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Mysterious 'Silkhenge spider' is a master architect
Unidentified species from South America crafts an intricate circular fence with a central tower to protect its young.
MICHAEL D'ESTRIESUnidentified species from South America crafts an intricate circular fence with a central tower to protect its young.
December 22, 2016, 6:42 a.m.
A little over three years ago, researcher Troy Alexander discovered something extremely unusual within the 678,000-acre Tambopata National Reserve in southeastern Peru. On the underside of a tarp outside of the reserve's research center, Alexander spied an tiny, woven circular picket picket fence surrounding a strange white tower.
After spotting three more of the structures on trees in the jungle, he decided to post a photo to Reddit in an effort to discover the name of clever species responsible.
The response back from entomologists the world over only deepened the mystery. To Alexander's surprise, no one had any idea.
"I've had some experts write me and say they don't have an expert opinion on it because it is so bizarre," Rice University ecology graduate student Phil Torres told LiveScience. Torres worked with Alexander to unravel the mystery behind the structures.
In December 2013, Torres led a team on an eight-day expedition to discover more of the structures and, with any luck, to spy the tiny architects behind them. Their big break came on a small island in the middle of a fish pond. There, on the trunks of bamboo and Cecropia trees, they found 45 of the circular creations. As they watched, a spiderling emerged from under one of the tall, white spires.
To their delight, the structures appeared to be an intricate protective playpen for spider babies.
Images & Video at link:
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/mysterious-silkhenge-spider-master-architect
In a nutshell: