The most efficient way to move around in the forest canopy
August 20, 2015 1:03 PM Subscribe
'Base Jumping' Spider Soars from Rainforest Treetops "They immediately right themselves, which means they turn dorsal side up [back facing the sky], and they essentially sail over towards the tree trunk — kind of like a Frisbee that's not spinning," Yanoviak said. The spider glides down headfirst for about 16 to 26 feet (5 to 8 meters), before hitting the trunk of the same tree from which it just leaped, he added.
How do I get a job as the person who climbs up a tree with a jar of spiders and flings them down onto unsuspecting people below, for science
posted by poffin boffin at 1:10 PM on August 20, 2015 [15 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 1:10 PM on August 20, 2015 [15 favorites]
Could you use them to repel sewer rats in the toilet?
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:14 PM on August 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:14 PM on August 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
This sounds great. Unfortunately for me the lower third of the video is covered by an apparently uncloseable banner from a bank that really wants to help me grow my wealth, possibly so I can pay for premium spider-viewing services.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:14 PM on August 20, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:14 PM on August 20, 2015 [2 favorites]
Base-jumping spiders. Next thing you know, they'll be sewing little wingsuits for themselves.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 1:18 PM on August 20, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 1:18 PM on August 20, 2015 [2 favorites]
ricochet biscuit:
Does this video work better for you?
posted by Michele in California at 1:19 PM on August 20, 2015
Does this video work better for you?
posted by Michele in California at 1:19 PM on August 20, 2015
My subconscious wanted this to be spider monkeys so much, I kept clicking away from the spider article looking for the monkeys. I can feel those flying spiders on the back of my neck. But, cool!
posted by Oyéah at 1:44 PM on August 20, 2015
posted by Oyéah at 1:44 PM on August 20, 2015
For their study, Yanoviak and his colleagues were able to collect a few Selenops specimens (59 of them, to be precise) in plastic cups. Then, they took the spiders high up into the forest canopy and turned the cups upside down. The spiders came flopping out and performed their impressive gliding maneuvers.
Christ, what a brutal morning for the poor, poor spiders.
Like one moment you're reading the newspaper on your way to work and suddenly a scary fucking giant kidnaps you to the top of the skyscrapers and then throws you to your death because gravity defying homicidal killing sprees are a thing now. A fall that takes so long that by the time you've hit ground zero you're looking at your own horrified face in the next edition of the newspaper in a cutesy piece on arachnid... base-jumping? How cruel. Fuck this city and its bullshit, imma move back home to Dead Monkey's Ass. No spider has ever been kidnapped and thrown to his dead by giants in Dead Monkey's Ass, that's for sure.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 2:00 PM on August 20, 2015 [4 favorites]
Christ, what a brutal morning for the poor, poor spiders.
Like one moment you're reading the newspaper on your way to work and suddenly a scary fucking giant kidnaps you to the top of the skyscrapers and then throws you to your death because gravity defying homicidal killing sprees are a thing now. A fall that takes so long that by the time you've hit ground zero you're looking at your own horrified face in the next edition of the newspaper in a cutesy piece on arachnid... base-jumping? How cruel. Fuck this city and its bullshit, imma move back home to Dead Monkey's Ass. No spider has ever been kidnapped and thrown to his dead by giants in Dead Monkey's Ass, that's for sure.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 2:00 PM on August 20, 2015 [4 favorites]
They think they can get away with this.
But they can't get away with this.
posted by Drexen at 2:12 PM on August 20, 2015 [3 favorites]
But they can't get away with this.
posted by Drexen at 2:12 PM on August 20, 2015 [3 favorites]
Spider-Man sure seems to be able to do more and more every year.
posted by bettafish at 2:15 PM on August 20, 2015
posted by bettafish at 2:15 PM on August 20, 2015
Base-jumping spiders. Next thing you know, they'll be sewing evolving little wingsuits for themselves.
posted by polymodus at 2:59 PM on August 20, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by polymodus at 2:59 PM on August 20, 2015 [2 favorites]
Look, I'm not a scientist or anything, but I'm pretty sure that when you throw something out of a big tree it's going to head more-or-less towards the ground in some manner.
Next up: watch as this bucket of piranhas glides majestically towards the forest floor!
posted by turbid dahlia at 8:34 PM on August 20, 2015 [6 favorites]
Next up: watch as this bucket of piranhas glides majestically towards the forest floor!
posted by turbid dahlia at 8:34 PM on August 20, 2015 [6 favorites]
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...
posted by OverlappingElvis at 9:18 PM on August 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by OverlappingElvis at 9:18 PM on August 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by fairmettle at 1:07 PM on August 20, 2015 [1 favorite]