Science
Related: About this forumAmazon spider discovered making decoys of itself to ward off predators
Source: Raw Story
By Stephen C. Webster
Wednesday, December 19, 2012 15:13 EST
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/12/19/amazon-spider-discovered-making-decoys-of-itself-to-ward-off-predators/
A unique spider in the Amazon rainforest was recently spotted using bits of leaves and dead insects to create larger-scale decoy spider shapes in its web, which it uses to ward off predators.
Ive seen a lot of weird things in the Amazon, but this one definitely stood out, science educator and biologist Phil Torres, who made the amazing find, told Raw Story. Its not yet certain that this is a new species it really looks like it, and it probably is but thatll be confirmed soon. As far as the behavior, its definitely not something anybody else has seen.
His finding was first published in Rainforest Expeditions last week.
He described seeing the collection of debris in a web and thinking it was a dead spider, but upon closer inspection it appeared to be moving.
Then we got closer and realized it wasnt a spider at all, he said. We looked behind the decoy and lo and behold, we saw this little spider guy shaking [his web] back and forth trying to act all tough. We realized then that this is really something special.
Torres added that the behavior is not an example of a spider having a type of self-recognition and creating a kind of spider art that resembles itself. Instead, he said the spider decoys represent a complex and interwoven series of patterns the spider has evolved in the specialized environment of the Amazon.
There are some species that will make a little ball of debris in their web, then they curl up in a ball themselves and look similar to it, he explained. So, if you look at a web and youre a wasp or another spider and you see 10 balls, theres a pretty good chance youre going to get confused and attack the wrong one.
This, however, is a further evolution of that behavior. Its a very well evolved system, an intricate design thats built into them that they can construct, Torres said. Its a matter of following simple patters that, over a long time, have really gotten quite specialized.
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(53,475 posts)Alenne
(1,931 posts)YankeyMCC
(8,401 posts)"Torres added that the behavior is not an example of a spider having a type of self-recognition and creating a kind of spider art that resembles itself."
Is made with a bit to much certainty about how self-recognition manifests. I don't mean to imply this spider has the same kind of self-recognition as humans or even any self-recognition. I just think leaving a little room for doubt about what this behavior shows about the mind of the spiders now or in the future leaves more room for human wonder and scientific pursuit.
Regardless of all that, nature is wonderous!