Science: UC biologist explains how spiders 'hear' with legs

A study on ogre-faced spiders by researchers with Cornell University was published in the journal Current Biology. Cornell found that spiders reacted to certain frequencies of sounds that were similar to those made by the fluttering wings of their preferred prey, moths.

Many spiders have excellent vision, but their ability to sense sound vibrations is far less understood. In his UC biology lab, Uetz and his biology students study "multimodal communication" in which courting wolf spiders use a combination of visual and vibratory cues to attract a mate.

Uetz said Cornell's finding about this new spider superpower is a surprise, given how much we already know about the acuity of spider vision. He was not part of the study.

"They are much more complex than people ever thought they were," Uetz said.

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