Comment on Spidey Senses

• seaplant@slrpnk.net ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  The Wikipedia page on ant mimicry is full of fun facts, but the relevant bits:

  Jumping spiders in the genus Myrmarachne are Batesian mimics

  Batesian mimics lack strong defences of their own, and make use of their resemblance to a well-defended model, in this case ants, to avoid being attacked by their predators.

  Studies on this genus have revealed that the major selection force is the avoidance of ants by predators such as spider wasps and other larger jumping spiders.

  But also (not specific to Myrmarachne):

  Ant mimics can be myrmecophilous, with the mimics and their ant models living commensally together. In the case of ants, the mimic is an inquiline in the ants’ nest. Such mimics may in addition be Batesian or aggressive (predator) mimics. To overcome ants’ powerful defences, mimics may imitate ants chemically with ant-like pheromones, visually, or by imitating an ant’s surface microstructure to defeat the ants’ tactile inspections.

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  • emeralddawn45@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Thats actually wild, they can smell like ants and are convincing enough to pass a physical ant patdown. Crazy.

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    • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      squeezes your buttcheek yeah they’re human, carry on

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• SolarMonkey@slrpnk.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Consider: the goal isn’t for predators to be fooled, but prey.

  Lots of things consider ants totally harmless, like aphids that gets farmed and stuff. Perhaps it’s an adaptation to throw those things off.

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  • Gullible@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Aphids are borderline mindless, their chief strategy is simply breeding more aphids. I’ve gleefully spectated ladybugs devouring dozens of aphids, and not a single one responded in any way. Tiny dead idiots.

    You might be on the right track, but I’m still struggling.

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    • SolarMonkey@slrpnk.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Honestly was just the first example I could come up with, but the fact remains that a lot of things do consider ants to be harmless because they aren’t, like, hunting those things. Especially other small arthropods.

      I’m sure there are some hunting ant species, but most of them aren’t.

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    • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      fun fact: aphids are born pregnant (or at least they can be)

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      • Gullible@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Moreover, they can give birth to live young. Live young that are, as you said, pregnant. My loathing for these parthenogenic little fucks cannot be overstated.

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  • pmtriste@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Ah, so these spiders look like ants to fool the aphids that ants farm. Similar to how something that looked a lot like a human might fool cows and sheep into following them away to be eaten.

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• blackbrook@mander.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  I would guess it’s to fool their prey.

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