Spider Uses Web As Slingshot To Ensnare Prey, Scientists Find
There's a type of spider that can slowly stretch its web taut and then release it, causing the web to catapult forward and entangle unsuspecting prey in its strands.
by Merrit Kennedy
May 14, 2019
3 minutes
This high-velocity maneuver is a nightmare if you're a fly.
There's a type of spider that can slowly stretch its web taut and then release it, causing the web to catapult forward and ensnare unsuspecting prey in its strands.
Triangle-weaver spiders use their own web the way humans might use a slingshot or a crossbow. Scientists from the University of Akron say this is a process called "power amplification," and they publishedthis week.
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