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Terrifying FLYING spider ‘slingshots’ at enemies 100 times faster than a Cheetah
The spider is now the fastest moving arachnid known to man
SLINGSHOT spiders can launch themselves and their webs 100 times faster than a cheetah.
Scientists observed the spiders in action using portable high-speed cameras.
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The slingshot spider’s maximum acceleration speed has been reported at over 1,100 metres per second squared.
In comparison cheetahs only accelerate at up to 13 metres per second squared.
This makes the slingshot spider the fastest-moving arachnid in the world.
Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology reported their speedy spider findings at the March meeting of the American Physical Society.
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Georgia Tech biophysicist Symone Alexander said: "It’s a good thing … we’re not their target.”
Slingshot spiders are traditionally found in the Peruvian Amazon.
They weave cone shaped webs which always have a single strand attached to the tip of the cone that the spider reels in when it wants to increase tension on the web.
The web is usually tightly attached to branches and when the spider spots potential prey it releases the web and goes to ensnare its victim in the sticky trap.
The fastest living creatures on Earth
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- The peregrine falcon is the fastest flying member of the animal kingdom with speeds of up to 242 mph
- Golden eagles are not far behind this with a diving speed of 200 mph
- Cheetah's have long been considered the fastest land animal and can travel at 75 mph but their endurance is limited
- The black marlin is the fastest fish in the world and was recorded stripping line off a fishing reel at 120 feet per second
- The pronghorn, a creature similar to an antelope, can run at 55 mph
- Lions are the second speediest feline and can travel at 50mph
- The Mexican free-tailed bat is said to be the fastest horizontal flyer in the world with speeds of 100 mph
This extra momentum is said to increase the amount of contact between the prey and the web and that makes it more likely to prevent the spiders potential meal from escaping than if the spider had just waited for the prey to unwittingly wander towards it.
Other quick moving spiders now seem slow in comparison, such as the Moroccan flic-flac spider which can cartwheel away from danger at around 2 metres per second.
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