There are so many different types of spiders in the world, it's no wonder that they evolved different ways to do their spider-things. Some of them have super powers! Spider-Man uses his "spidey sense" to detect danger, but some real spiders design their world to enhance their sensory perception.
Despite lacking ears, spiders have some impressive musical talents. They treat the strands of their webs like the strings of a guitar, tuning them just right so they can detect certain vibrations. For their study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, researchers from the University of Oxford and Charles III University of Madrid observed garden cross spiders maintaining their webs. They learned that adjusting the tension and stiffness of the silk allows the spiders to sense frequencies they can recognize. One signal might mean that prey is near, while another could be connected to structural issues with the web.
You may know some of the weird and wonderful things spiders can do, but its impressive to see so many of them compiled in a list at Mental Floss.
(Image credit: Christine Matthews)