Huntsman spiders lure tree frogs into leaf traps and then eat
Huntsman Spider In Madagascar we eat small frogs. Scientists suspect that spiders may weave “traps” made of leaves to catch prey and lure frogs in, promising protection from the sun.
In 2017, researchers Spider In Damastes Grab the genus Heterixalus andrakata wood Frog — This is the second time I’ve seen a Madagascar spider eating a frog. The spider was still enjoying his meal while crouching in a pocket made of two leaves on the tree. The edges of the leaves were sealed with spider silk, leaving a small opening.
Scientists later discovered that three more spiders were swarming in such a makeshift leaf shelter. None of them were snacking on frogs, but previous findings suggest that spiders can build pockets of these leaves and ambush frogs in search of shaded hideouts.
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H. Andrakata Frogs can be up to 1 inch (32 mm) long, which is Damastes Dominique Martin, a researcher at the Faculty of Biodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography at the University of Göttingen in Germany, said the spiders hunting them.Martin co-authored a study in the journal explaining spider leaf traps published online on December 11, 2020. Ecology and evolution..
Researchers have discovered that a frog-eating spider is hiding between a pair of silk leaves. Its fangs are buried deep inside the frog’s head. The frog was not moving and was presumed dead. Research has found four more frogs (still alive) near the tree.
In late 2017 and 2018, Martin and his colleagues discovered three more spiders crouching in similar leaf retreats of different types of trees. The leaves are woven with silk on the sides and have an opening at the base near the stem, probably “prey can climb up the stem of the tree,” the study authors reported.
Spiders are known to be able to hide from their predators and create hideouts that wait for potential prey to pass by. However, the behavior of hunters involved in the act of frog diets suggests that these spiders may be weaving leaves “as a trap to catch frogs looking for shelter during the day.” It suggests, Martin told Live Science in an email.
“Frogs may want to hide between properly bound leaves, for example to avoid dehydration and predation from birds,” he said.
To confirm this type of hunting technique and see if the trap targets amphibians, insects and other invertebrates, spiders make traps, wait in them, and finally, according to Martin. You need to monitor the camera when catching prey. But “it’s really hard to record such a” rare “event,” he added, because spiders can go for days without food.
Originally published in Live Science.
Huntsman spiders lure tree frogs into leaf traps and then eat
Source link Huntsman spiders lure tree frogs into leaf traps and then eat
