Tree Trunk Spider (Hersiliidae) - Two-tailed spider - Animal India

A Tree Trunk Spider, or two-tailed spider, or long-spinneret bark spider (Hersiliidae), is hanging from its web on the window of a house, waiting for prey at midnight beside an artificial light source in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on September 25, 2025. These spiders are known for their two prominent spinnerets, which are almost as long as their abdomen, giving them the nickname "two-tailed spiders." They are found in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Australasia. Tree trunk spiders are using their long, prominent spinnerets to lay a light web of silk strands on a tree bark surface. They are seen hanging from this silken thread at night, waiting for prey to become trapped on the patch of bark. When an insect is detected, the spider is quickly running around it in a circle, further entangling it with more silk before it is bitten and fed upon.