News Animals

This spider uses trapped fireflies to lure in more prey

Male fireflies ensnared in the spider's web flash their lanterns like females, luring more males

A small brown spider wraps a firefly with a glowing lantern that flew into its web in spider silk

An orb weaver spider (Araneus ventricosus) wraps a male firefly (Abscondita terminalis) that got stuck in its web. The spider’s venom or its bite may cause the firefly’s flashing lights to blink in a femalelike pattern, luring other males into the web.

Xinhua Fu

By Erin Garcia de Jesús

Sometimes fireflies shouldn’t follow the light.

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