Spider creates "decoy" of self

Phil Torres:

It turns out the master designer behind this somewhat creepy form is in fact a tiny spider, only about 5mm in body length, that is hiding behind or above that false, bigger spider made up of debris. After discussing with several spider experts, we've determined it is quite probable that this spider is a never-before-seen species in the genus Cyclosa. This genus is known for having spiders that put debris in their webs to either attract prey or, as in this case, confuse anything trying to eat them.

New Species of 'Decoy' Spider Likely Discovered At Tambopata Research Center [via David Mizejewski]

• [Brainspore]

  Oh shit the real spider is RIGHT BEHIND Y—

  • [Felton / Moderator]

    Clever girl.

    • [Mitchell Glaser]

      We’re back in the car.

  • [corydodt]

    That was my take on it as well. It’s trying to confuse VICTIMS, not predators.

    • [Charles Lindsey]

      No, the decoys serve to distract predators, as has been shown in other studies of species Cyclosa. Parasitic wasps target the fake, or fakes, and thus the real spider can get away. Its victims are tiny flying insects that get caught because they blunder into a web they can’t see; the spider pinata would do nothing for them.

  • [tsoyptc]

    okay… but HOW DOES THE SPIDER KNOW WHAT he/she LOOKS LIKE.???

    This demonstrates a degree of self-awareness beyond what I would have ever have attributed to a spider.

    this is unnerving. awesome. but *unnerving*

    [edited for spelling]

    • [Sceadugenga]

      The spider knows what it looks like the same way a leaf-mimic insect knows what a leaf looks like. The leaf-mimic insects that didn’t do a good enough job developing into a form that looks like a leaf were eaten up, and the spiders that didn’t do a good enough job mindlessly, mechanically producing a decoy didn’t get enough food to survive.

      • [wysinwyg]

         THANK YOU

• [Mitchell Glaser]

  Really strange, as from the spider’s point of view it wouldn’t look like a spider. Kind of like the Nazca lines.

  • [Jim Saul]

    Maybe the decoy is for flying predators.

    • [blindwanderer]

      The Nazca lines, the spider effigy or both? Are the Nazca lines supposed to scare off condors, spirits, gods or aliens? Is the spider trying to scare off predators or is it worshiping the great spider god? One does wonder if only for the sake of suspending disbelief.

      I have to admit the resemblance to the Nazca lines struck me immediately. It either proves that given enough time, nature will produce anything, or that even simple creatures can produce art.

  • [Felton / Moderator]

    Maybe it’s more of an insignia; a coat of arms, if you will.

  • [ocker3]

     So, the spider has no ability to move to a spot perpindicular to the web and review it’s work??

• [Randy Walters]

  If this is for real, it’s pretty astonishing.

• [Nadreck]

  Spidey did this way back in “Amazing Spiderman” #25 when he left behind a web-duplicate of himself trapped in the Spider Slayer robot to fool J.J.J.

  “Does whatever a spider can….”

  • [Felton / Moderator]

    I’m still waiting for Spidey to paralyze an enemy with his venomous bite.  Maybe it’ll be in the next movie.

    • [wysinwyg]

      http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=308

      The best part is the Green Goblin’s socks.

• [liquidstar]

  The spider was once bitten by a radioactive human sculpter….

• [Ian Wood]

  Red squirrels do the same thing with mud and acorn shells.

  • [blindwanderer]

    Sounds interesting but my initial searches turned up little, could you point us in the right direction?

  • [laen]

     Same thing as in fashion gigantic squirrels out of acorn shells?

• [Finnagain]

  That’s not debris.. That’s a spider ship! Looks like they got their scale messed up in transit.

• [Aurvara]

  Soon we’ll find out it was actually a couple of guys with a plank and some rope doing them during the night

• [PathogenAntifreeze]

  And we shall call it the Great Oz Spider.

• [SedanChair]

  Next they’ll find a spider that lures flies into a tiny hall of mirrors.

• [oasisob1]

  Sadly, many will have to die before the new species is formally named. From the article (slightly paraphrased):

  “We think it’s a new species, but to be sure, we’ll have to cut of their junk and study it.”

• [zotlerg]

  I’m sure David Attenburough showed this on tv years ago.

• [Stuart Hancock]

  I’ve seen this one before.  In fact, there are four of them in my bathroom right now.

• [Andrew Kay]

  Does this mean spiders can count to 8?

• [Mandy Skinner]

  Ha…that is exactly what I said!