In the Amazon rainforests of Peru, lurking amongst the tropical flora, you’ll find the slingshot spider. When unsuspecting insects venture too close, it catapults its web – and itself – to catch its unfortunate prey.
A new study by the Georgia Institute of Technology has analysed the fascinating power of the slingshot spider: a catapulting arachnid which can accelerate faster than a cheetah.
Although they have been known about since 1932, this new study teaches us more about the slingshot spider than ever before.
The Peruvian arachnid can catapult itself with an acceleration of 1,300 metres per second squared. That’s 100 times greater than the acceleration of a cheetah! This subjects the spider to forces of around 130 Gs, which is more than 10 times the force that a fighter pilot can withstand before falling unconscious.
A Crafty Webslinger
The slingshot spider’s genius lies in its web-crafting abilities, as one of the study’s authors, Saad Bhamla, explained. “Unlike frogs, crickets, or grasshoppers, the slingshot spider is not relying on its muscles to jump really quickly.”
“When it weaves a new web every night, the spider creates a complex, three-dimensional spring. If you compare this natural silk spring to carbon nanotubes or other human-made materials in terms of power density or energy density, it is orders of magnitude more powerful.”
If an attack on its prey is successful, the slingshot spider will quickly capture it and wrap it in silk. If the launch fails, the springy web catapult is simply pulled back and reset for later opportunities.
Symone Alexander, a postdoctoral researcher in Bhamla’s lab, noted the advantages of this. “We think this approach probably gives the spider the advantage of speed and surprise, and perhaps even the effect of stunning the prey.”
“The spiders are tiny, and they are going after fast-flying insects that are larger than they are. To catch one, you must be much, much faster than they are.”
An Active Hunter
Another interesting fact about the slingshot spider is that it actively hunts its prey. And in case you were wondering, its favourite snacks are mosquitoes and flies.
“The slingshot spider offers an example of active hunting instead of the passive, wait for an insect to collide into the web strategy, revealing a further new functionality of spider silk,” Bhamla explains. “Before this, we hadn’t thought about using silk as a really powerful spring.”
As well as this, the spider needs a tremendous amount of energy to hold back its catapult for prolonged periods of time. It is estimated that the spider would require 200 dynes (a measurement of force equivalent to 0.002 Newtons) to hold back its slingshot.
“Generating 200 dynes would produce tremendous forces on the tiny legs of the spider,” Bhamla noted. “If the reward is a mosquito at the end of three hours, is that worth it? We think the spider must be using some kind of trick to lock its muscles like a latch so it doesn’t need to consume energy while waiting for hours.”
In summary
While this research is still ongoing, it’s clear that the slingshot spider is one of the most intriguing hunters in the Peruvian rainforests.
And for any worried arachnophobes, thankfully the slingshot spider won’t be catapulting itself over to the UK anytime soon.
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