How Do Spiders Work Together?

Spiders are solitary animals. Most are aggressive, hunting and building webs, and not terribly friendly. However, there are certain social species.

There are hundreds of different types of spiders. Some are docile, and will care for their young. Some form communities, and others will build elaborate webs. Some even live in rooms.

A recent study looked at how spiders communicate with each other. Scientists believe that spiders rely on vibrations in their webs to exchange information. In addition, they are able to distinguish between vibrations and prey.

Researchers found that a colony of Anelosimus eximius spiders worked together to catch large insects. They formed a gigantic web that covered trees, and the web was so big it was described as “a football field long”. They built the web three times. They also filmed their movements.

The researchers found that the larger the colony, the more prey they captured. The more prey, the more food they had. A large web also meant higher reproductive rates.

The study suggested that the spiders stopped their motion to focus on the prey. They then restarted their motion when they found the prey. The length of their stop time correlated with the amount of noise in the web.

The researchers did find that docile spiders are less likely to eat young. The ogre-faced spider is one such species. It has a long net that it weaves between its front legs. This allows it to stay close to the prey path. It also allows it to keep away from injury when it subdues the prey.