Does Spiders Have Ears?
WouterScientists have long suspected that spiders don’t have conventional ears. The spider’s sense of hearing relies on tiny hairs on its legs, which detect sound vibrations. Researchers are now investigating whether other spider species have a similar ability.
One way to test spiders’ hearing capabilities is to attach electrodes to their brains. A Cornell University team conducted experiments and found that spiders responded to sounds at several different frequencies. Their sensory organ reacted to a range of sounds from 100 hertz to over 65 decibels. However, the spiders’ response to higher frequency tones was less impressive.
Researchers also discovered that spiders were able to pick up sound vibrations from the air. This was achieved by placing the spiders in an echo-free room. The sounds they heard included claps, whines, and high-pitched tones.
Spiders have a number of other sensory organs, including nerve-based receptors on their legs, which can pick up sounds. They can also detect prey tangled in webs. These leg receptors are capable of detecting auditory signals as far away as five meters.
Another new field of study involves the use of spiders to determine the distance of an object in the air. Researchers are hoping to find out if spiders can hear predator bird calls.
The study’s most significant finding is that spiders have a more advanced sense of hearing than previously thought. In addition to the leg receptors, the arachnid’s sensory organ responds to a variety of other stimuli, including vibrations from their web.
