The snare's "exceptionally high power" flings the ant into a bigger web at "15 times the most extreme g-forces experienced by jet pilots", said lead researcher Prof Ajay Narendra.

"The snare mechanism seems to have evolved as a highly specialised way of allowing the spider to 'pick off' potentially hazardous prey one at a time and transport them a safe distance away from ant trails and nests," researcher Dr Jonas Wolff said.

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[–] Danarchy@lemmy.nz 1 points 1 hour ago

I thought it was a spring with a boxing glove on the end at first but this is cool too… I GUESS

[–] DearMoogle@piefed.social 9 points 2 hours ago

Within moments, scientists found green ants approached the trap and bit it - causing the snare to spring and the prey to be launched into the spider's web at "extreme" acceleration.

And so the ant victim seemingly disappears, no pheromone trail for other ants to follow and cause harm to the spider. Mother Nature is so clever!

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Whoa, this is amazing! I know there are an insane amount of spoder species out there, but how we keep discovering completely new hunting techniques is awesome.
What's next, spiders with harpoons?

yt/r60hx-pVPrY, yt/Da7MCEz1dhs (more info)