Spider (Unknown sp.)

SEM of a spider with its legs wrapped underneath it's body. Spider legs all have a similar morphology, comprising seven component parts and culminating in a claw, the appearance and composition of which can vary. Unlike the majority of arthropods who use muscular action to extend their limbs, spiders use hydraulic pressure, a characteristic retained from their ancestors, with the result that the legs curl up beneath the body upon their death. Scanning electron micrograph; x 16; spider is approximately 6 mm in length.