Fangs!

A rainy day, I look around the house for things to look up with the little digital microscope and I find the shrivelled shell of a spider, probably a Tegenaria, in the conservatory, behind a pot. I notice the fangs and look under the microscope. It is not the best photo, but I am quite pleased with the fact that the tiny openings at the end of the fangs (where the venom comes out) are just visible. Click here for a scanning electron photograph of these openings. The fangs act as hypodermic needles, injecting the venom inside the prey's body. The teeth that help hold the prey while the venom is injected are visible at the bottom.