"the fungal mimicry was without a doubt super crazy and very surprising,” he said. The spider imitates the fruiting body of the fungus — the hornlike structures on its abdomen — by having abdominal prolongations on its own body.

Dr. Díaz-Guevara said that effectively, “over time, a spider has evolved to realize that if it mimics something that is dead, the chances of being hunted are low.”