Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Spider Discovered That Builds Its Own Spider Decoys

Posted by Soulskill on from the welp-it's-been-a-good-run dept.

OakDragon writes "A newly discovered species of spider — apparently of the genus Cyclosa — has been discovered in the Peruvian Amazon. The spider builds an elaborate decoy out of web, twigs, and other scraps, which appears to be a much larger spider. The spider will even cause the decoy to move, marionette-style, by shaking the web."

13 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. or maybe by Torvac · · Score: 5, Interesting

    it builds a monument of its spider god ? our next overlord

    1. Re:or maybe by qbitslayer · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No. It's a monument to evolution because evolution designs everything even though it's not trying to design anything.

  2. It can count... by DSS11Q13 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    for some reason, the thing I'm marveling at the most is that it knows it has 8 legs. How?!

    Why not 6 or 7? ...because 7, 8, 9?

    1. Re:It can count... by flyingfsck · · Score: 5, Funny

      You thought that spiders are stupid, eh? They go to school, where they learn reeling and writhing...

      --
      Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
    2. Re:It can count... by michelcolman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That's just due to selection... by the photographer. There's another picture further down in the article where the decoy only seems to have five legs. But of course the one that looks most like a spider, with eight legs, was selected for the top of the article.

    3. Re:It can count... by Volguus+Zildrohar · · Score: 5, Funny

      Of course the spider can't count. It's just that the spiders who made 6 and 7 legged decoys got eaten by the birds that could count.

      --
      When confronted with one problem, some think "I'll use recursion". Now they are confronted with one problem.
    4. Re:It can count... by SomePgmr · · Score: 4, Funny

      Spiders hate it when someone shows their unfinished work.

  3. Gotta love by Nyder · · Score: 4, Insightful

    evolution.

    Not only did this spider decided it needed a bigger version of itself to scare off would be predators, it knew it had to make it move to look be really effective.

    I know people who aren't even this smart.

    --
    Be seeing you...
    1. Re:Gotta love by michelcolman · · Score: 3, Interesting

      What I don't understand, though, is that a big spider hanging in a web is probably likely to scare off not only predators, but prey as well. What self-respecting insect is going to fly straight past a big spider? Surely evolution must have "taught" them by now that where a big spider is floating in mid-air, there's probably a web around it?

      And what about predators interested in eating big spiders?

      On the other hand, this construction may actually be quite effective in keeping big, clumsy animals like, say, humans, from destroying the web accidentally. Maybe that outweighs the visibility to prey.

  4. Holoduke by MrEricSir · · Score: 4, Funny

    Someone should check if the spiders were doing this before 1996, because I bet they stole the idea from Duke 3D.

    --
    There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
  5. That's fuckin' awesome! by hack++slash · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm going to do the same to ward off other people.

    *builds giant man in garden out of wicker*

    --
    To do something right, you often have to roll up your sleeves and get busy.
    1. Re:That's fuckin' awesome! by Provocateur · · Score: 3, Funny

      "No, that's not our neighbor, that's got three legs."

      "He must be compensating."

      --
      WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
  6. That Anansi, such a tricksy one! by mekkab · · Score: 3, Funny

    But what happens when that spider discovers tar, makes an ersatz spider out of it, drinks too much, and fights with it?

    --
    In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.