Spiders Skedaddle For Science, Revealing A Giant That Can Run Faster Than A Human

A recent pre-print study set out to investigate the evolution and limitations of speed in spiders. To put their subjects to the test, they set spiders loose to record how fast they could move and then compared the results. The runners encompassed the entire spider tree of life, and a few in particular made the experiment a little tricky. Turns out keeping spiders on track when they are fast and capable of scaling smooth surfaces (like the huntsmen and zebra spiders) isn’t easy, but the results highlighted some impressive speeds. The fastest spiders of all those recorded was a large huntsman that proved to be capable of running faster than we humans jog. Its impressive pace was attributed to its long and powerful legs. If you corrected for body size, then the goblin spider came out on top. What it lacks in size it makes up for in stride frequency, and it uses this speed to chase down prey. But are these spiders at the top of their game? Whether they have reached their biomechanical or physiological limits is the big question. Read more: https://www.iflscience.com/how-fast-are-spiders-scientists-got-258-to-race-the-fastest-could-outrun-a-human-84032 Videos courtesy of Jonas Wolff