A Spider Builds Fake Spiders To Psych Out Predators
A Fake Spider Built By A Real One Phil TorresIt might be a completely new species--a very tricky new species. Don't be fooled: this isn't a real spider. It's a fabrication! A lie! It's a decoy spider built from twigs, leaves, debris, dead insects, and whatever stuff nightmares are made of. Researchers discovered the insect in (where else?) the Peruvian Amazon, and even though its decoy looks like a medium-sized spider that's about an inch across, the impressive fake was actually made by a tiny, tricky 5-millimeter spider. That spider behind the curtain is probably, the researchers say, a new species of Cyclosa, a genus known to pull similar stunts. But those creations are relatively un-spider-like--nothing at this level of detail. The smaller builder-insect even moves back and forth, giving the impression that the decoy insect is moving and, in the process, confusing predators into attacking the decoy instead. Now...