Spider which uses spring trap to capture prey discovered in Australia
Summary
Scientists have discovered a new species of spider in northern Australia that uses a spring-loaded silk trap to catch a specific type of aggressive green tree ant. The spider flings the ant into its web with great speed and force, a unique hunting method to safely capture dangerous prey.Key Facts
- The spider lives in the rainforests of northern Queensland, Australia.
- It hunts a single ant species called the green tree ant (Oecophylla smaragdina).
- The spider creates a catapult-like silk snare that launches ants into a larger web.
- The force exerted on the ants is much stronger than what jet pilots experience in a plane.
- Scientists named the spider "ballista," after an ancient weapon that hurls stones.
- The spider uses pheromones (chemical signals) to attract only green ants to its trap.
- This spider’s hunting method is the only known example where a web targets one prey species and is triggered by the prey itself.
- The research was done by Macquarie University and published in the journal Current Biology.
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