[ad_1]
Huge eyes and legs that can hear … this spider has it all.
Screenshot from video by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper / CNET
The legs seem to be very useful to spiders; after all, they have eight. But a recent study from Cornell University reveals that a certain type of arachnid not only uses its legs to move, but to listen to airborne prey and turn it into lunch.
The study, published in the journal Current Biology, makes spiders sound like Marvel superheroes. He confirmed that spiders use metatarsal sensitivity, or sensors on the tip of the leg, to detect sounds, then activate a split-second “backflip, similar to a ninja to attack unsuspecting insects in midair, bag them in a red and then have dinner. ” . “
Ogre-faced spiders, whose scientific name is Deinopis spinosa, are nocturnal creatures found primarily in the southeastern United States.
The spiders in the study are “some of the coolest spiders on the planet,” lead author Jay Stafstrom said in a video. They don’t do anything during the day, he said, but they hide and wait for sunset. Their networking is unusual: they create a “frame net” in the shape of the letter A, then make a “fuzzy rectangular net” which they hold up with their front legs and use to actively catch prey.
In addition to the unusual cobwebs and multi-talented legs, spiders are noteworthy for their large eyes, which Stafstrom says are “the largest eyes of any spider.”
Marvel at the best in wildlife photography from around the world
See all photos
