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Spider which uses spring trap to capture prey discovered in Australia
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- A new spider species, nicknamed "ballista," has been discovered in northern Australia's rainforests, using a catapult-like silk trap to catch aggressive green tree ants (Oecophylla smaragdina).
- The spider’s snare launches ants into its web at extreme acceleration, experiencing forces 15 times greater than those endured by jet pilots, allowing it to safely capture dangerous prey.
- Researchers observed that the spider specializes exclusively in hunting green tree ants, likely using pheromones to attract and provoke them, making it unique among spiders for targeting a single prey species.
- The ballista spider constructs a tensioned cone-shaped silk scaffold at night, triggering the trap when ants bite it, a mechanism activated by the prey rather than the predator.
- The discovery highlights an evolutionary adaptation allowing the spider to hunt hazardous ants individually and transport them away from their protective trails and nests.
