“Toxic Tango II: Peacock Spiders”

I’ve just completed the second watercolor painting of the new “Toxic Tango” series.  The first one was “Toxic Tango I: Sea Slugs”, and this one is “Toxic Tango II: Peacock Spiders”. Perhaps it will not be a favorite of very many folks…

Peacock spiders are amazing, very tiny creatures. They are only about 4 mm long – that’s less than 1/4 inch! They are jumping spiders, and are endemic to Australia. The male peacock spider sports a beautifully colorful flap folded down over the abdomen. During courtship display, the flap is raised and spread like a peacock’s tail.  As if that weren’t impressive enough, he also dances, vibrates, and raises a his third pair of legs straight up in the air! Wow – what a hunk!

Toxic Tango I: Peacock Spiders
Now, of course, half the fun for me is to include the scientific ID chart with my natural history paintings. You can find that below.
Identification chart for Toxic Tango I: Peacock Spiders