Instead of waiting for prey to stumble into its web, it uses a spring-loaded trap to launch ants into it. The spider was found in the remote rainforests of Far North Queensland, and its nickname comes ...

Scientists discovered that the Australian “ballista spider” uses a silk cone trap to catapult prey into its web, a feat of spider engineering never before observed.

Ant attack! Newly discovered spider uses ingenious 'catapult' to catch prey. A newly discovered spider species in the ...

Predator-prey interactions have created some of the coolest strategies in the animal world. From mesmerizing cuttlefish, to head-popping mosquitoes, the world’s animals have come up with some pretty ...

There’s more than one way a spider can spin its web. Some construct large vertical orb webs, while others build horizontal sheet webs or tangled cobwebs that ensnare crawling insects. There’s also ...

The Australian ballista spider builds a spring-loaded snare that is set off by ants of one species only. The power is in the ...

The ballista spider builds sophisticated spring-loaded snares to catapult its prey. Newly discovered, the ballista spider ...

This nocturnal rainforest spider has evolved an unusually specialized hunting strategy, using a silk-powered snare to target ...

A newly discovered spider uses an ingenious method to launch its prey into the air, named after an ancient Roman weapon. The ballista spider was discovered in the rainforests of Far North Queensland.

Anewly identified spider from the tropical rainforests of northern Australia has unveiled a hunting technique unlike any previously recorded. The species, dubbed the “ballista spider,” uses a ...

New spider that hunts dangerous ants using a spring-loaded trap discovered by scientists in Australia - A ballista spider’s trap can launch ants at an acceleration comparable to a severe car crash ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more. This ...