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Spiders turn fireflies into glowing traps

In Taiwan’s forests, researchers discovered a clever hunting trick by the sheet web spider Psechrus clavis. Instead of immediately devouring captured fireflies, the spiders allow them to glow in the web, luring other insects, sometimes even more fireflies, into the trap. Experiments with LED lights confirmed this eerie strategy: webs lit with firefly-like signals attracted up to ten times more prey.

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