In the hilly folds of southeastern Australia, coarse shrubs grow, scrubby and dry, between the domed nests and dusty foraging tracks of meat ants. Among these bustling Formicid citadels a special spider is waiting for its prey. It lurks near the entrance to a rigid, basket-like structure hanging from the shrubs. An unsuspecting ant moves towards the basket as if its curiosity has been piqued. Then something remarkable happens.
The bulbous, blue-grey spider reaches forward with her front legs and taps out a beat on both sides of the ant’s head. Apparently seduced, the ant follows her into the basket – and into the jaws of fate.
You can watch this scene in the 1992 documentary , but it’s only now that scientists are beginning to understand more about the mysterious basket-web spider (), its remarkably crafted basket, and
