Summary
A turret spider builds a little tower and waits, feeling for the footsteps of passing prey through the ground. Deep Look reveals how it senses vibrations and bursts out to grab a meal in a flash.
Viewer safety
Ages 7+Mild peril
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
A turret spider can't see prey coming, so it feels tiny ground vibrations from inside its tower. When it senses the right signal, it strikes -- sensing, then responding.
- How does a turret spider know when prey is near?
- What information do the ground vibrations give it?
- Why is waiting and ambushing a good strategy for this spider?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: vibration, sense, ambush, respond.
Try it: Close your eyes and have a partner tap the floor as they walk closer. Write how feeling vibrations tells you something is coming.