The newly discovered ballista spider in Queensland's rainforest uses a spring-loaded web snare to capture prey, which is a unique biological adaptation.

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🕷️🕸️ Researchers from #Macquarie University discovered a new ballista #spider species in #Queensland’s #CapeYork #rainforest that builds a spring-loaded web snare targeting green tree #ants. When an ant bites the cone, tension lines fire it into the web at 1,367 m/s² – roughly 140 G – making this the most power-dense biological catapult known. The spider’s use of pheromone-mimicking silk represents a #hunting strategy not seen before in any #arachnid. 👉 https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-discover-a-spider-that-catapults-prey-into-its-web-at-a-brutal-140-g #ballista #australia #biology #biomechanics #evolution #science #wildlife #entomology #predator

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🕷️🕸️ Researchers from #Macquarie University discovered a new ballista #spider species in #Queensland’s #CapeYork #rainforest that builds a spring-loaded web snare targeting green tree #ants. When an ant bites the cone, tension lines fire it into the web at 1,367 m/s² – roughly 140 G – making this the most power-dense biological catapult known. The spider’s use of pheromone-mimicking silk represents a #hunting strategy not seen before in any #arachnid. 👉 https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-discover-a-spider-that-catapults-prey-into-its-web-at-a-brutal-140-g #ballista #australia #biology #biomechanics #evolution #science #wildlife #entomology #predator