Spider smile strange face in Hawaii

Patterns on the back of a spider in Hawaii form an image that resembles a smiling face of a human.

A smiley spider.Photo: National Geographic.

Theridion grallator, also known as smiley spider, is only a few millimeters long. They live in tropical forests in the Hawaiian Islands (USA) and are completely harmless to humans. The most unique feature of this spider is that its back has patterns like the face of a smiling person.

Dr Geoff Oxford, a University of York spider expert, said: 'I have to admit I couldn't help laughing when I saw a Theridion grallator for the first time.' Scientists make many assumptions about the existence of a smiling face on a spider's back, which has a hypothesis that this face helps them deceive enemies.

'When a bird or predator encounters something they have never seen, it takes a few seconds to decide whether to attack the target or not. The smiley spider will use the enemy's hesitation to escape, " explained Oxford.

Not all smiley spiders have smileys on their backs. Many only have a blue or orange back. Smiling face spider only lives in the tropical forests of the Hawaiian Islands. They are facing the danger of extinction by the arrival of many animals from other places.

'Smiling face spider represents all species that are about to become extinct in the Hawaiian Islands. Their photos are printed on T-shirts, baseball caps, postcards and even trucks. Hawaii's flora and fauna is threatened by species that humans bring from elsewhere. Today most of the animals and plants in Hawaii come from elsewhere and we have to go to the rainforest if we want to search for native species, ' Oxford said.