This spider looks (and walks) like an ant

In order to avoid spider-loving predators, the jumping spider Myrmarachne formicaria has evolved to look like an ant. But a new study suggests it has learned to walk like an ant too.

[powberier]

This is actually really fascinating. I saw one today and thought it was just another ant until it started going down my table with its thread.

[mmm]

You can't trust anybody these days.

[roidroid]

It should be noted that the spiders don't necessarily do this so they can more easily hunt ants, but rather because many of the spider's own predators will AVOID ants.
For example, the preying mantis will not attack ants.

Other ant mimicing insects don't look much like ants at all, they just rely on SMELL to fool the ants. You don't need to look the part to fool an ant, you only need to look the part to fool some other insect that avoids ants.

[averythegamer]

Love these little guys. They're all over the greenhouse at work and it's so fun just watching them move around.

[mikelittle]

glad I looked it up. Thought I was seeing things. never seen an ant duck and move like a spider before in that "6th sense" kind of way. and this was here in NY, btw

[Thereisnogodbutallah]

When you play imposter but do extra part in pretending to do tasks in among us

[Victory..I]

Plot twist - The ants are mimicking the spider..😮

[kristinaniemiec]

Does it have a common name? I always called these spider ants but when I googled spider ant it brought me to a picture of an ant that looks like a spider, not this spider that looks like an ant lol

[Kids_Scissors]

Meanwhile, in the ant colony

"This spy has already breached our defenses. You've seen what he's done to our colleagues. And worst of all, he could be any one of us. He could be in this very room! It could be you. It could be me! It could EVEN be-"

[Kit]

had one of these bad boys on my hand yesterday. I really did think it was an ant until I took a closer look. we was chillin till he tried to go up my sleeve.

[CA.papaBear]

imagine if spiderman got bit by this spider, he could prolly mimic someone's voice and appearance like mystique

[RustinBlack]

a bizarre moment : living next to a fairly biodiverse pond, I spotted dangling in front of my window an ANT... threading silk and slowly descending to the ground. 'snagged his strand and cupped him, wondering... "is there a species of ant that spins silk?!? what have I found here?!"
Much googling later, I now know way too much about this species hahaha and that I had 100% caught a female* as well (much more ant-like; the males' jaws give them away). They are ADEPT at their mimicry, and I had to catch it red-handed spinning silk inside the cup to verify that Myrmarachne formicaria was what I had found, but still I was surprised to have not spotted them sooner. -I've lived in the area for 30 years, but low and behold they're still somewhat new & rare to the PA, NY, & Canada areas, and there's nothing else quite like them anywhere in the USA! (there is ONE other species, found predominantly in Mexico)
I think they were introduced in OH accidentally (brilliant) and were only confirmed in my area within the last 5 years!
*this lady was released by the way; once I was confident it wasn't something hyper-rare I decided to NOT make it a malevolent alien abduction and let her back outside to mimic another day (I think once they're confirmed in your area it means they're now effectively common to that area, it's just a small distribution in terms of the entire USA for now).

[rdr]

I remember my first time seeing these I was in basic training for the army in SC and noticed what I thought was a little red ant on me until it jumped and left a web on my sleeve. It was cool

[Dunata.]

Other spider : you are what you eat
Spider:

[bruceluiz]

I know that Nature is amazing and all, but time and time again it surprises my small mind with its awe-inspiring phenomena.
Kuddos to the researchers/ScieneMag for sharing it.

[Katie-pvnq]

Can someone help me, there is one in my room

[mukeshgoyal]

But how this ends up in my home (new Delhi, India)
I saw it nd thought why this ant is bit different? (I have fear of spider)
But when it start climbing wall nd fall for a sec it swings like spider. Nd i was like i can't belive this. This is not real. I have not seen this in last 25 years.

Then I searched Google nd then YouTube nd yes that was the same specie like this.

Ps: once that thing swings on wall while climbing I doubted but she again climbed nd goes out of window. lived life happily after scaring me.

[awetistic]

The little front leg wiggle is so cute though.

[abhisheklama]

I encountered this thing. It was walking on my guitar, and when I blew it off, it apparently dangled on its own web. Just like a spider! And this wasn't some other spider's web string that just happened to be there. This thing was spinning it's own web! And yet it looked exactly like an ant. Except for it's movements. It moved around in short speedy bursts. Freaked me out real good for some time lol.

[pastellamayday]

I saw a spider that looks like that but it was orange, it terrified me. It was on my bed and my leg had been aching just before but like a lot- ive been spooked and im never going in that room again.