The creature in the center of the photograph is a Bolas spider, named so because of its strange hunting technique. In Latin America, the bolas is a hunting tool made up of a long leather thong with stones tied to the end. A Bolas spider's weapon is made of a silk strand with a ball of sticky, scented silk at the end. The scent mimics a pheromone put off by female moths. When a male comes to investigate, the spider swings its weapon expertly and catches the moth on the sticky end. The bottom picture appears to be a pair of egg cases dangling from the tree in our yard where we found this amazing arachnid.
I personally am scared of most spiders, but this is one of the few varieties, the green lynx spider included, that I am not terrified of. My family finds this strange as I would pick up a snake, and I love other bugs, but I am terrified of most spiders.
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