Jumping spiders' silk trick revealed
A study using high speed cameras has revealed how jumping spiders use a dragline of silk to stabilise themselves mid air and to control their landing.
The footage does not quite look as impressive as Spiderman leaping from building to building, but the trick involved, is reminiscent of the superhero.
Slow motion video revealed that the spiders used their silk draglines to brake and to stabilise the orientation of their bodies as they jumped.
The findings are published in the Royal Society journal Interface.
Footage courtesy of Dr Kai-Jung Chi, National Chung Hsing University
07 Aug 2013
- From the section Science & Environment