This spider catapults ants

Mongabay23 October 2026, 09:37 UTCAustralia

A newly discovered Australian ballista spider has evolved one of the most specialized hunting strategies ever seen. Instead of chasing prey, it builds a spring-loaded silk snare that appears to target a single species: The aggressive green tree ant. Scientists think the spider may even lure the ants into attacking the trap, causing them to […]

Read the full story at Mongabay Open in the live monitor

Related discussion groups

No group discusses this yet. Start a discussion group and attach this story.

More news about Australia

Renewables Boom Pushes Australia’s Gas Power to Quarter-Century LowOilPrice.com23 October 2026, 11:30 UTCAustraliaGovernment leadersRecord renewable power generation and a surge in grid-scale battery capacity pushed Australia’s gas-powered generation to its lowest for any third quarter since 2000, the Australian Energy Market O...
Australia supports specialist healthcare in PalauIsland Times (Palau)23 October 2026, 09:27 UTCAustralia20 October 2026 A visiting team from the Royal Australian College of Surgeons (RACS) provided specialist care at Belau National Hospital (BNH), working alongside local health professionals to suppo...
PICRC Strengthens Palau’s Capacity to Respond to Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Threats Through Australia PartnershipIsland Times (Palau)23 October 2026, 09:17 UTCAustraliaThe Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) recently coordinated a two-week Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS) Control Training to strengthen Palau’s capacity to monitor and respond to COTS thre...
La nostalgia y la polémica por el adiós a Phillip Island se mezclan con la batalla por el título de MotoGPEl País23 October 2026, 09:09 UTCAustraliaEl GP de Australia se disputará por última vez en el icónico trazado al sureste de Melbourne, que dará paso en 2027 a un controvertido circuito urbano en Adelaida
Meta ordered to pay New Mexico $US25 billion for deceiving users about privacy on FacebookIsland Times (Palau)23 October 2026, 08:58 UTCAustraliaIn short: (ABC-Australia) A judge has ordered Meta to pay New Mexico $US25 billion after a jury found the company liable for deceiving users about privacy on Facebook. This marks the biggest fine e...
Flash floods swamp southeast Australia as record October rainfall forces school closuresEuroNews23 October 2026, 08:29 UTCAustraliaFloods, fires and volcanoesA television reporter abandoned his shoes and glasses and dived into rising floodwaters to save a driver whose car was sinking fast in Morayfield, Queensland.
CW@60: How Singapore, India and Australia built their tech industries - Computer WeeklyGoogle News23 October 2026, 08:05 UTCAustraliaCW@60: How Singapore, India and Australia built their tech industries Computer Weekly
Australian Dollar holds steady amid RBNZ rate hike bets, weak PMI dataFXStreet23 October 2026, 07:33 UTCAustraliaEconomic dataAUD/USD holds ground after posting modest losses in the previous day, trading around 0.7020 during early European hours on Friday. The pair remains steady as the Australian Dollar (AUD) holds groun...