蜘蛛也能制作自身模型來轉(zhuǎn)移食肉動物的注意力
中國臺灣的科學家近日在臺灣東南部海岸的蘭嶼(Orchid Island)上發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種具有奇特本領(lǐng)的蜘蛛,，這種蜘蛛名叫二角塵蜘(Cyclosa mulmeinensis),，它能制作自身的模型來轉(zhuǎn)移食肉鳥類等動物的注意力，實現(xiàn)保護自己的目的。
這種蜘蛛是目前發(fā)現(xiàn)的第一種能制造出與自身相同大小“復制品”的動物,。臺灣東海大學的兩名生物學家把這一發(fā)現(xiàn)刊登在最近一期的《動物行為》(Animal Behaviour)雜志上,。
科學家早就發(fā)現(xiàn),，蜘蛛喜歡用碎屑,、植物機體和捕食后的動物殘余等來裝飾自己的網(wǎng)，由于這些裝飾物的顏色與蜘蛛的顏色相似,，因此可以達到偽裝自己的目的,。研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，會裝飾網(wǎng)的蜘蛛偽裝得好,，它們受攻擊的機率也要小很多,。而此次發(fā)現(xiàn)的利用自身部位進行偽裝的二角塵蜘可謂是蜘蛛界的偽裝大師了，它能將采集來的裝飾物制作成和自身大小一樣的“模型”附在網(wǎng)上，有的二角塵蜘甚至將這些“模型”成串排放增加辨認的難度,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Animal Behaviour doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.05.017
A risky defence by a spider using conspicuous decoys resembling itself in appearance
Ling Tsenga and I-Min Tsoa, b,
aDepartment of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taiwan
bCenter for Tropical Ecology and Biodiversity, Tunghai University, Taiwan
One Darwinian puzzle is that many prey are morphologically or behaviourally conspicuous. Being conspicuous seems detrimental to prey with limited antipredator ability, because conspicuousness is likely to increase detection by predators. Theory predicts that if conspicuousness effectively redirects predator attacks and decreases hunting success, the benefits of enhanced survival can outweigh the cost of conspicuousness. We investigated a conspicuous antipredator behaviour in the orb spider, Cyclosa mulmeinensis, which adds decorations composed of prey pellets and eggsacs to its web. We calculated colour contrasts of spiders against prey pellets and eggsacs and recorded predators' responses to spiders on webs in the field. Webs with more decorations suffered increased numbers of wasp attacks. However because these decorations resembled spiders in size and colour, they functioned as decoys to distract predators and became the focus of predator attacks. By quantifying the costs and benefits of Cyclosa spiders' web-decorating behaviour in a natural setting, we found that this conspicuous antipredator display would enhance overall survival and was adaptive for this vulnerable prey.
