The 'ballista spider': Scientists discover a tiny spider that launches ants with 140 times the force of gravity

New-to-science spider builds trap that flings ants into the air

A spider living in the rainforests of Queensland, Australia, builds a snare trap reminiscent of a Roman-era ballista weapon that it uses to catapult green tree ants into a web 30 centimetres above

Spider which uses spring trap to capture prey discovered in Australia

A new species of spider that weaves a catapult-like silk trap to snare a single ant species has been discovered in the remote rainforests of northern Australia.

This spider flings ants 30 centimeters into its trap

A newly described spider in North Queensland rainforest hunts exactly one prey species — the green tree ant, an insect so aggressive most predators avoid it — by building a silk trap that flings the ant into its web. Macquarie University researchers, writing in Current Biology, found the spider builds a cone of 15 to 60 bundled silk lines near the ground, coats it with a pheromone that lures worker ants into biting it, then retreats. — Read the rest The post This spider flings ants 30 centimeters into its trap appeared first on Boing Boing.

Newly Discovered Spider Uses a Web Catapult to Launch Ants Into the Air

The ants launched by this spider catapult apparently experience 15 times the G-force felt by fighter jet pilots.

Scientists found a spider in the Amazon that looks like a parasitic fungus so perfectly they first mistook it for a mushroom

In a groundbreaking discovery in Ecuador's Amazon, scientists have identified a unique spider species, Taczanowskia waska, which artfully impersonates a fungus that preys on spiders. This exceptional adaptation combines pale hues, fungus-like appendages, and a still demeanor that interlaces it seamlessly within its environment, deceiving even seasoned researchers. Highlighted through citizen science, this discovery underscores the complex survival tactics in nature and the enigmatic diversity of rainforests.