiting
until suitable prey ventures too close then rushing and grabbing
it using their fangs.  This species sometimes share their catch,
or co-operate in subduing a large insect. In this species it is
not unusual to see large and small spiders feeding on the same
prey side by side.  Being cold blooded, they are more active
during the warmer months of the ye