The purpose of eye-catching web decorations created by certain spiders has mystified scientists for decades, but new research suggests they help prevent unintentional damage.
Researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia have found that the bold silk cross constructed by the St. Andrew’s Cross Spider (Argiope keyserlingi) in the centre of their web is actually a visual warning of the web’s presence.
“The frequency and size of the cross’s increased as a response to heavy web damage, providing an explanation to the debated decorations,” said the lead author of the paper published in Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology, Andre Walter from the Department of Zoology — via redwolf.newsvine.com
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