R. K. Cook's video: Lightning Fast Funnel Weaver Spider Snags Grasshopper

HANK WILDING'S JOURNAL: All summer long, this Funnel Weaver Spider set up shop in a metal fence post in my garden; its opening served as the fleet arachnid's "retreat" — that is, the portal to its lair. Whenever it seemed like Spidey could use a little help snagging a meal, ole Hank was happy to oblige — mainly because, being a macabre SOB, I liked watching the blink-and-you-missed-it spectacle. This hapless grasshopper (sorry, dude!) never knew what grabbed 'im! Bugwoodwiki has a good description of the Funnel Weaver's modus operandi: "Funnel weaver spiders capture prey with a horizontal sheet web, constructed of thick silk. In one corner of the web is a narrow funnel 'retreat,' which is often out of sight extending into a protective recessed area. The web is not sticky but usually includes vertical strands that can help impede passing insects. The spiders spend much of their time at the entrance of the retreat. They rush out rapidly to capture insect prey that may land on the sheet web and become temporarily entangled. Once subdued, the prey may be eaten at the point of capture or dragged back into the area of the retreat where it is alternately crushed with the jaws and sucked dry of fluids." "Sucked dry of fluids" — how vampiric! The suspenseful music, "Classic Horror-Madness Paranoia," is by the great YouTube maestro Kevin MacLeod. Now, here's the musical fine print: Classic Horror - Madness Paranoia by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100471 Artist: http://incompetech.com/