Net-Casting Spider Filmed Hunting in the Wild

The film crew behind the upcoming BBC special, "The Dark: Nature's Nighttime World", believe they have the very first slow-motion footage (not found in the video above) of the incredible net-casting spider in action in the wild.

The net-casting spider gets its name from its method of hunting for prey. Using their gigantic eyes, which help them see in the dark, the net-casting spider builds an entire booby trap for his unsuspecting prey.

First, the spider builds a small scaffold over a place where its prey will be sure to pass. It then moves on to build its net using a different type of silk entirely and then stretches it over the scaffold. The net-casting spider then waits patently for its prey to get close enough, not making it's move until the prey touches a piece of the thread. Working much like a trip wire, the minute the spider feels the prey through the vibrations, it collapses upon the prey immediately causing the fully stretched net to shrink to a small size, trapping it.

"As soon as it touched it, [the spider] was on it in a thousandth of a second," said Dr McGavin - one of the men on the crew, "if we hadn't had that camera, you wouldn't have seen a thing."

via BBC