HONG KONG: Researchers have discovered flat spiders capable of gliding between trees and appear to be able to steer themselves through the air. The creatures have showed more agility than falling cats.
The study saw researches in Peru and Panama dropping thin, wide, flat spiders from the height of 20-25 meters to determine what happens to them. The spiders, known as flatties, belong to the genus Selenops. They surprised the researchers with their agility better than cats.
They turned themselves right side up in no time, their head was pointing downward and glided for a tree trunk. No species of spider sport wings, and the flatties are not even able to use any silk that some spiders are able to release as they fall catching the air in a process called ballooning.
The study has helped researchers to log it as a first to identify the gliding behavior in spiders. The best fliers among the flatties were seen suddenly changing direction to land after falling just 4m.
A video footage shows a spider steering itself, says leader Stephen Yanoviak from the University of Louisville in the US. It changed the angle of the right front leg when it turned left. Same was noticed with its left front leg when it turned right.
The researchers highlighted that 93% of 59 spiders they dropped from platforms and trees glided to safety.
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