Taking refuge from predators, this spider can hide in water for more than 30 minutes

KOMPAS.com – For frogs or other amphibians, escape into the water and hide for a long time from predators or predator is commonplace. However, species laba-laba new to using that tactic, even able to survive up to 30 minutes in water.

So when researchers discovered a new species of spider named extensive trechalea who have this ability, they are not playing to be amazed.

Quoted from Science AlertThursday (12/5/2022) for ordinary spiders, diving in water is a dangerous thing.

Laba-laba will lose body heat, lack of air, cannot find food, and besides that there is also the possibility of dealing with other predators underwater.

But in a new study, researchers have shown that tropical spiders found in rivers Costa Rica it is capable of surviving under water for 32 minutes.

Read also: Male Weaver Spiders Jump After Mating, Here’s the Reason

“For many species, being wet and cold is almost as risky for survival early on from a predatory threat,” said Lindsey Swierk, a biologist at Binghamton University and lead author of the study. spider hiding in water to avoid predators.

The Trechalea spider itself was not previously known to be able to hide under water to avoid threats for long periods of time.

Researchers themselves discovered the Trechalea spider in July 2019. At that time the researchers were near a river at the Las Cruces Biological Station in Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica.

When they see a T.extensa was on a rock next to a small river, researchers tried to catch it. However, the spider avoided it by perching on the surface of the water.

After researchers resumed their pursuit, the spider did something surprising to evade and take cover from predators.

Read also: 5 Deadliest Spiders in the World, Their Bites Contain Poison

The T.extensa spider slipped under the rock and submerged itself about 25 cm under the water, remaining silent for more than half an hour.

The research team managed to film and photograph it while in the water.

From these observations, researchers revealed that the secret of the ability to survive in water seems to be due to the hair on its body.

The feathers appear to be waterproof, so they can produce a kind of shield from the air to protect the spider from the water.

Read also: 99 Million Year Old Spider Fossil Found, Reveals Mother’s Love for Children

“The air surrounding the spider while underwater appears to be held in place by the hydrophobic hairs that cover the entire surface of the spider’s body,” explains Swierk.

“So the spider almost looks like it’s been dipped in silver.”

The air layer may serve to protect the respiratory openings from water because spiders breathe air. The air layer can also help minimize heat loss.

Findings of spiders hiding in water to protect themselves from predators have been published in the journal Ethology.

Read also: New Species of Peacock Spiders, Orange Faces Similar to Nemo’s Animated Characters

Get updates news of choice and breaking news every day from Kompas.com. Let’s join the Telegram group “Kompas.com News Update”, how to click the link https://t.me/kompascomupdate, then join. You must first install the Telegram application on your cellphone.–