Spiders might not be the most pleasant creatures to see lurking around your home, but they serve an important purpose in dispatching flies and other pests that would otherwise be left unchecked. Many spiders are passive hunters, weaving webs and simply waiting for an unsuspecting insect to get stuck, but a new study by researchers at the University of Akron reveals that one particular spider species likes to use its own body as a projectile, and it’s actually kind of terrifying.
In the study, which was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists observed the peculiar hunting habits of triangle-weaver spiders Hyptiotes cavatus. Ambushing prey is something that most spiders are skilled at, but triangle weavers take things to the next level by using their own webs to fling their bodies at high speeds.
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We may never sleep again after watching this spider shoot itself at prey like a slingshot originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 15 May 2019 at 14:32:22 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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