A spider newly discovered in the Moroccan Sahara can do powerful, acrobatic flips through the air.
Like a gymnast, it runs for a short time, then stretches out its front legs, spinning into the air and returning to touch the ground with its hind legs.
The move doubles the spider’s speed, to 2 meters per second from 1 meter. But since it uses so much energy, the maneuver is a last resort, called on only to escape predators.
The spider, named Cebrennus rechenbergi, lives in a tubelike structure it weaves in the sand, staying hidden under a sandy lid and emerging at night in search of food.
See video:
Cebrennus rechenbergi: Cartwheeling Spider from Morocco from Sci-News.com on Vimeo.
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