National
Geographic Explorer Jonathan Kolby was in the jungle in Honduras
researching amphibians when he spotted a spider with a spectacular rear
end. The spider (
Micrathena sagittata) is red, except for an
abdomen that resembles the head of the Pokémon character Pikachu. It's
not a rare species, just tiny and hard to spot even if you're looking
for them. But why the coloring that acts like a safety vest? A 2002
experiment on similarly colored spider in Australia hints that standing
out actually attracts prey.
Using a black marker,
the researchers "erased" the spiders' bright yellow color. The spiders
whose colors had been thus muted were on average less successful at
catching prey. Like arrow-shaped micrathenas, the Australian spiders are
"sit-and-wait" predators that ensnare prey in large webs.
Maybe when insects see this, they don't think "Pikachu" as much as they think "flower." Read more
about the PIkachu spider at National Geographic News.
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