#arachnids

[ follow ]
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
5 days ago

These snakes steal poison from their preyhere's how they know they have enough

Red-necked keelback snakes possess a potent toxin derived from the toads they consume, which can cause severe harm to predators like mongooses. The snakes store these toxins in specialized nuchal glands.
Pets
OMG science
fromMail Online
2 weeks ago

Venomous flying spiders the size of a human hand spreading across US

Joro spiders from Asia are rapidly spreading across the US through ballooning, with new populations expected to hatch in spring and expand their range significantly.
Roam Research
fromDefector
2 weeks ago

Even After Being Eaten, This Beetle Has Two Ways Out Alive | Defector

The Japanese water scavenger beetle Regimbartia attenuata survives passage through a frog's digestive system and exits alive within minutes to hours.
Science
fromDefector
3 weeks ago

This Pink Bug Is Not A 'Rare Freak Mutant' After All | Defector

A neon pink katydid discovered in Panama challenges the century-old assumption that pink coloration in these insects is a disadvantageous mutation, suggesting it may provide evolutionary advantages.
fromMail Online
3 weeks ago

Man hospitalised with bite from Britain's most dangerous spider

Something so tiny and trivial if ignored could have led to my thumb or hand being removed, or sepsis could have set in. They don't know if the bite was the infection or if the bite was the catalyst for the infection to take hold. Some people are hypothesising that it could have been a false widow spider but in reality, we don't know.
Public health
Pets
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

I love vultures, mosquitoes and, yes, even wasps. This is why you should too | Jo Wimpenny

Humans hold irrational emotional biases toward animals; wasps deserve reconsideration as valuable pollinators and pest controllers despite negative perceptions.
OMG science
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

I love midges because I know what their hearts look like': is the passion for taxonomy in danger of dying out?

Taxonomist Art Borkent warns that biting midges and other organism groups face extinction from scientific study as aging researchers lack successors and funding dries up.
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
2 months ago

What's scarier than a spider? A fake giant spider

What's scarier than a spider? A really big spider, of course. A newfound defensive tactic takes advantage of this idea: researchers documented spiders building giant spiderlike silhouettes on their webs to ward off predators. These decoys are an example of web decorations that some spiders are known to produce, often to prevent getting eaten, avoid bird strikes or attract prey.
Science
Environment
fromMail Online
2 months ago

Ominous warning for humanity as insects mysteriously 'fall silent'

Rapid global insect declines threaten pollination, food production, nutrient availability, and human health, signaling imminent ecological instability.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

What links the basilisk lizard and the fishing spider? The Saturday quiz

1 Rodney King beating. 2 Boreal forest (taiga). 3 Named storm in the UK. 4 Dr Faustus (Marlowe play). 5 Floella Benjamin. 6 Gentlemen v Players. 7 RNLI. 8 Classical music. 9 Plots against Elizabeth I. 10 Ways of having your steak in France. 11 Animals that can walk on water. 12 Birth states of US presidents. 13 Scales used to measure natural phenomena: tornadoes; earthquakes; hurricanes; hazard from near-Earth objects.
Arts
fromKqed
1 month ago

What an Insect View Really Looks Like | KQED

On a spring day in 1694, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek - the father of microbiology - used a magnifying lens to look at a candle through the dissected eye of a dragonfly. But instead of seeing 1 candle flame, he saw hundreds of tiny flames, repeated over and over. But spoiler alert - this is not how insects see. Hi, I'm Niba, and today we're going to explore how insects really see the world.
Science
Science
fromNature
1 month ago

Parasitic wasps use tamed virus to castrate caterpillars

A parasitic wasp uses a domesticated virus to kill moth larvae testis cells, effectively castrating its hosts and benefiting wasp reproduction.
OMG science
fromKqed
3 months ago

This Stick Insect Has a Peppermint-Scented Secret Weapon | Deep Look | KQED

Peppermint stick insects spray actinidine-based pepperminty chemicals from birth to deter predators and rely on Pandanus plants for the chemical precursor.
Science
fromwww.npr.org
2 months ago

Sick young ants send out a 'kill me' scent to prevent deadly epidemics

Young terminally ill ant pupae emit signals prompting worker ants to kill them, preventing pathogen spread and protecting colony health.
Science
fromKqed
6 months ago

Tiger Beetles Bite First, Ask Questions Never | KQED

Tiger beetles run at extreme speeds but use rapid stops and forward antennae to sense obstacles and capture prey with sickle-shaped mandibles.
[ Load more ]