🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨

The Golden Wheel Spider (Carparachne aureoflava) is native to the Namib Desert of Namibia, southern Africa.

Belonging to the group of huntsman spiders, this small arachnid measures up to 20mm in size and has developed some extraordinary adaptations to survive in its challenging habitat. One of the most striking features of the Golden Wheel Spider is its ability to escape predators in a rather unconventional manner.

Upon sensing danger, the spider flips onto its side, transforming its body into a wheel-like shape and performs a cartwheeling escape down the sand dunes at remarkable speeds of up to 44 turns per second.

Aside from its incredible escape tactics, C. aureoflava is known for constructing intricate trapdoors using silk and sand, and for being able to shift up to 80,000 times its own body weight while creating silk-lined burrows beneath the desert surface.