Climate

This spider catapults ants

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 23/10/2026, 09:54:24 UTC.

Briefings

A newly discovered Australian ballista spider evolved a specialized hunting strategy targeting the aggressive green tree ant. The spider builds a spring-loaded silk snare designed specifically for this prey species, potentially luring the ants to trigger the catapult on themselves. This represents the first known spider with a web designed for one prey species and the first where the prey activates the trap. The spider's web is designed for one prey species and the first where the prey activates the trap.

Key points

• A newly discovered Australian ballista spider evolved a specialized hunting strategy targeting the aggressive green tree ant.
• The spider builds a spring-loaded silk snare designed specifically for this prey species, potentially luring the ants to trigger the catapult on themselves.

Context

This article was originally published on Mongabay. The spider's unique web design represents a significant evolutionary adaptation in arachnid hunting strategies.

Limitations

Evidence is limited to the article's description of the spider's web design and hunting strategy. No physical evidence, measurements, or experimental data are provided. The specific date of the spider's discovery is not mentioned.

Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 23/10/2026, 10:09:30 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.

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