Spider That Builds Its Own Spider Decoys Discovered 2012 12 21
By Nadia Drake | Wired.com A spider that builds elaborate, fake
spiders and hangs them in its web has been discovered in the
Peruvian Amazon. Believed to be a new species in the genus
Cyclosa, the arachnid crafts the larger spider from leaves,
debris and dead insects. Though Cyclosa includes other sculpting
arachnids, this is the first one observed to build a replica
with multiple, spidery legs. Scientists suspect the fake spiders
serve as decoys, part of a defense mechanism meant to confuse or
distract predators. “It seems like a really well evolved and
very specialized behavior,” said Phil Torres, who described the
find in a blog entry written for Rainforest Expeditions. Torres,
a biologist and science educator, divides his time between
Southern California and Peru, where he’s involved in research
and education projects. “Considering that spiders can already
make really impressive geometric designs with their webs, it’s
no surprise that they can