But these spiders also can capture insects flying behind them with precision, and scientists have long wondered how.
Cornell scientists have confirmed that these spiders use metatarsal sensitivity – sensors at the tip of the leg – to detect sound cues at various frequencies from up to 6 feet away. These cues trigger a split-second, ninja-like backflip to strike unsuspecting airborne insects, bag them in a web net … and then dine.
This creepy-crawly research, “Ogre-Faced, Net-Casting Spiders Use Auditory Cues to Detect Airborne Prey,” appears in the journal Current Biology, Oct. 29.
“These spiders have finely tuned sensory systems and a fascinating hunting strategy,” said lead author Jay Stafstrom, a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Ronald Hoy, the D & D Joslovitz Merksamer Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior in the College of Arts and Sciences.
“It’s totally unique,” Stafstrom said. “These spiders have massive eyes so they can see at night and catch things off the ground, but they can ‘hear’ quite well, detecting sound through their metatarsal organ, as these spiders excel at catching things from the air.”
Net-casting, ogre-faced spiders (Deinopis spinosa), are nocturnal creatures found mostly in the southeastern United States. While people are familiar with spiders that create orb webs, this species makes personal, fuzzy webs – like small nets – and uses the strong, sticky silk like a baseball glove, according to Hoy.
In painting a picture of the process, Hoy referenced the baseball Hall of Famer whose over-the-shoulder grab in center field in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series is the stuff of legend – simply known as “The Catch.”