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The most terrifying spider in the world builds a fake spider decoy to trick its victims

 

Laura Davis
Thursday 20 December 2012 10:24 GMT
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(Getty Images)

If you thought the film Arachnophobia was the scariest thing you've seen - probably best to stop reading now.

A spider has been discovered that crafts a fake spider from leaves and dead insects within its web.

Scientists believe this is to act as a decoy to "confuse or distract predators".

Believed to be a new species in the genus Cyclosa found in the Peruvian Amazon, it is suspected this behaviour in spiders hasn't been reported before.

So spiders can build their own silky web to trap victims, produce venom to paralyse and kill their prey before consuming and trick predators with a home-made decoy? Not to mention the eight legs.

Here are the five of the most deadly spiders in the world:

1. The Redback - most people suffer infections and fever from a bite, but more severe attacks will result in seizures, coma and respiratory failure

2. The Funnel-Web - they have large fangs and will attack multiple times

3. The Brazilian Wandering - named by the 2010 Guinness World Records as the most venomous spider in the world

4. The Brown Recluse - its venom causes the afflicted flesh to rot and fall away

5. The Black Widow - the most famous of the arachnids eats its mate after sex

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