Acrobatic hunting strategy helps spider catch dangerous prey

Photo: Alfonso Aceves-Aparicio The spiders are only half the size of their ant prey For the first time, a research team involving the Department of Biology at Universität Hamburg assisted by detailed behavior analyses have shown how the Australian ant-spider, Euryopis umbilicata, can catch prey that is significantly larger than itself. This hunting technique includes an acrobatic attack sequence, with the actual moment of capture happening in a fraction of a second. The results have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). The Australian ant-slayer Euryopis umbilicata lives on the trunks of eucalyptus trees and hides under the bark during the day. At dusk, it emerges to hunt along the trunk. Behavioral analyses conducted by German and Australian researchers now show in detail, how this type of spider uses its hunting technique to capture even the ferocious camponotus ants without becoming prey itself. The team watched spiders on many trees for many nights, and discovered that up to 9 individuals were hunting on the same tree.