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Spider which uses spring trap to capture prey discovered in Australia

Researchers have identified a new spider species in the rainforests of Far North Queensland. This nocturnal predator uses a silk cone snare to catapult green tree ants into a web located above the trap. The hunting method is described as unprecedented.

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What changed

A new spider species with a unique ballista-style hunting mechanism was discovered in Australia.

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  1. Ballista Spider Discovered in Australia Using Spring-Loaded Traps

    Researchers have identified a new spider species in the rainforests of Far North Queensland. This nocturnal predator uses a silk cone snare to catapult green tree ants into a web located above the trap. The hunting method is described as unprecedented.

    What's confirmed:

    • The ballista spider lives in the rainforests of Queensland, Australia.
    • The spider builds a spring-loaded silk cone trap to fling prey into the air.
    • This hunting method targets green tree ants.
    • The spider's web is positioned above the spring-loaded snare.
    • The predator is nocturnal.

    Still unconfirmed:

    • Prey can reach speeds of up to 14.4 feet per second.
    • The trap accelerates faster than a Formula One race car.
    • The main web is located about a foot above the trap.
    • The web is located 30 centimetres above the snare.
    confidence 95%