Tropical spider can hide underwater for 30 minutes

A tropical spider species uses a film of air to hide underwater for as long as 30 minutes.

The large tropical spider (Trechalea extensa), which was not previously known to use water to escape, was observed by Lindsey Swierk. A Costa-Rican lizard species was able to stay underwater for 16 minutes to hide.

Swierk said that getting wet and cold is almost as risky to survival as dealing with their predators.

The spider was underwater for 30 minutes. While submerged, it kept a film over its entire body. Swierk and her colleagues believe that the fuzzy hairs on the spider's body help it to maintain a film of air, which helps to prevent thermal loss while underwater, or to prevent water from entering the spider's respiratory organs.

Swierk said that the spider almost looks like it because of the film of air surrounding it when it is underwater. The film of air might help keep the respiratory openings away from water. The film of air might help to minimize thermal loss to the cold stream water that the spider submerges itself in.

According to Swierk, this observation provides new insight into how species can deal with the problem of finding refuge underwater.

Swierk said that the spiders have to do their best to manage risk. For some species that means leaving territory or mates unguarded or spending stored energy in a sprint. Potential risks of underwater refuge use in this species include lack of respiration and a loss of body heat. There are many more questions to be asked after this first observation.

The research was published in a journal.

More information: Lindsey Swierk et al, Diving behavior in a Neotropical spider ( Trechalea extensa ) as a potential antipredator tactic, Ethology (2022). DOI: 10.1111/eth.13281 Citation: Tropical spider can hide underwater for 30 minutes (2022, May 9) retrieved 9 May 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-05-tropical-spider-underwater-minutes.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.