Min-Hui Liu et al., Scientific Reports

A juvenile Cyclosa ginnaga against its decoration. Images: Min-Hui Liu et al., Scientific Reports.

In a crappy new finding, scientists have discover that a spider disguises itself as bird droppings to avoid predators. Biologists led by I-Min Tso at National Chung-Hsin University in Taichung, Taiwan analyzed the masquerade of this orb-web spider, Cyclosa ginnaga.

This arachnid has a silver body, and juveniles create a white disc on their webs. This type of spider is well known for hanging adornments in its webs, such as bits of old prey, to attract victims. Scientists had previously suggested the size, color, and shape of this spider's body, combined with the ornaments in its web, make it resemble bird poop—a trick that could help the spider to avoid predators. Now Tso and his colleagues have the strongest evidence yet these spiders and their web decorations look nearly identical to excrement.

The researchers compared the color and size of the bird droppings with the spiders and their web ornaments. They were the same in size, with identical levels of contrast in color. And in experiments in which the spiders had either their bodies or webs blackened with carbon powder, wasps attacked the spiders far more often.

For reference, a bird dropping the scientists found at their study site.

Nature is full of examples of animals masquerading as something else. A variety of animals impersonate plants—the stick insect resembles a twig, for example, while the orchid mantis is not only colored like the flowers it hides among, but has legs shaped like petals. Somebody was bound to hide in plain sight as poop.

No word yet on whether this spider's disguise extends to odor as well.

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