Scientists discovered that the Australian “ballista spider” uses a silk cone trap to catapult prey into its web, a feat of spider engineering never before observed.

Researchers say their hunting method - which allows them to prey on dangerous ants - is unprecedented.

There’s more than one way a spider can spin its web. Some construct large vertical orb webs, while others build horizontal sheet webs or tangled cobwebs that ensnare crawling insects. There’s also ...

A spider living in the rainforests of Queensland, Australia, builds a snare trap reminiscent of a Roman-era ballista weapon that it uses to catapult green tree ants into a web 30 centimetres above ...

Researchers have documented a newly recognised spider that uses a spring-powered silk snare to catch the aggressive green ...

New spider that hunts dangerous ants using a spring-loaded trap discovered by scientists in Australia - A ballista spider’s trap can launch ants at an acceleration comparable to a severe car crash ...

The ballista spider builds sophisticated spring-loaded snares to catapult its prey. Newly discovered, the ballista spider ...

Researchers discovered a new `ballista spider` that uses a spring-powered silk trap to capture green tree ants.

Predator-prey interactions have created some of the coolest strategies in the animal world. From mesmerizing cuttlefish, to head-popping mosquitoes, the world’s animals have come up with some pretty ...

A study, published this week in the journal Current Biology, describes how the tiny arachnid builds a cone-shaped snare to catapult green tree ants into its web, earning it the nickname “ballista ...

An animal welfare coalition plans to hold a rally on Saturday on Taipei’s Ketagalan Boulevard to call for a ban on spring-loaded snare traps. Organizers said the event was inspired by “Banban,” a dog ...