Spider Disguises Itself as Bird Droppings to Hide From Predators
Posted on June 4, 2014
A species of orb-weaver spider (Cyclosa ginnaga) disguises itself as bird droppings to avoid getting eaten. The discovery was made by I-Min Tso, a researcher at the National Chung-Hsin University in Taiwan.
A research paper on the discovery was published here in the journal, Scientific Reports. The orb weaver has a silver shaped body. It adds a white disc-shaped silk decoration to its web that resembles a bird dropping to hide from predators, such as wasps. The researchers say in the report that "the presence of the spider's decorations rendered its body indistinguishable from bird droppings in the eyes of its predators."
Cornell University arachnologist Linda Rayor tells National Geographic that several other species of spiders also use the bird droppings disguise.
