The scientific name of Theridion grallator, the Hawaiian Happy Face Spider is just a few millimeters in size. HHS can be found exclusively to a handful of Hawaiian islands.
The Hawaiian Happy Face Spider has developed some strange markings that have evolved over time to scare away potential predators, but the Hawaiian Happy Face Spider's future is in peril.
Hawaii's Happy Face Spider is found only on the islands of Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii, rainforest clearing and the introduction of foriegn species is putting the Happy Spider under threat.
Scientists studying the Happy Face Spider say the Happy Face smile seen on Theridion grallator's back works a two way street.
"I must admit when I turned over the first leaf and saw one it certainly brought a smile to my face," British scientist Dr Geoff Oxford said.
"There are various theories as to why the spider has developed the markings it has, one of these that it may be to confuse predators.
"When a bird or other predator first sees a prey item it has not seen before there is a moment before it decides whether to eat it or not.
"It may be that this spider has developed these variations to take advantage of this, in the moment the predator is deciding if it is food it may have the chance to escape.
"I don't think the smiling face is enough to put off a bird though, but it would be nice to think so. Not all happy-face spiders have such striking markings, and some are nearly all orange or all blue.
"The species is only found high in the rainforest's of Hawaii and are under threat from the introduction of animals not native to the islands."
Variants of Hawaii's Happy Faced Spider.The Happy Face Spider is now a symbol of Hawaii's environmental problems Dr Oxford said.
They are ambassadors for all the threatened invertebrates, insects and spiders on Hawaii.
"Conservationists are using them to highlight the plight of native species and you can't go far on the islands without seeing them on T-shirts, baseball caps, post cards and even removal trucks.
"The Hawaiian fauna is being threatened by all the human-imported species of animals and plants that establish there each year.
"Sadly most of the plants and animals in lowland areas of Hawaii are non-native and one has to go up into the rainforest to find the native species."
Discovered in the early 1970's The Hawaiian Happy Face Spider was first documented in 1990 and faces extinction due to rain forest degradation and introduced foreign species.
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